Barry Alvarez bringing back Barry Alvarez to coach the University of Wisconsin football team in the Rose Bowl was a slam dunk. It will make everyone ? UW players and fans, Rose Bowl directors and ESPN executives ? extremely happy. But of all the nuggets from Alvarez?s first public appearance since coach Bret Bielema bolted unexpectedly for Arkansas, the most important was this: Although he is relishing this moment, Alvarez will coach only one game before he resumes his duties as UW?s athletic director full-time. And while Big Game Barry?s decision to coach made the Rose Bowl infinitely more interesting, his ability to find a replacement who can perpetuate or even improve upon what Bielema did will have a far greater impact on the program.
Office of Strategic Communication