MACOMB, Ill. - Don Patterson will be facing a pair of former pupils as he takes his Western Illinois University football team to Madison, Wis., Saturday afternoon to face its first Big Ten team since 1991.

Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema and defensive backs coach Kerry Cooks have both known Patterson, an assistant coach at Iowa from 1979-98, since they were 18 years old and both coached alongside Patterson after their playing days.

“Apparently Bret was at some of our summer camps early in his high school days, but I remember him first as a recruited walk-on at Iowa,” Patterson said. “When I coached Bret as a walk-on tight end, he found out quickly that he couldn't catch very well. After a short time he was wise enough to come to us and say he thought he'd be better suited for defense. He ended up having a great career at defensive end.”

Bielema went on to become a captain for the Hawkeyes and a two-year starters who helped them to the 1990 Big Ten championship. After graduating in 1992 and playing a brief stint in the NFL and AFL, he returned to Iowa as a graduate assistant coach in 1994. The first six of his nine seasons as an assistant coach (1994-99) were spent on the sidelines with Patterson.

“I had the chance to know him even better as a coach and I'm not surprised he has done very well for himself,” Patterson remarked. “He's a bright young man and he has always had a lot of character. At Iowa, and now at Western Illinois, we recruited players with high character and that has helped him get where he is today.”

Bielema's first game as a head coach at Camp Randall Stadium (Saturday at 2:30 p.m., ESPNU), will be against his former mentor, but he would like it to remain about the players.

“Don is just a phenomenal person,” said Bielema. “I've remained in close contact with him, so he's somebody I know on a personal note. But I don't want this game to be anything more than about the players. Fans pay to watch the players perform, not to watch the coaches work.”

“Bret has a long, successful career ahead of him. I'm proud to be part of his first home game and I'm proud to have my name associated with his,” said Patterson.

Cooks is another familiar face who will be on the sidelines Saturday. The former Western Illinois defensive backs coach (2004) was recruited by Patterson and played four season (1994-97) at Iowa.

“Even as an underclassman, Kerry was a good leader - someone old and young players alike would respect because he was such a decent human being,” remembered Patterson. “He treated everyone well, whether you were the worst walk-on on the team or an All-American.”

Cooks served as a graduate assistant at Kansas State before starting his first full-time collegiate job at Western Illinois in 2004. He then worked one season at Minnesota before joining the Badgers' staff.

“Coach Patterson kind of tutored me to get me to the level where I'm at now,” said Cooks. “I've known Coach Patterson since I was 18 and for him to offer me my first job - and, then, to go and work for him - was a great experience. I really enjoyed my time at Western Illinois. It helped me tremendously to be under someone you already felt close to, someone who could guide you and show you, ?This is what you need to do.'”

Patterson, who will coach in a Big Ten stadium for the first time since leaving Iowa in 1998 and who compiled an 8-1 record at Camp Randall as an assistant coach, says the ties between the two teams help keep things “in perspective.”

“We both obviously want to win the game, but not at the expense of losing a friend in the process,” said Patterson.

“It speaks well of our program that we were able to schedule a game like Wisconsin. It wouldn't have happened if we didn't have those relationships in place. But the truth of it is, I don't care how good the friendships are, if we didn't have a solid program, then (Wisconsin) wouldn't have scheduled the game. Fans don't want to pay for a game that is going to be a joke. The challenge for us will be to play up to our full potential and to be proud of how we represent I-AA football against a great BCS program."

Big Ten Roots
Patterson came to Western Illinois from the Iowa where he was a member of Hayden Fry's original staff. Patterson served for 20 years under Fry, working as the offensive coordinator for the last seven years. He is currently one of seven Division I head coaches to have worked under Fry (Bielema, Bob Stoops-Oklahoma, Mike Stoops-Arizona, Kirk Ferentz-Iowa, Dan McCarney-Iowa State, and Chuck Long-San Diego State).