Gary Anderson Blows Off The Badgers | Alverez To Coach The Outback Bowl

Wisconsin football head coach Gary Andersen abruptly announced on Wednesday that he would be resigning his position to take a job at the same role at Oregon State. Less than a week after the Badgers trouncing at the hands of Ohio State in the Big-10 Conference championship, Andersen notified University athletic director Barry Alvarez of his intentions, which were accepted as an immediate resignation of his head coaching duties. Alvarez spoke to reporters at a press-conference on Wednesday night to give details of the meeting, which he says was as much of a surprise to himself as it was to fans and players.

When asked about the player's reactions to the news, Alvarez mentioned that the older team members, many of whom had been witness to Brett Bielema's departure of a similar fashion, took it in stride. Though the younger players, the athletic director and former head coach said, were much more upset. Star Badgers running-back Melvin Gordon, who announced his own decision to enter the draft in 2015 rather than stay at Wisconsin, weighed-in on the topic over the weekend, exclaiming his surprise at the news, stating that no one on the team saw any sign that Andersen was contemplating the move.

Reporter's questions at Wednesday's news conference slowly trended towards the team's future, including the naming a successor and if that new coach would be in place for the team's Outback Bowl game against Auburn on January 1. Alvarez gave no speculation as to who would be named to the helm, though he said he hoped to have an applicant chosen by New Year's Day. As for the meeting with Auburn, Alvarez revealed later that evening that he would reprise his role as head coach for the game, returning to the sidelines for the first time since coaching the Badgers in the 2012 Rose Bowl in lieu of Bielema. Before being named athletic director at Wisconsin, Alvarez coached the Badgers to three Rose Bowl victories as head coach between 1990 and 2005.

Who Will Replace Anderson? 

Despite Alvarez's reluctance to name even a list of potential replacements on Wednesday night, media outlets on Friday were already reporting that one-time Wisconsin offensive coordinator and current Pittsburgh head coach Paul Chryst is set to fill the vacancy. Neither Alvarez nor Chryst have publicly acknowledged the report, though local media says that a reliable source close to the university is providing them with the information. Chryst would return to Wisconsin after three seasons in Pittsburgh, where he compiled a 19-19 record. He was a coordinator at Wisconsin for six seasons prior to accepting the Pittsburgh offer in 2012.   

Andersen's own comments regarding his decision were kept short when he released a statement late last week thanking the Badgers for having him as a head coach for two seasons. Though he did not give details about the reasoning behind his move, Alvarez revealed that in his meeting with the coach, Andersen made it clear that it was for family reasons that he chose to return to the west coast. Andersen leaves the Badgers after coaching them to a 19-7 record over two full seasons.

Badgers Fans Shocked As Brett Bielema Walks Away

Badgers fans were stunned by the news of Bielema's departure to Arkansas. This news came before the Rose Bowl, further angering Wisconsin fans. The news that Barry Alvarez will coach the team at Pasadena was less of a surprise. If you take a hard look at the situation at Madison, it becomes easier to understand why Bret took the leap.
The Badgers made the Rose Bowl this year because Ohio State was ineligible. Next season, the Buckeyes will most certainly win the Big Ten Championship game, and our Badgers will more than likely be languishing somewhere below the .500 mark. Last season, the team had lost key players to graduation, and that talent drop off will increase as Montee Ball will be gone next year.

Bielema Took Advantage Of The Timing

Bielema saw the writing on the wall, and took a powder before his stock dropped big time. Why didn't Bielema find a way to recruit well in these past few years, in order to replenish the departing players? Some say it was partly due to the playing and coaching style of Wisconsin football. When a team is focused on the run, hot shot quarterbacks will more than likely avoid the calls from recruits from said teams.
Why spend your college career working under the radar, or in the shadows of a player like Ball, White, or Dayne? Finally, Bielema is a gambler. Most folks know that. Bret took an assessment of the situation in Madison, and decided to go "all in" at Arkansas. Now it's up to Alvarez to find a suitable replacement that will be able to keep the team hot.

O'Brien hopes to make impact

They play the same position, came from the same conference and took advantage of the same rule.

Ultimately, they both landed in the same program, for similar reasons.

The comparisons between Russell Wilson and Danny O’Brien should end there, but they won’t, of course.

Since O’Brien made the decision to transfer from Maryland and follow the path Wilson forged a year ago to the University of Wisconsin — each getting a chance to play right away, having earned a degree — much of the focus has been on the similarities between their situations.

Now that O’Brien has arrived on campus, spent two months getting to know his teammates and has gone through the first week of preseason camp, it might be appropriate to point out the differences.

One of Wilson’s strongest supporters, from Day One, was UW athletic director Barry Alvarez, who quickly recognized the special talent that arrived from North Carolina State.

So, after O’Brien signed with UW in the spring, Alvarez was asked to make a comparison between the two.

Let's hope the Badgers go to BCS game this year.

Badgers Beat Nebraska

If Russell Wilson becomes the third football player at the University of Wisconsin to win the Heisman Trophy, it will be because of performances such as the one against Nebraska last week, not any promotional ideas hatched by the school's athletic communications department.

Wilson's performance on national television in prime time on Saturday night has thrust him near the top of most Heisman polls, which are becoming a cottage industry.

The Heisman polls are too numerous to mention, but many have Wilson in the top three, along with two other quarterbacks, Stanford's Andrew Luck and Oklahoma's Landry Jones.

The UW athletic communications department has started a Twitter campaign for Wilson's Heisman chances (@RussellManiaXVI). But don't expect Wilson to be checking it out much, since he doesn't have a Twitter account.

"No, I don't follow it too much," Wilson said after practice on Wednesday night. "Brian (Lucas), the media relations guy, let's me know. That's kind of cool. I don't have Twitter, though, myself."

Fresh off the push he got nationally from the 48-17 victory over the Cornhuskers, Wilson appeared Tuesday on the ESPN television show, "Pardon the Interruption," and also Dan Patrick's nationally syndicated radio show, which also is simulcast on television.

Barry Alvarez said getting Russell Wilson was like winning the lottery, I would have to agree with him.  GO BUCKY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Barry is going to get paid

University of Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez has a new five-year contract that will keep him among the highest-paid at his position in the nation.

Alvarez signed an extension in February that will carry through to Jan. 31, 2016.

He will receive $1 million in annual compensation starting in 2011-12, according to a source who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the financial details must be approved by the UW Board of Regents at their meeting July 14 and 15.

"I feel good about it," Alvarez said Wednesday.

The only other NCAA athletic directors reported to earn $1 million or more in annual compensation are Jeremy Foley at Florida ($1.2 million) and Gene Smith at Ohio State ($1 million).

The new deal calls for Alvarez to get $500,000 in base salary from UW Athletics and $500,000 from private gift funds held at the UW Foundation. He will receive $25,000 bumps in subsequent years provided he receives a satisfactory performance evaluation.

Regents also will consider new compensation upgrades for UW men's basketball coach Bo Ryan and women's hockey coach Mark Johnson.

Alvarez's previous contract, which went into effect in 2008 and was supposed to run through 2013, included $500,000 from UW Athletics, $250,000 from private gift funds and annual increases of $25,000. His overall compensation package in 2010-11 was $825,000.

Alvarez, 64, just completed his fifth school year as full-time AD. The Hall of Fame football coach of the Badgers from 1990 to 2005 held down both jobs for two years before turning the program over to Bret Bielema in 2006.

Multiple priorities have been fulfilled during Alvarez's tenure, including an annual operating budget in the black, having 23 sports nationally competitive and no major NCAA rules violations.

A cross-section of athletic department administrators, athletic board members, faculty, alumni association officials and alums did an evaluation of Alvarez's performance late last year and submitted it to UW Chancellor Biddy Martin.

"I think he's very careful to run an operation that has integrity and also is as efficient as possible," Martin said of Alvarez. "He's ensures that the students have a great experience. He's accessible to the community more broadly. And he's highly regarded for his ability not only to win, but to do so with his own particular style."

Let's hope he can continue to put Bucky Badger on the top of the heap.  GO BUCKY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ohio State Situation not good for the Big Ten

As tempting as it might be, University of Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez doesn't view the ongoing ethical storm atop the Big Ten Conference summit as a good thing.

Allegations of major rules violations at Ohio State led to the resignation of football coach Jim Tressel earlier this week. The NCAA is investigating the flagship school of the league a year after another premier program, Michigan, was placed on NCAA probation for the first time in school history.

"You never want to see that, particularly with one of your brand schools," Alvarez said Wednesday. "I don't feel good about it for our league."

Speaking at the Badger Day fan event at the Harley-Davidson Museum, Alvarez said he understands why some might view this as a great opportunity for UW and its football program to take advantage of two vulnerable rivals.

"If I were the coach," he said, referencing his 16 Hall of Fame seasons overseeing the Badgers from 1990 to 2005, "that's maybe how I'd be thinking."

But that's not how it is.

"You don't want someone to get their legs knocked out from under them and look for that to give you an opportunity," Alvarez said. "It shouldn't have to be that way.

"I don't want to sit there and lick my chops and say, ‘Wow, that opens the door for us.' I just don't think that's right."

UW football coach Bret Bielema, who led his club to share of the Big Ten title with Ohio State and Michigan State last season, said turmoil elsewhere in the league will not be a distraction much less as motivation.

"Wisconsin is going to worry about Wisconsin," he said.

Let's hope Wisconsin will win the Big Ten this year.  GO BUCKY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Alvarez thinks a stipend might be possible

When Barry Alvarez attended Nebraska and played football back in the late 1960s, his full scholarship included a monthly stipend of $15 designed to pay for things beyond room, board, books and tuition.

"That $15 was pretty damn important to me back then,'' he said, recalling that he spent most of it a "social life.''

That memory came to life to this week when Alvarez, now the University of Wisconsin athletic director, listened with surprise as Big Ten Conference commissioner Jim Delany broached the topic of augmenting athletic scholarships during a meeting in Chicago.

A full tender still covers the basics — room, board, books and tuition — but research suggests there is roughly a $3,000 gap between that value and the actual cost of attendance, which includes travel, clothing and living expense.

Delany threw open the door of discussion to student-athletes receiving the full cost of attendance, not just in the Big Ten, but throughout the NCAA. Alvarez isn't gung-ho about the initiative, but he is definitely OK with it.

"Whatever you can do for (student-athletes), you do it. I'm for that,'' Alvarez said Friday. "But you still have to make it work financially. I think there are a lot out there, a lot to be discussed.''

First off, where would the extra money come from? Would it be the school, the conference or the NCAA?

Secondly, which student-athletes would receive the stipend? Do you limit it to those on full scholarship, men and women, or you do it with just your revenue-generating sports?

UW currently funds just over 300 scholarships for 23 sports (11 men, 12 women). If everyone receiving grant-in-aid gets a piece of the pie, however small, that works out to approximately $900,000 per year.

If the extra money is limited to revenue-generating sports — which is highly unlikely because it would exclude almost every woman's program and would likely lead to Title IX-related lawsuits — UW would need an additional $348,000 per year for football (85 scholarships), men's basketball (13 scholarships) and men's hockey (18 scholarships).

Alvarez noted that only a handful of NCAA Division I athletic departments operate in the black — his is one of them — and guessed that there would be a distinct reaction from both sides of the fence.

"The ones that make money would love to do it,'' he said. "The ones that are struggling (would) say, ‘Where do we get the money?' ''

Alvarez, a Hall of Famer who coached the Badgers football team for 16 seasons, was asked if he would push for the stipend.

"I don't know that we need it,'' he said. "I think the scholarship is fair in exchange for an education and exposure and the development of a person.

"But if it's decided that you give them a stipend, that's fine with me. I have no problem with that.''

It will be interesting to see how this turns out.  GO BUCKY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Spring Football Game brings in unexpected donation

The University of Wisconsin athletic department contributed about $50,000 to the School of Nursing building project with funds generated from ticket sales at the spring football game.

But that was only part of the story.

School of Nursing dean Katharyn May believes a $1 million donation received about three weeks prior to the spring game probably would not have happened without the affiliation with the football program.

"I am absolutely convinced that gift would not have happened without the enthusiasm and momentum, if you will, leading up to the spring game," May said Monday.

Fans were charged $5 for admission to the spring game, which had been free in past years. The official crowd was a disappointing 11,169, though UW athletic director Barry Alvarez remains committed to using the game as a fundraiser for campus projects.

Proceeds from next year's game will go to the Human Ecology department.

"It was a message we wanted to send, that we want to support (the) campus, that we wanted to bring attention to your program," Alvarez told May.

"We're very pleased with the turnout, we're very pleased with the fact you're happy with it. It was a win-win situation. That's what it's all about."

With the help of the $1 million donation, May said the building project is within $3 million of its fundraising goal, meaning construction on the School of Nursing's new home will start a year from now.

It is great to see how Badger Football affects the whole university.  GO BUCKY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Badgers Lose a Heartbreaker in Pasadena

After seven straight wins to close out the Big Ten season brought the red-hot Badgers to Pasadena, a talented TCU team got in the way of one final victory, handing Wisconsin a 21-19 defeat in a hard-fought battle in the Rose Bowl.

Despite junior running back John Clay's performance in a dramatic 77-yard touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter, an unsuccessful two-point conversion proved to be the Badgers' undoing as they fell one play shy of Rose Bowl victory. All night long, UW avoided the big mistake as they have all year but didn't execute the little things, with that poor execution accounting for the close defeat.

Although they would falter later, on their first play from scrimmage the Badgers did not appear to show any rust from their five-week layoff between Saturday's game and their regular season finale. Sophomore running back Montee Ball bounced outside, bursting down the field for a 40-yard gain. But after a penalty on the next snap and a third-down drop by junior wide receiver Nick Toon, the Badgers stalled and were forced to settle for a 30-yard Philip Welch field goal.

The 3-0 lead didn't last long as the teams traded blows through the first quarter, which was the highest-scoring opening frame in Rose Bowl history. The Horned Frogs responded with their first touchdown drive, taking the 7-3 lead on a 23-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Andy Dalton to senior wide receiver Bart Johnson.

On the Badgers' next possession, Clay capped off the Wisconsin drive with a one-yard TD rush. Dalton countered with a rushing touchdown of his own, a four-yard conversion on third and goal, giving TCU a 14-10 lead after the first 15 minutes of the game.

"Third down stops were critical in the first half, and I don't think our defense got off the field on third down," head coach Bret Bielema said. "That was a big part of the game. Bottom line, two big pass, play action plays in the first half were critical.

"They were able to execute and we weren't."

The second quarter was perhaps the best execution of game plan by the Badgers all afternoon. After a long drive to start the quarter faded after Philip Welch missed a 39-yard field goal—his first miss under 40 this season—the defense responded by forcing TCU into a three-and-out.

The Wisconsin offense then rammed the ball down TCU's throat (with the help of a successful Brad Nortman fake punt conversion) running out the final 7:04 and finishing off the half with a 37-yard Welch field goal.

Despite controlling the ball for 13:30 in the second quarter alone, however, the Badgers trailed 14-13 at the half.

TCU went on perhaps its signature drive of the game to start the third quarter, completing a 71-yard drive that bumped the Horned Frogs' lead up to 8.

"We knew we had to take advantage of our opportunities because Wisconsin's got such a great run," Dalton said. "That's kind of the attitude we took in the second half. We have to take advantage, keep moving the ball."

For the next quarter of play, both teams put their "bend and don't break" philosophy on display, trading key third-down stops as each defense battled to keep the score where it was.

So the stage was set as the Badger offense took the field with 7:32 remaining in the game and the score still 21-13 in favor of TCU. A touchdown and 2-point conversion would tie the game, anything else and it would become desperation time.

After being quiet for much of the game, this final drive was a wakeup of sorts for Clay. Having gained just 12 yards on five carries coming through thre quarters, Clay led the Badgers on the final touchdown drive with six carries rushed for 59 yards, pushing him over 1000 yards for the season and setting the stage for sophomore running back Montee Ball's 4-yard TD run to put UW within two.

Despite having been successful at pounding the ball up the middle for much of the drive, Wisconsin chose to go out of the shotgun and attempt the two-point conversion through the air. Though Jacob Pederson was open in the end zone, TCU linebacker Tank Carder capped off his memorable Rose Bowl performance by batting down senior quarterback Scott Tolzien's pass attempt and putting TCU an onside kick away from victory.

"I felt real confident with the play call," Tolzien said. "It looked like man coverage with zero pressure. I thought we had a guy open. You give credit to them. They batted the ball down, and that's what good football teams do: They find a way to make plays when the game is on the line and they were able to do that."

In a game that saw Wisconsin out-gain TCU 385-301, the crucial details of execution proved the difference as drops, penalties and missed tackles surfaced more than they seemed to in the regular season.

"What got us here was clean execution and clean disciplined football, and we didn't do that today all around, myself included," Tolzien said. "That's why it's the greatest game, because you don't execute and you're on edges."

After a year that the Badger faithful will not soon forget, Saturday's defeat is tough to stomach for players, coaches, and fans alike. Still, the sting of defeat is accompanied by a burning desire to work even harder to get back on top.

"The Wisconsin Badgers will be back to the Rose Bowl," junior defensive end J.J. Watt said. "I don't know if it will be next year, but coach Bielema is an outstanding football coach. The Wisconsin football program does things the right way and Coach Alvarez leads the athletic department the right way. No doubt about it, the Badgers will be back.

"They'll be back better than ever. When they come back, they'll win."

Let's hope the Badgers can build on this season and return to Pasadena next year.  GO BUCKY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Badger Softball Fires Head Coach

After three consecutive losing seasons, Chandelle Schulte’s run as head softball coach at the University of Wisconsin is over.
Schulte, who went 99-153 overall and 23-70 in Big Ten play over her five years at the helm, did not have her contract renewed Thursday, as the UW Athletic Board voted not to do so.
Schulte’s only winning season over five years at Wisconsin came in 2007, as the Badgers went 27-20 in her second year as head coach. They were just 6-12 in conference play, however.
The 2010 version of the Badgers improved from the previous two, going 20-31 after back-to-back 15-40 seasons, but it was not enough to earn Schulte an additional year as head coach.
“I appreciate Chandelle’s efforts during her years with us and I wish her well,” UW athletic director Barry Alvarez said in a statement. “We will immediately begin the process of searching for a new head softball coach.”
Schulte was just the second head coach in the history of the program after replacing Karen Gallagher, who resigned in 2005.
In her final season before taking the position at Wisconsin, Schulte earned her 300th career victory as a head coach. She did so at College of Charleston, where she was head coach for four years. During her tenure, the Cougars were 163-82, with one NCAA regional appearance, a conference tournament championship and two regular season Southern Conference titles.
Schulte’s most successful season as a head coach came in 2005, when she led College of Charleston to a school and Southern Conference record 53 wins. The Cougars also had seven players named to all-conference teams while Schulte was named SoCon Coach of the Year.

Lets hope the Badgers can hire a winning coach and turn their fortunes around. GO BUCKY!!!!

Alvarez in Hall of Fame

Ever since Barry Alvarez pulled off one of the great reclamation projects in college football history, winning three Rose Bowls at the University of Wisconsin, his induction into the College Football Hall of Fame seemed a matter of when, not if.
Still, Alvarez was overcome with emotion when learning he would be a member of the 2010 class.
It became official on Thursday morning, when the selections were announced during a ceremony in Times Square in New York City, which Alvarez attended.
Joining Alvarez will be fellow coach Gene Stallings of Texas A&M and Alabama, as well as 12 players, including the late Pat Tillman of Arizona State, former Michigan and Green Bay Packers receiver/returner Desmond Howard and former Purdue quarterback Mark Herrmann.
Alvarez actually found out a week earlier, at the Big Ten Conference meetings in Chicago, when Steven Hatchell, the president and CEO of The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame, Inc., broke the news.
"I was totally surprised when he announced that I would be inducted. I actually broke down," Alvarez, who now serves as UW's athletic director, said in an interview with ESPN News.
"I was sitting with my (current UW) coach, Bret Bielema, and I think he broke down. It's an honor. It's very humbling, when this is your life's work and it culminates like this.
"The first thing you think about is all the people that had something to do with it. It's not just about one person, it's about the group of players, it's about the staff, it's about anyone that supported you throughout your career. I look at this as an honor for a number of people who supported me throughout my life."
It is great so see Coach Alvarez honored in a manner that he deserves. GO BUCKY!!!!!!!!!

Barry Alvarez on the Ballot for College Football Hall of Fame

Barry Alvarez of the University of Wisconsin is one of seven coaching candidates on this year's College Football Hall of Fame ballot, which was released Thursday.
Alvarez, who resurrected the University of Wisconsin football program and led it to three Rose Bowl victories, retired after the 2005 season as the winningest coach in program history with a 118-73-4 record in 16 seasons.
To be eligible for consideration, coaches must have accumulated at least 100 victories with a winning percentage of at least .600 over no fewer than 10 seasons, and have been retired for three years (unless they are age 70 or above, in which case they are eligible automatically).
Other coaches under consideration include Jim Carlen (West Virginia, Texas Tech, South Carolina, 1966-81); William "Lone Star" Dietz (1915-42); Wayne Hardin (Navy, Temple, 1959-82); Bill McCartney (Colorado, 1982-94); Billy Jack Murphy (Memphis, 1958-71); Darryl Rogers (1965-84).
The National Football Foundation mailed out ballots this week to more than 12,000 of its members and current Hall of Famers.
The votes will be submitted to the 13-member NFF Honors Court, chaired by former ACC commissioner and NCAA president Gene Corrigan, which will make its selections based on input from the vote.
The Hall of Fame Class will be announced May 27 in New York City, an event that has been televised live on ESPN2 in each of the last three years and NFF expects similar coverage this year.
Among the 77 players under consideration are several notable first-time candidates, including former Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George of Ohio State (1992-95) and Outland Trophy winner Mike Ruth of Boston College (1982-85).
Former Packers Desmond Howard (Michigan, 1989-91), Russell Maryland (Miami, 1986-90), Sterling Sharpe (South Carolina, 1984-87) and Wesley Walls (Mississippi, 1985-88) are also under consideration. It is great to see Coach Alvarez receive the accolades he so deserves. GO BUCKY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!