McIntosh is patient with Chryst
Philosophy with coaches mirrors Alvarez’s at UW
MADISON – One trait Barry Alvarez carried with him after transitioning from Wisconsin’s head football coach to UW’s athletic director was his penchant for being patient with his team.
Alvarez the head coach generally gave his assistants every opportunity to work through rough stretches before making a change.
Alvarez the athletic director preferred to give his head coaches the same latitude.
Chris McIntosh played for Alvarez, served under him as an administrator and eventually succeeded him as athletic director.
McIntosh isn’t an Alvarez clone, but he clearly shares his predecessor’s philosophy about staying patient with coaches rather than making emotional, knee-jerk changes.
McIntosh could have moved on from men’s hockey coach Tony Granato after the Badgers suffered through an ugly 2021-2022 season, one year after winning the Big Ten regular-season title.
He didn’t, however, and anyone who thinks McIntosh is itching to make a change with the football program and jettison head coach Paul
Chryst doesn’t understand the new athletic director or how UW has operated the last few decades.
Chryst entered his eighth season as UW’s head coach with a 43-16 Big Ten record and a 65-23 overall mark. UW won West Division titles in 2016, 2017 and 2019 but lost in the league title game each time.
The Badgers won at least 10 games in four of Chryst’s first five seasons but went a combined 13-7 in 2020 and 2021 and missed the league title game each season.
As a result, Chryst made several staff changes after UW finished 6-3 in the league and 9-4 overall last season. The most striking move was hiring Bobby Engram as offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach, which allowed Chryst to step into more CEO role.
“I think it is quite a statement that last year a nine-win season brought with it a level of urgency in the offseason that was beyond the norm,” McIntosh said this week.
Yet UW sits 0-1 in the Big Ten and 2-2 overall after suffering an ugly 52-21 loss at No. 3 Ohio State and faces an improved Illinois team Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium.
For many fans who use social media as an outlet through which to vent their frustrations, the loss to Ohio State was a tipping point and they believe Chryst has to go.
Not. Going. To. Happen.
Nor should it.
“The expectation of our program has evolved,” McIntosh said. “That is clear.
“There have been varying degrees