Luke Fickell addresses Badger family during Wisconsin-Minnesota basketball game
Luke Fickell steps to the forefront at Wisconsin as the new head coach of the Badgers for the 2023 football season. After things went sideways under Paul Chryst, Jim Leonhard took the interim reins during the 2022 season and was eventually replaced by Fickell.
Now, Fickell faces the task of turning around a program that was once an annual contender in the B1G. Wisconsin is 1 of 4 B1G programs with multiple conference championships in the divisional era and is tied with Ohio State for the most B1G Championship Game appearances with 6.
Heading into 2023, Fickell addressed the Badger faithful during Tuesday’s rivalry basketball game between Wisconsin and Minnesota. While expectations may be high in Madison, it’s something Fickell called “a dream come true.”
“It’s a dream come true. I’ve been a huge Badger fan, from afar, for many years.”@BadgerFootball‘s @CoachFick just addressed the crowd at halftime of the @BadgerMBB game. pic.twitter.com/y59pBnmZcH
— Wisconsin On BTN (@WisconsinOnBTN) January 4, 2023
“We’re so excited to be here, be a part of this great university, this great Badger football family,” said Fickell. “It’s a dream come true. I’ve been a huge Badger fan from afar for many years. I can tell you I’m so proud to not only be a part of but to be leading this Badger football program.
“I always say to much is given, much more is expected, and you can expect incredible passion, energy and dedication, not only from me, (but) our entire staff and everyone within our football program.”
From 2017-22, Fickell led Cincinnati to an overall record of 57-18 with a Playoff appearance and 3 seasons with 11+ wins. We’ll see if he can turn things around for the Badgers.