Althouse: "University of Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez made a choice this week based on nothing more than what he thought was right."

December 7, 2012

"University of Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez made a choice this week based on nothing more than what he thought was right."

"Mr. Alvarez's and Mr. Chryst's emphasis on commitment and ethics is unusual in a college sports landscape that has seen universities break 50-year-old conference ties for a few extra million dollars in TV revenue or coaches who issue statements of commitment only to leave for a 'dream job' a few days or weeks later."

32 comments:

ndspinelli said...: Honor, it's dying in our culture so it's even more inspiring when you see it.; 12/7/12, 2:56 PM
Big Mike said...: Or, Alvarez didn't think Chryst was quite ready to take on a Big Ten coaching position and cast his decision as an example of integrity in action.

(I'm getting awfully cynical these days.); 12/7/12, 2:58 PM
edutcher said...: You are a civilizing influence, Madame.; 12/7/12, 3:03 PM
Big Mike said...: OTOH, I think it would be good if Mr. Alvarez would hire this guy Beckman away from Illinois.

Puh-leeeeez!; 12/7/12, 3:06 PM
Patrick said...: In the JSonline story about Bielema telling Alvarez that he was leaving, Alvarez said This: "I made contact with a representative of a coach that I was interested in," he said, "and I had him in my room five minutes after Bret left and started my process."

Does anyone believe that person was not a representative for Chryst?

There may have been a "high road" taken in this instance, but I doubt it was taken by Alvarez. Had Chryst been interested, he'd have been hired by now.; 12/7/12, 3:15 PM
SteveR said...: I'm more than skeptical about these type of stories in association with coaching/managerial issues. Works both ways (statements of "confidence") and it naive to expect otherwise from players, fans, etc much less management. Winning is what counts and it mostly happens off the field.; 12/7/12, 3:25 PM
dreams said...: I'm hoping the conferences and the coaching changes get settled down (especially the ACC) now that my favorite school Louisville has become a member of the ACC and also managed to retained it's very good football coach despite a very attractive offer from the mighty SEC's Tennessee. I don't expect Louisville to beat Florida in the Sugar bowl but I'm hoping for that too.; 12/7/12, 3:33 PM
kjbe said...: An example of having principles.; 12/7/12, 3:44 PM
Shouting Thomas said...: What a crock!

The Big 10 just added two colleges, Rutgers and Maryland, to the conference for no other purpose than to make more money from TV.

And, the players still aren't getting paid.; 12/7/12, 3:45 PM
Rabel said...: Good for Mr. Alvarez. He does the right thing for the right reasons. And he doesn't have to pay the six million dollar buyout which Pitt attached to Chryst's contract because of the recent high turnover in their head coaching position.; 12/7/12, 3:48 PM
Shouting Thomas said...: OTOH, I think it would be good if Mr. Alvarez would hire this guy Beckman away from Illinois.

Hey! Tim called the Illinois job a "gold mine."

And, for Tim, I think it is.

Watch out for the Illini next year!; 12/7/12, 3:53 PM
test said...: I don't know whether the issues are factual or if the guy would be a good coach. But Wisonsin is paying for Alvarez' ethics, not he.

Surely most of the University will support him, but mostly because it's about football. Would the University take the same position on a specialist they thought could bring in a $50 million government research grant? I'm thinking in that case more faculty and administrators would believe he had a responsibility to the University he's not fulfilling.; 12/7/12, 4:02 PM
Anthony said...: It's a good statement regardless. I'm a bit skeptical of the whole thing, but I don't think Barry would totally make it up. Good for him and Wisconsin; 12/7/12, 4:05 PM
Eric the Fruit Bat said...: That article is proof that Einstein got it right when he theorized that flattery and currency are different forms of the same thing.; 12/7/12, 4:09 PM
AllenS said...: I might have missed something, but who in the fuck is going to coach the Badgers during the upcoming Rose Bowl?; 12/7/12, 4:09 PM
AllenS said...: I might have missed something, but who in the fuck is going to coach the Badgers during the upcoming Rose Bowl?; 12/7/12, 4:10 PM
dreams said...: Looks like the timing cost Chryst and maybe Wisconsin too.; 12/7/12, 4:16 PM
Patrick said...: AllenS, Alvarez is going to coach the Badgers in the Rose Bowl. He says other than that, he will not coach.; 12/7/12, 4:21 PM
m stone said...: Alvarez is coaching the Rose Bowl.; 12/7/12, 4:21 PM
Big Mike said...: Watch out for the Illini next year!

Don't we say that every year?; 12/7/12, 4:23 PM
Unknown said...: Heck there are people who kill other people for a few thousand dollars. These guys are high priced. What's a few million here or there among college sports teams?; 12/7/12, 4:27 PM
SunnyJ said...: I am on my knees, hands clasped and head bowed, "Please God, deliver Boise State Head Coach to my Badger Boys. Your good and faithful servant, Boo".; 12/7/12, 5:38 PM
Alex said...: NCAA football is just about the most corrupt institution in America and should go down in flames.; 12/7/12, 6:44 PM
DADvocate said...: Tennessee hired Butch Jones away from the University of Cincinnati. He almost went to Colorado. $3 million a year, plus Tennessee has to pay off UC and the fired coach, Vince Dooley. Dooley made a lot of money coaching Tennessee to three consecutive losing seasons. It's been over 100 years since that last happened. Hang down your head, Vince Dooley.; 12/7/12, 7:15 PM
Patrick said...: Didn't need the word "football," there, Alex.; 12/7/12, 7:41 PM
Known Unknown said...: Vince Dooley. Dooley made a lot of money coaching Tennessee to three consecutive losing seasons. It's been over 100 years since that last happened. Hang down your head, Vince Dooley.

Derek, son of Vince.; 12/7/12, 8:04 PM
Alex said...: my bad, all high-school & college sports are ridiculous and should be done away with.; 12/7/12, 8:42 PM
DADvocate said...: Derek, son of Vince.

Wow. Showing my age and wishing Derek was half the coach his father was.; 12/7/12, 9:12 PM
Joe Schmoe said...: Big Mike, I'm thinking like you're thinking. I don't know WI football at all, but I suspect it was either going to be too hard to get the Pitt coach out of his contract, or Alvarez has one or two other prospects on the line that he likes better. Honor has little to do with it. Alvarez is in the results business; he's not a priest. I say he's dissembling a bit. I think he means a little of what he says, but if he thought the Pitt coach was the right guy, he'd be the WI coach right now.; 12/7/12, 9:14 PM
Petunia said...: While I think Alvarez deserves credit for stepping up to coach the Rose Bowl after Bielema skedaddled (and anyone who thinks that deal wasn't in the works well before the B1G championship, is naive)...I'd like to point out that Barry will "earn" $225,000 for coaching one game. On top of the million or so he makes each year as AD.; 12/7/12, 11:33 PM
roesch/voltaire said...: I have watched Alvarez and Bielema,almost joined at the hip, strut their pot bellies across University Ave like Tweedeldum and Tweedeldee. They have the air of Kings who deserve their million dollar salaries, and more. The game today is about making money and increasing brand recognition, and thanks to the un-paid players who support the edifice.; 12/8/12, 8:43 AM
David said...: More than meets the eye here, methinks.; 12/8/12, 4:13 PM