Barry Alvarez retiring as Wisconsin athletic director
Longtime Wisconsin head coach and athletic director Barry Alvarez is set to retire soon, according to a report from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
It seems Barry Alvarez’s time as the leader of Wisconsin athletics is coming to an end.
According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Alvarez is on the verge of retirement, with an official announcement to come “in the next few weeks.”
Who will replace the Badger legend? The Journal Sentinel cited sources who said Wisconsin’s deputy athletic director Chris McIntosh is Alvarez’s choice to lead the athletic department when he is gone.
It’ll be the end of a very long era for the Badgers.
Barry Alvarez has gone hand in hand with Wisconsin since 1990
Alvarez has been the athletic director for Wisconsin since 2004. He held the post along with his job as the head coach of the football team for two seasons before stepping into his administrative role full time in 2006. He was responsible for hiring Brett Bielema, Gary Anderson, and Paul Chryst on the football side of things. He even stepped in as interim head coach in 2012 when Bielema left for Arkansas and in 2014 when Gary Anderson left for Oregon State.
Strangely, in 17 years as AD, Alvarez never outright fired a head coach.
Before he took over as AD, Alvarez was an accomplished head coach. Wisconsin gave him his first gig after years as an assistant coach with Iowa and Notre Dame. He won the Big Ten in 1993, 1998, and 1999 while compiling a 120-73-4 record.
The College Football Hall of Fame inducted Alvarez into their ranks in 2010.
At 74 years old, it seems like a reasonable time for Alvarez to step away and enjoy some relaxation. Undoubtedly he’ll still be an active member of the Badger community.
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