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Since playing their first football game in 1889, the University of Wisconsin Badgers football program has seen its share of ups and downs. With an overall record of 614 wins and 465 losses, the ups have outweighed the downs, to be sure, but when the program has been down it has been for an extended period of time. For example, after their 1901 season, Badger teams suffered through what could only be described as a 35 year period of utter mediocrity – with the one exception being the team’s 1912 undefeated season. Another thirty year period of poor performances and mediocre results occurred after the Badgers’ 1962 loss in the Rose Bowl. It would not be until Barry Alvarez arrived as the team’s head coach in 1990 that the program’s fortunes would begin to turn around.

Alvarez the man

Barry Alvarez was a fairly well known commodity when he was hired by the school. He had been a successful player under Coach Bob Devaney during the 1960s, and then landed coaching jobs at the high school level in Nebraska as well as in Iowa. He eventually caught the eye of the Hawkeye legend, Coach Hayden Fry, and was given a job as an assistant at the University of Iowa. From there it was on to Notre Dame to finish Alvarez’ time as an assistant coach. Arriving at Wisconsin in 1990, Alvarez made it clear that the team’s fortunes were destined to change. Unfortunately, there would soon be doubts amongst the school’s fan base as to whether or not that was true.

It’s never easy

As often happens with new head coaches, Alvarez found the first several years to be difficult ones. It takes time to rebuild a football program, and such was the case for the Badgers. Their first Alvarez-led campaign was almost winless, as they lost ten of their eleven games. While the team improved to five win seasons over the next two seasons, they still remained in the bottom of the Big Ten standings. Alvarez stuck to his plan, however, ignoring the many calls for his dismissal. His faith was rewarded in the fourth year of his coaching tenure.

A new period of success

During that 1993 campaign, the Badgers became the team to beat in the Big Ten Conference. After winning all but two of their games, the Badgers moved on to Pasadena to compete in the Rose Bowl, where their previous history had been less than successful – in three trips they had yet to win. This fourth trip to the Rose Bowl would prove to be the victory that had so long eluded Wisconsin. Along with that victory came the team’s final AP ranking of sixth in the country. The next season saw the Badgers in yet another bowl game, a clear sign that the program was back on solid footing. In Alvarez’ final eleven seasons with the team, his Badgers would post winning records in all but two campaigns, go to a bowl game almost every year, and win the conference several times. He even repeated the Rose Bowl win of 1993 by winning it again in both 1998 and 1999.

Barry Alvarez left the Wisconsin program in 2005 holding the record for the most wins best winning record of any Wisconsin coach in the school’s long history.

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