Wisconsin to conduct a 'full national search' for Barry Alvarez's successor
The Barry Alvarez era in Madison will soon be coming to an end.
The legendary football coach and current AD for Wisconsin announced this week his plans for retirement. Alvarez announced that June 30 will be his final day on the job, entering retirement at the start of July. That will bring an end to a storied career with the Badgers that began in 1990 with Alvarez taking the head coaching position of the football team.
As Alvarez gets ready for retirement, Wisconsin leadership and chancellor Rebecca Blank must prepare to find the next AD for the Badgers. On Wednesday, Blank met with the media to discuss the search for Alvarez’s successor.
Among other things, Blank indicated Wisconsin will conduct a national search for Alvarez’s replacement while utilizing a nine-person search committee. Jeff Potrykus with the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel shared Blank’s comments:
“As far as I can see around every other athletic director search that has happened around this university,” she said, “the process has been the following: The chancellor threw open his or her door and announced the candidate.
“That’s not what we’re doing. We’re doing a full national search. I have a serious search committee together, with a great chair.”
Wisconsin announced the chair of the search committee will be Peter Miller, the university’s Athletic Board chair and professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis in the School of Education. Other notable names on the committee include Paul Chryst, Alando Tucker, and Yvette Healy.
The notable name not a part of the search committee? Barry Alvarez. Blank indicated Alvarez has offered his assistance and insight in the search process whenever needed but said that Alvarez will wait to provide advice until asked for it:
“He has indicated his willingness to provide advice and commentary whenever we need it,” Blank said, “but has also made it quite clear that he will provide that when we ask for it.”
Hopefully, Blank and Wisconsin have the right committee in place to turn up the right candidate for the job.