What have been the greatest and most productive states for recruiting in Notre Dame's football history? Our countdown from 50 to 1 is based on these criteria:

• Quantity from the state who have seen game action at Notre Dame.

• Quality and depth of athletes from the state throughout history.

• Impact made on the program in the past, present and how it's on the rise or decline in the future.

With our final 20, we have now reached a point where at least a dozen major contributors, record setters or luminary-like figures can be counted from each state. Eventually, the top states will have an all-time team at every position — and more than one full team, too.

At No. 12 is Wisconsin.

Players Who Have Seen Action At Notre Dame: 85

First To Play: George Anson (Merrill) was the left guard on Notre Dame's 1894 team.

Most Recent To Sign Scholarship: To our surprise, we have to go back to 2002 with defensive lineman Brian Beidatsch (Milwaukee).

Notable: The Irish last played Wisconsin in 1964, a 31-7 win in the rain at Madison to kick off the Ara Parseghian era.

1t. Dave Casper (Chilton, 1971-73 — One of six Notre Dame players in history to make both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame (the others are Wayne Millner, George Connor, Paul Hornung, Alan Page and Tim Brown), Casper is often mentioned among the top five tight ends ever to play the game. As a junior in 1972, he started at offensive tackle all year, but in one contest he started at split end. As a senior tri-captain, the All-American helped lead the Irish to a national title

1t. Jim Crowley (Green Bay, 1922-24) — A legendary Four Horseman who helped lead Notre Dame to its first consensus national title in 1924, Crowley was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. He led the Irish in rushing as a sophomore with 566, paced them in interceptions with four the next season, and as a senior he rushed for 742 yards and 5.6 yards per carry, caught 11 passes that averaged 24.9 yards, completed 16 of his 27 passes for 252 yards and two scores, returned another score, and paced the team in scoring with nine TDs and 17 extra points. As a head coach, Crowley was 86-23-11 record and made Fordham a power in the 1930s.

3. Joe Kurth (Madison, 1930-32) — A transfer from Wisconsin, he started as a sophomore right tackle on Knute Rockne's final team in 1930 that won the national title, earned first-team All-America notice as a junior and was a unanimous selection as a senior.

4. Tom Regner (Kenosha, 1964-66) — First he was part of an all-sophomore starting defensive line during Notre Dame's "Resurrection" season in 1964 and led the linemen in stops with 68. The next year he received second-team All-American recognition at offensive guard while still playing on defense. Then as a senior for the consensus national champs, he earned consensus All-America notice at guard and was the No. 23 overall pick in the first round of the NFL Draft.

5. Neil Worden (Milwaukee, 1951-53) — Part of one of the greatest four-man backfields in college football history — fullback Worden, quarterback Ralph Guglielmi and halfbacks Johnny Lattner and Joe Heap were all Top 10 NFL picks — Worden led Notre Dame in scoring all three of his seasons with 29 total TDs and was the top rusher in both 1951 (676 yards) and the unbeaten 1953 team (859 while averaging 5.9 yards per carry running between the tackles).

6. Charles "Gus" Dorais (Chippewa Falls, 1910-13) — His four games in November 1913 might have been the greatest individual display of football in one month by a Notre Dame player while putting the football program on the map. His passing clinic at Army (unofficially listed completing 14 of his 17 passes for 243 yards) in the 35-13 upset win was followed by another sterling performance at Penn State, rallying the Irish to a win in St. Louis with a 60-yard punt return, and then kicking a school-record three field goals to help win at Texas. After that 7-0 campaign, he became the first Notre Dame player to receive first-team All-America notice.

7. Jim Flanigan (Sturgeon Bay, 1990-93) — Combined with classmate Bryant Young to give Notre Dame one of its more formidable defensive line tandems in the past 50 years. The duo helped Notre Dame to a 17-game winning streak in 1992-93, and third-round pick Flanagan went on to play 11 years in the NFL.

8. Terry Brennan (Milwaukee, 1945-48) — He started all three years on the unbeaten 1946-48 teams, pacing the 1946 and 1947 national champs in scoring with 17 total TDs, highlighted by the opening kickoff return versus Army in 1947. On two of the greatest college teams ever in 1946-47, he also was the top receiver and picked of a team high three passes in 1946. As the Notre Dame head coach from 1954-58 he was 32-18.

9. Bob Olson (Superior, 1967-69) — A two-time captain, Olson's 369 career tackles are fifth on Notre Dame's all-time chart. The team MVP as a senior, Olson led the team in tackles all three seasons, raising the number from 98 to 129 to 142 while becoming a second-team All-American.

10. Don Penza (Kenosha, 1951-53) — Head coach Frank Leahy referred to him as "the best captain I've ever had." He was his last one too as an offensive and defensive end for the unbeaten 1953 unit.

11. Fred Miller (Milwaukee, 1926-28) — The heir to the Miller Brewing Company was the captain of the 1928 team, and his All-America notice at tackle that year earned him enshrinement into College Football's Hall of Fame in 1985. Miller died in a plane crash with his son in 1954.

12. Rocky Bleier (Appleton, 1965-67) — Similar to Penza and Casper, the 1967 team captain Bleier did not put up glittering numbers, rushing for a modest 282 yards for the 1966 national champs and 804 total during his college career, plus catching 36 passes. But he manifested blue-collar determination and leadership, and it paid off with four Super Bowl titles as a starting running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

13. Kevin Nosbusch (Milwaukee, 1972-74) — Three-year regular along the defensive line was a co-starter for the 1973 national champs after Steve Niehaus was injured and had a strong senior year in 1974 for the top-ranked overall defense that made him a fifth-round pick.

14. Steve Neece (Janesville, 1968-69) — A two-year starter at offensive tackle on the 21-2 teams in 1973-74, highlighted by the 1973 national title.

15. Greg Pauly (Waukesha, 2001-04) — Had a strong senior year in 2004, leading Blue & Gold Illustrated to name him and fellow defensive lineman Derek Landri as co-MVPs that season.

An honorable mention to 1918 fullback Earl "Curly" Lambeau (Green Bay), who played for first-year coach Knute Rockne as a freshman before tonsillitis forced him to move back home - where he founded the Green Bay Packers. He would direct six NFL titles. The "frozen tundra" in his city now bears the name Lambeau Field.

Because it's been more than a decade since a player from Wisconsin signed with Notre Dame, and only a handful the past 25 years, there was some reluctance to rank the state this high. Nevertheless, it was difficult to overlook the sheer volume and impact over the past century.

It seems odd that this state that is located between Minnesota and Illinois — two places Notre Dame has recruited consistently well — has been such a non-factor of late. Over the past 20 years, the Wisconsin Badgers have been a consistent Top-25 program while replete with in-state players. Wisconsin has done a superb job of keeping top talent inside its borders, but one would still think Notre Dame could do a little better. This year it heavily persued the state's No. 1 prospect, offensive lineman Ben Bredeson (Arrowhead), who committed to Michigan on June 17.