When University of Wisconsin football coach Bret Bielema offered defensive tackle Dan Moore a scholarship during a Dec. 1 phone call, "I think I actually heard him scream," Bielema said.

It's true, Moore said. He did let out a yelp. But it's understandable, given all he has been through to get to UW.

Moore grew up in O'Fallon, Ill., located about 10 miles east of St. Louis. A linebacker and fullback in high school, he went to Eastern Illinois on scholarship as a defensive end.

He was redshirted, then decided he wanted to play at a higher level, turning his back on the free ride.

"I'm the first person in my family ever to go to college," Moore said. "To be going on a full scholarship and to throw it away to chase a dream, it was a big risk.

"I would sit at home and watch other guys (at big schools) on ESPN, like, 'That's the level I want to play at.' In order to be a true competitor, you've got to compete against the best. It's something I've always had in my heart."

Moore's coaches at Eastern Illinois said he was making a mistake, telling him, "If you leave here, you'll never play again. You want to play big-time football? We play (Illinois), we play Purdue. What else do you want?"

"I want the best," Moore said. "I want to make the most out of my five years I'm spending in college. I'm blessed enough to be at a place where I'm going to get a chance to play big-time football and receive a degree from a world-class university. It doesn't get much better than that."

But first, Moore spent two years at Joliet (Ill.) Junior College, an experience he admitted was "humbling." The facilities and strength and conditioning program were not top-notch.

Still, the football was competitive and Moore never lost sight of his goal of making it to a big-time program.

"JUCO is good football, there are a lot of Division I players that maybe got overlooked, had bad grades and different things," Moore said. "But it's not this level (at UW)."

Moore took an unofficial visit to UW last summer and was told he needed to take 18 credits in the fall to qualify academically.

"After coming up here in the summer, I knew this was the place I wanted to be," he said. "I put my nose to the grindstone and got it done."

Bielema and defensive coordinator Dave Doeren both had success in past jobs with junior college players. "I came from Kansas State, (which) made a living off junior college players," Bielema said.

After Doeren's first year at Kansas in 2002, the school signed about 12 junior college transfers and went to a bowl game the following season.

"From a playing standpoint, we had a lot of success," Doeren said. "But you usually grab guys that weren't successful high school students and you have a lot of off-the-field battles with them. That's the thing that's unique about Dan — he was a qualifier out of high school. He wasn't a guy that was a goofball coming out."

Another difference Doeren noticed is how Moore competed Tuesday when the team ran for the first time during winter workouts, hanging with senior defensive tackle Mike Newkirk, a noted workout warrior.

"(Moore) was unbelievable, he competed right next to Newkirk the whole time and battled all day," Doeren said. "Usually, you'll get a JUCO guy and that's not how it is. They're way behind work ethic-wise."

Moore is the first junior college transfer signed by the Badgers since linebacker Alex Lewis and kicker Scott Campbell in 2002.

Bielema arrived at UW as defensive coordinator in 2004, after Lewis completed a successful two years as a starter. Lewis turned into a success in the classroom, too, even returning to work on his degree after getting drafted by the Detroit Lions.

The only way Bielema will sign a junior college transfer, he said, is to provide immediate help at an area of need. That's what's expected of Moore, who is listed at 6-foot-2 and said he weighs 270 pounds.

As a former linebacker, he's got good quickness and plays "sideline to sideline," according to Joliet JC coach Tom Minnick.

"He'll come in right away and expect to start," Minnick said. "He's got that attitude. He's got lofty goals for himself. He gave up a full ride to Eastern Illinois to prove he can play in the Big Ten. That says something about him. He's athletic and motivated."