The Man or The Mistake? The pressure on University of Wisconsin football coach Bret Bielema to reverse the slide of the UW Athletic Department’s top bread-winning sport in 2009 will be immense.
Bielema, who turns 39 on Jan. 13, was hand-picked by UW Athletic Director Barry Alvarez to replace the iconic Alvarez as Badgers coach in 2006. Bielema’s debut was one for the ages: the best overall record in program history (12-1), a Top-10 ranking (seventh) and Coach of the Year honors in the Big Ten.