20 best college football coaches without a national championship
By Brad Weiss
Barry Alvarez
, Wisconsin
The Wisconsin Badgers football program has long been one of the more consistent teams in the Big Ten, and during that time, one name has been the constant. Barry Alvarez captained the Wisconsin Badgers to 119 wins during his time as head coach, which included two one-game stints a recent as 2014. Incredibly, he never won a title as coach of the Badgers, which is amazing considering he was always one of the best in the country at his craft.
Alvarez not only is the best coach in Wisconsin history, but is one of the best coaches in the history of the Big Ten. That is a pretty bold statement considering the plethora of incredible coaches that have graced the sidelines in the conference. During his tenure at Wisconsin, Alvarez was named Big Ten Coach of the Year seven times, after leading the Badgers to three Big Ten titles.
When Alvarez took over the Badgers program in 1990, the school had not had a winning season since 1984. He made sure to change that real quick, and led the program to three top-6 AP Poll finishes. In fact, he is the only coach in history to win consecutive Rose Bowls, having won that illustrious bowl game three times.
The 1993 AFCA Coach of the Year, Alvarez helped build the Badgers program into a perennial top-25 school. No longer is Wisconsin just another team in the Big Ten, as they have dominated the Big Ten West division in recent years. Still with the school as the Athletic Director, Alvarez’s fingerprints are all over the University, and it would have been sweet if he could have brought home at least one championship.