Matt Rebholz for Callahan
jcfoster
of Matt Rebholz for Callahan over the likes of Shane, Lokke, Muff, and
Drew but he is more than deserving of this honor. The fact that my
teammates and I did select him over the rest of those guys shows how
much respect we have for him. We nominated Reb this year based on his
personal contribution to the team, which has been incredible. Reb has
earned this privilege and we are proud to put him up as the Wisconsin
Hodag’s Callahan nominee.
As a player Rebholz usually flies under the radar, but make no
mistake, he completely controls the game when he is on the field. He
has a dominant presence in the backfield, he is always able to get
open for a reset as if no one is guarding him, he breaks the mark at
will to get the disc down field, and if I make him go in on defense he
will get a layout D. I have been fortunate enough to have played on
the same line as him for the last three years and I can honestly say
that I can count the number of times that I remember him turning it
over on one hand. Without Reb’s play in the backfield we could not
run our offense as we do. His break throws make it easy to get open
and his hucks down field are pinpoint. He has made tremendous
development as a player here at Wisconsin over the last 5 years and
there is no other person that I would want to have on the field with
me when the game is on the line. Yeah there are a lot of guys on the
Hodags that make flashy plays but I know that when his teammates need
him most Reb will step up to the plate and ball.
As a leader Matt has done a tremendous job with the team this year and
he has really taught me what it takes to be a captain of the Hodags.
When Dan graduated everyone kind of thought that we would have no
clear leader but Reb was ready and stepped right into the role that
was left behind. He is without a doubt the leader of this team and
demands respect from his teammates with his level of commitment and
the emotion he shows on and off the field. I have never known of
anyone as committed to his teammates as Matt Rebholz. The sacrifices
he makes to play on and lead this team are unbelievable. He went to
grad school here at Wisconsin just to play another year even though he
and his fiancé were ready to start their lives after college/
ultimate. Reb will do anything for his teammates, he will work harder
than anyone else on the field for them, he will always support them,
and he will never take them for granted. He has given himself to this
program and, in doing so, made everyone around him better on and off
of the field. He understands what an opportunity and privilege it is
to play with his teammates and that is why is he is a great captain
and the perfect example of what Hodag Love really means.
The Callahan Award is for the most valuable player in college
ultimate. Without Reb the Hodags would not have accomplished
everything that we have thus far. We wouldn’t be ranked among the
best teams in the country and we wouldn’t have been able to come home
from Decorah with a Regional Championship if it were not for him.
There are many clashing personalities on this team and Reb is the one
that is able to bring us all together to play for one common goal. He
has shouldered all of the burden and responsibility this season and
carried his team to the top. Matt Rebholz is the Wisconsin Hodag’s
most valuable player and he deserves to win the Callahan this year.
It has been an absolute privilege to play and be a captain with Reb
and I consider myself very fortunate to be able to step onto the field
with him in Boulder in a few weeks.
Jim Foster
Wisconsin
KRDo...@gmail.com
Not sure how this question will be received, but I'd love to know, how
did you guys decide? I'm just curious how you pick between so many
viable candidates.
-Donnie
djhe...@gmail.com
repeated some of what Foster said in his post:
Matt Rebholz is a 5th year senior on the University of Wisconsin
Hodags, and has been nominated by his team as their Callahan.
To many people out there this may come as a bit of a surprise. For the
past couple seasons the Hodags have been known as a group of insanely
athletic freak-a-zoids who scream, yell and smash cans of carbonated
beverages against their foreheads. No doubt many of you have seen
clips on ultivillage and/or the Hodag website of guys like Lokke,
Foster, Drew, Shane etc. skying the s out of their opponents or laying
out past them. For anyone who enjoys sports these are the types of
plays that get the “oooo”s and “aaahhh”s out of the crowd, but they
don’t necessarily mark a team’s most valuable player.
For the record let me state that any of the above mentioned players,
along with guys like Muffin, Kevin Riley, Animal etc. would have been
worthy nominees, but as the team decided . . . the honor went to
Rebholz. The purpose of this post is to give you all a bit of
background info on this 2 year Hodag captain, and hopefully open your
eyes to the special teammate, friend and player this guy is.
Rebholz has been anchoring the teams o-line since the 2006 season,
amassing an overall record of 143 – 7 during that span. Many of you
will say that this stat cannot be attached to one player, and you’d be
right, but for anyone who has ever played offense, there is no better
feeling than complete trust in your handling core. And Rebholz has
been the rock that has held the Hodags together since their 2006
season. He was the calming, controlled distributor that made the Hodag
offense look so smooth in 06 and 07. And he continues to lead the most
feared team in the country with a vast array of hucks, brutal breaks,
hard-fought defense and leadership. On a team with so many emotionally
charged, defensive minded athletes having a guy like Reb on your
sideline and in your huddles is truly a Godsend. He is uniquely gifted
at focusing a team, letting them know what they need to work on and
the weaknesses of their opponents. Especially on a team that has no
coach, having a captain like this is invaluable and has cemented Reb’s
status in a long history of great Hodag leaders: guys like Opie,
Paradise, Carrington and Burkly. Guys that back up their talk with
fiery play and tournament wins.
His name is not thrown around nearly as much as some other players
around the country, but I believe it’s a testament to his team first
mentality. Reb is the do everything kind of guy that every team needs.
The kind of guy that does whatever he can to get the job done and to
get his team a W. If the Hodags need a chill, patient O point – Reb is
their guy. If they need a big time d to get the disc back – Reb’s
throwing everything on the line. If they need a guy to make that big
zone-breaking throw – you can count on Rebholz. Sure they have other
guys that can huck, guys that can play shut down defense and guys that
can pull down the disc on offense and defense, but Reb is the guy that
brings it all together. He has been facilitating the offense for three
seasons, allowing players around him to shine while being content to
bask in the team’s success.
Yet he is not without his defining moments. Look at his Callahan
against Stanford last year in finals of Centex, or his disgusting end
zone d to get the disc back against CUT at regionals this year. Or
just ask guys who have marked him how impossible it is to defend
against his filthy around backhand, a throw he has used to repeatedly
punish defenders throughout his college career and especially Carleton
in regional finals this year. I can guarantee that the teams that have
played Wisconsin in any of the past 3 seasons know Rebholz. They know
he deserves their best handler defender, and know that the Hodag
Offense runs through his steady hand. And I can guarantee those
opponents will be filling out their ballots with Reb in one of their
top 3 spots for the Callahan award. He embodies what it is to be an
unselfish dominator: the silent assassin who destroys your team while
you are busy focusing on the other Hodag playmakers.
Speaking as a teammate and co-captain with Matt last year, I can say
with 100% honesty that the Wisconsin program would not be where it is
today without him, coming off of a National Title and poised for
another run. He’s a guy you want on your team, a guy that pushes you
to be your best and allows all of his teammates the opportunity to get
on the field and produce. He’s a leader who gives his all for the now,
yet deeply invests his time and energy for future generations of
Hodags He has given his all to the Wisconsin program and we will all
be sad to see him go, but the legacy that Reb leaves behind will not
be forgotten or undervalued. He’s a confident yet unassuming playmaker
who guides the Hodag wrecking ball with a calm head and dominant
play.
Matt Rebholz – Callahan 2008
Dan Heijmen
Wisconsin Hodags 03-07
Schleicher
He's definitely qualified and fully deserving of the Callahan award.
Matt Rebholz – Callahan 2008
BladingSawBladeWithBladesComingOutOfItAndStuff
bigsho...@hotmail.com
and Reb's intelligence as a player, but what many fail to see is how
dominant and complete his game is. Pinpoint hucks, breaks, shut down
defense and elusive cutting make Reb the great player that he is. I
remember watching Wisconsin last year at Centex versus Colorado, and
the whole first half consisted of Reb throwing perfect, undefendable
hucks to Wisconsin cutters. It's not like he was up against scrub
defenders, he was putting these hucks in places where Beau, Martin,
and Jolian - easily 3 of the most dominant defenders in the game at
any level - had absolutely no chance. And from everything I have seen
and heard, Reb's dominance has only continued this season. Basically,
a vote for Reb will not be wasted -- he is everything you should look
for in a Callahan candidate.
-Big Rob