"Open up the history books!
— Wisconsin Badgers (@UWBadgers) November 13, 2017
"Here comes Ron Dayne!"
18 years ago today, @Ron33Dayne became the NCAA's all-time career rushing leader. #OnWisconsin 👐 pic.twitter.com/O81ryzAVa2
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Bless Barry Alvarez and what he did to turn around the program. Of course bless Dayne too. After decades of suffering it's been a joy to be a Badger fan the last 25 years instead of.. OMG the Veer, innovating, exciting, here comes Bucky! Or something else.
Probably the worst blemish on BA's record is the Gary Anderson signing, still puzzling, but it doesn't matter now. The ship was righted with PC.
Oh yes thank god for Barry and turning this program around. I grew up in the 70's and 80's and I remember the only time you could see Badgers games was on PBS replays on Sunday mornings. And when you did see them they were getting smoked by someone.
Dayne breaking that record is still one of my all time favorite football memories.
Cavetoad posted:
Bless Barry Alvarez and what he did to turn around the program. Of course bless Dayne too. After decades of suffering it's been a joy to be a Badger fan the last 25 years instead of.. OMG the Veer, innovating, exciting, here comes Bucky! Or something else.
Probably the worst blemish on BA's record is the Gary Anderson signing, still puzzling, but it doesn't matter now. The ship was righted with PC.
If Bielema leaves the year before (before Chryst took the job at Pitt), Chryst replaces Bielema. Alvarez didn't want to screw over Pitt by taking Chryst one year after he started there.
Andersen is Barry Alvarez' equivalent of Ray Rhodes. Rhodes was hired by Ron Wolf because he couldn't hire the guy he really wanted. In Wolf's case it was probably Andy Reid, but he couldn't do that and bypass Sherm Lewis (technically Reid's superior in Green Bay) during the whole discussion about African-American coaches not getting opportunities.
In Wolf's case, he rectified it by getting rid of Rhodes and bringing in Mike Sherman. Sherman worked out decently, but you have to wonder if Andy Reid could have coaxed a few great years out of Favre.
In Alvarez's case, Andersen bailed him out by leaving and the Badgers have the perfect coach for their program. There is probably no coach in the country that personifies the program better than Chryst.