Former Badgers star Jonathan Taylor joins ownership of Toppers Pizza franchises

Jonathan Taylor is about to enter the world of professional football, but first he has entered the world of pizza.

The former University of Wisconsin running back joined the ownership of four Madison-area Toppers Pizza franchises, the company announced Tuesday.

Taylor is one of the top running backs eligible for the NFL draft, which starts Thursday. He amassed more rushing yardage for the Badgers (6,174) than anyone else in the NCAA's Football Bowl Subdivision has over three seasons.

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In a promotional video released by the company, Taylor said most sponsorship deals for athletes are "transactional, not transformational."

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"I felt like this was another family I could be a part of," he said.

JT23 Pizza was registered as a Wisconsin limited liability company on April 14 under the name of Scott Gittrich, the founder and president of Toppers Pizza.

Gittrich opened the first Toppers in Champaign, Illinois, in 1991. Two years later, he started another location in Whitewater, which became home to the company's headquarters.

Toppers lists 38 locations in Wisconsin, plus others in Minnesota, Michigan, Indiana, Kansas, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas and Virginia.