Alvarez reflects on former aide Cosgrove
Ex-UW assistant is now with New Mexico
MADISON – When Barry Alvarez began building his first coaching staff at Wisconsin, his list of candidates included plenty of familiar names.
The first two names on that list were Dan McCarney and Bernie Wyatt, both of whom worked with Alvarez at Iowa under Hayden Fry.
McCarney came on board as defensive coordinator/defensive line coach and Wyatt joined as recruiting coordinator/defensive assistant.
The third name on Alvarez’s list was Kevin Cosgrove, who had coached linebackers at Illinois from 1983-’87 and had just finished his first season at Colorado State under Earl Bruce.
“I had Cos on my list as a possible linebacker coach because we had
done clinics together and of course recruited against one another,” Alvarez said. “And back then, in those early days, we used to have Big Ten assistants get-togethers. We’d have a two-day golf outing. Different schools would host it. That gave you a chance to meet the other coaches in the league.
“I got to know him. I liked him. I liked how he felt about linebackers and how he taught.”
But before Alvarez could make a move, Cosgrove called him.
“As soon as I got the job he got a hold of me right away,” Alvarez said. “His wife’s family is from Milwaukee and Cos went to school at UW-Oshkosh.”
Cosgrove joined that 1990 staff and stayed at UW through the 2003 season. He coached UW’s linebackers through the ’94 season and took over as defensive coordinator after McCarney accepted the job as head coach at Iowa State.
He made several stops after leaving UW and is set to return to Camp Randall Stadium when UW (1-0) hosts New Mexico (1-0) at 11 a.m. Saturday.
Cosgrove is in his sixth season on Bob Davie’s staff, including the last four-plus as defensive coordinator. Cosgrove’s last visit to Camp Randall as a member of the opposition was in 2010, when he was Minnesota’s codefensive coordinator.
“He was very loyal,” Alvarez said. “You knew what you were going to get from him. You tell him what you want and that is what he is going to give you. He was a good soldier.”
With UW’s defense slipping from its peak in the 1998 and ’99 seasons, Cosgrove left UW after the ’03 season to work under head coach Bill Callahan, another former UW assistant, at Nebraska.
“They were tight,” Alvarez said, acknowledging both UW and Cosgrove needed the change. “I wish I would have done that more in my career. But it was a fresh start for him.”
That partnership lasted only four seasons, however.
Nebraska struggled on both sides of the ball and finished just 27-22 overall under Callahan.
After a year away from football, Cosgrove worked at Minnesota for two seasons (2009-’10). He was Akron’s defensive coordinator in 2011 and then joined Davie in Albuquerque in 2012.
Although Cosgrove’s final seasons at UW weren’t his best, Alvarez recalls the ’98 and ’99 seasons when UW won back-to-back Rose Bowls, went 21-3 overall and fielded one of the better defenses in the nation.
Two games that stand out during that two-year run were the battles with Purdue and Drew Brees.
Brees completed 55 of 83 passes for 494 yards and two touchdowns in the 1998 meeting in Madison, but UW prevailed, 31-24.
Jamar Fletcher returned one of UW’s four interceptions 52 yards for a victory-clinching touchdown.
Brees compiled 435 total yards in the ’99 meeting in West Lafayette – 350 passing and 85 rushing and two scores – but UW prevailed, 28-21.
Fletcher returned another interception for a touchdown and Ron Dayne became the Heisman front-runner by rushing 32 times for 222 yards and the victory-clinching touchdown.
“They broke records and we won the games,” Alvarez said.
Joe Rudolph, UW’s offensive coordinator/offensive line coach, was a member of Alvarez’s first recruiting class. Although he developed into a standout guard, Rudolph started out as a linebacker under Cosgrove.
“It was beautiful,” Rudolph said, laughing and noting that experiment lasted one year. “He is a good coach and a good man.
“He is just a guy who busted his butt. Smart. Conscientious. He was a great recruiter, fun to be around.”