ADVERTISEMENT

Paul Chryst Fired

I remember that we were looking at him as our coach years ago.
Unless they came to an agreement, they will owe him over $16 million. That is a little bit of a hit to your athletic budget.
 
I guess a .720 win percentage isn't good enough. I hope they have to pay the $16 million.
Ehh, Wisconsin football over the years has turned into an OSU-lite football machine. Coaches usually are going to be relatively successful there no matter who they are. They stack wins and keep on chugging even with all the turnover. Even hazell could have went bowling if he was head coach. But Chryst has been pretty bad this year and probably already took the program as far as he could. Only going to be downhill. I see no problem with him getting canned.
 
Jim Leonhard to be interim head coach.
Was this on the radar? I watched a little of his press conference after the Iowa game thinking "I wonder when his seat gets hot", thinking it would take more than a few losses. Wow.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DAG10
I remember that we were looking at him as our coach years ago.
Unless they came to an agreement, they will owe him over $16 million. That is a little bit of a hit to your athletic budget.
With what schools are making on broadcast contracts...a drop in the bucket...never mind, ala with Archie at Indinia, somebody likely is covering the cost.

He was indeed a candidate, and, there were actually rumors that he was going to be tabbed the HC.
 
Ehh, Wisconsin football over the years has turned into an OSU-lite football machine. Coaches usually are going to be relatively successful there no matter who they are. They stack wins and keep on chugging even with all the turnover. Even hazell could have went bowling if he was head coach. But Chryst has been pretty bad this year and probably already took the program as far as he could. Only going to be downhill. I see no problem with him getting canned.
The only bowling that Hazell would see as a P5 coach would be at the Pinz Bowling Center.
 
I guess a .720 win percentage isn't good enough. I hope they have to pay the $16 million.
It is funny what is deemed "unacceptable" at certain places...look at Iowa, where, it seems like Ferentz could never be fired.

Look at what has happened at Nebraska after firing Solich and then Pelini.

Fitz has a lifetime deal at NW essentially.

Leonhard is a guy who many have admired for a long time and many anticipated taking over there at some point anyway.

Safe to say that Wisconsin has not looked a lot like Wisconsin the past couple of years, but, still...to your point...a .720 winning percentage.
 
Didn't take long for that
snowball to roll downhill.
He didn't seem all there in
the postgame. "We just
gotta get better." Yah, think?



Players fighting to see who
can hit the portal first. lol

Maybe he can't handle NIL,
Portal, and Covid remnants.
It's an acquired taste.... lol

1st 3 letters of Badgers... BAD
 
  • Like
Reactions: purduepat1969
Was this on the radar? I watched a little of his press conference after the Iowa game thinking "I wonder when his seat gets hot", thinking it would take more than a few losses. Wow.
There was some noise after the losses to Washington St. at home, and, then just being awful last week in Columbus, but, as recently as Wednesday, it seemed as if he was safe.

But, they were SO bad yesterday...it is not a surprise that some changes were made, but, I think it comes as a surprise that he was the one to pay the ultimate price.

As I said above...it is funny how things are measured differently...I mean, Purdue nearly lost last week for Homecoming against FAU...really, probably should have, and, had it happened...ZERO chance Brohm would have been fired...next to zero chance that anyone for that matter would be.

Like say, Nebraska has chased genuine success for years after firing guys that they felt were not good enough (but, relatively speaking, look like stars compared to a couple of their successors).
 
  • Like
Reactions: Professor Emeritus
They probably didn't want to lose Leonhard knowing with the number of openings that were happening, he was gonna be gone. I'd expect Leonhard to be named permanent head coach at season's end...
Guy was QB at Wisconsin...spent the majority of his life in Wisconsin, and, much of his football life (as a player or Coach) at Wisconsin...won 72% of his games...was 43-18 in B1G...3 B1G West titles...2 NY6 Bowl wins...COTY at least twice....and, things "fell off" per those around the program when he went a disappointing 9-4 a year ago.

I have always thought Leonhard was pretty good, but, here is hoping that he is awful and Wisconsin gets what they deserve as such.

Good thing Painter is at Purdue and not UW...he would have been fired in March probably.
 
Guy was QB at Wisconsin...spent the majority of his life in Wisconsin, and, much of his football life (as a player or Coach) at Wisconsin...won 72% of his games...was 43-18 in B1G...3 B1G West titles...2 NY6 Bowl wins...COTY at least twice....and, things "fell off" per those around the program when he went a disappointing 9-4 a year ago.

I have always thought Leonhard was pretty good, but, here is hoping that he is awful and Wisconsin gets what they deserve as such.

Good thing Painter is at Purdue and not UW...he would have been fired in March probably.
When did he play QB?
 
They probably didn't want to lose Leonhard knowing with the number of openings that were happening, he was gonna be gone. I'd expect Leonhard to be named permanent head coach at season's end...
Leonhard turned down GB Packer coach Matt LaFleur’s DC position stating I like WI and only want WI. He is a Legend in WI.
He was a “GASP” Walk-On to a 3x AA, 3x All BIG TEN player, an played on multiple NFL teams.
 
Last edited:
With all of the coaches getting fired, I would think guys like Leipold from Kansas would be inclined to stay were he's at for awhile. A lot of careers have been ruined by taking high profile gigs where the fan bases have unrealistic expectations.

When teams have some success at places that aren't accustomed to success they are given a much longer leash. Brohm is .500 at Purdue and if he were fired the fan base would burn down the stadium. Fitzgerald's winning percentage is 54% and he's had back to back terrible teams. Allen is 29-34 in 6 years. I don't think any of these guys are on the chopping block.

Firing reminds me of the Bo Pelini firing at Nebraska. Similar winning percentages. Hope things work out as well at Wisconsin as they did at Nebraska since Pelini's firing.
 
With all of the coaches getting fired, I would think guys like Leipold from Kansas would be inclined to stay were he's at for awhile. A lot of careers have been ruined by taking high profile gigs where the fan bases have unrealistic expectations.

When teams have some success at places that aren't accustomed to success they are given a much longer leash. Brohm is .500 at Purdue and if he were fired the fan base would burn down the stadium. Fitzgerald's winning percentage is 54% and he's had back to back terrible teams. Allen is 29-34 in 6 years. I don't think any of these guys are on the chopping block.

Firing reminds me of the Bo Pelini firing at Nebraska. Similar winning percentages. Hope things work out as well at Wisconsin as they did at Nebraska since Pelini's firing.
Allen is only safe because his contract is fully guaranteed and has a $25 million buyout at the moment. No one is ponying up that kind of money despite the call from him to be gone growing. He's got a couple years before his buyout becomes palatable.
 
There is one name above all others when it comes to Wisconsin football, Barry Alvarez.
Even though he is officially retired from the AD position, I believe he is still behind the scenes influencing the program. Wisconsin's relevance as a football 'power' directly coincides with his career and influence, from Coach to AD. This coaching change could be his last big stamp on the program, one that could secure another generation of Wisconsin atop the B1G West, or one that could leave the program stumbling like Nebraska. The parallels are there - a fan base that no longer celebrates 9+ wins and a divisional title. A fan base that sees what Ohio State and Michigan are doing and wants to be a regular member in the CFP club. Being a ground and pound team has traditionally gotten them a lot of mileage in the former, but not the latter. Will they change their identity and take the gamble or stay the course on what has brought them success the last 30 years?
Will be interesting to see how this plays out between those two programs in the next few years.
 
Last edited:
There is one name above all others when it comes to Wisconsin football, Barry Alvarez.
Even though he is officially retired from the AD position, I believe he is still behind the scenes influencing the program. Wisconsin's relevance as a football 'power' directly coincides with his career and influence, from Coach to AD. This coaching change could be his last big stamp on the program, one that could secure another generation of Wisconsin atop the B1G West, or one that could leave the program stumbling like Nebraska. The parallels are there - a fan base that no longer celebrates 9+ wins and a divisional title. A fan base that sees what Ohio State and Michigan are doing and wants to be a regular member in the CFP club. Being a ground and pound team has traditionally gotten them a lot of mileage in the former, but not the latter. Will they change their identity and take the gamble or stay the course on what has brought them success the last 30 years?
Will be interesting to see how this plays out between those two programs in the next few years.
My opinion is that WI will remain a ground and pound team with Beefy Lineman, 1 great RB, and a stout defense. They'll aim for a really good QB, but rarely seem to get one (Russell Wilson).
 
  • Like
Reactions: purduepat1969
There is one name above all others when it comes to Wisconsin football, Barry Alvarez.
Even though he is officially retired from the AD position, I believe he is still behind the scenes influencing the program. Wisconsin's relevance as a football 'power' directly coincides with his career and influence, from Coach to AD. This coaching change could be his last big stamp on the program, one that could secure another generation of Wisconsin atop the B1G West, or one that could leave the program stumbling like Nebraska. The parallels are there - a fan base that no longer celebrates 9+ wins and a divisional title. A fan base that sees what Ohio State and Michigan are doing and wants to be a regular member in the CFP club. Being a ground and pound team has traditionally gotten them a lot of mileage in the former, but not the latter. Will they change their identity and take the gamble or stay the course on what has brought them success the last 30 years?
Will be interesting to see how this plays out between those two programs in the next few years.
Its not coincidence that Iowa, Minny & Wisky are ground & pound teams. Weather certainly has something to do with it. With college game moving more & more to wide open offense...those programs have easier time recruiting...less competition...Big OL, Power FB etc
 
With all of the coaches getting fired, I would think guys like Leipold from Kansas would be inclined to stay were he's at for awhile. A lot of careers have been ruined by taking high profile gigs where the fan bases have unrealistic expectations.

When teams have some success at places that aren't accustomed to success they are given a much longer leash. Brohm is .500 at Purdue and if he were fired the fan base would burn down the stadium. Fitzgerald's winning percentage is 54% and he's had back to back terrible teams. Allen is 29-34 in 6 years. I don't think any of these guys are on the chopping block.

Firing reminds me of the Bo Pelini firing at Nebraska. Similar winning percentages. Hope things work out as well at Wisconsin as they did at Nebraska since Pelini's firing.
You and I are on the same page with respect to the matter.

I said the same...this guy would be a legend at Purdue (and many other places), but, somebody there felt that he was SO bad, that, it somehow made sense to pay $15m to get rid of him NOW!

When I saw reference to things "falling off" with a disappointing 9-4 year in '21, I could hardly even make sense of that as a Purdue fan...or, a fan of many other places for that matter.

To your point...I REALLY hope that this works out as well as things did at/for Nebraska.
 
Allen is only safe because his contract is fully guaranteed and has a $25 million buyout at the moment. No one is ponying up that kind of money despite the call from him to be gone growing. He's got a couple years before his buyout becomes palatable.
The literal ONLY thing that I enjoy about Indinia athletics is the incompetence of those running it and so many around it.
 
With all of the coaches getting fired, I would think guys like Leipold from Kansas would be inclined to stay were he's at for awhile. A lot of careers have been ruined by taking high profile gigs where the fan bases have unrealistic expectations.

When teams have some success at places that aren't accustomed to success they are given a much longer leash. Brohm is .500 at Purdue and if he were fired the fan base would burn down the stadium. Fitzgerald's winning percentage is 54% and he's had back to back terrible teams. Allen is 29-34 in 6 years. I don't think any of these guys are on the chopping block.

Firing reminds me of the Bo Pelini firing at Nebraska. Similar winning percentages. Hope things work out as well at Wisconsin as they did at Nebraska since Pelini's firing.
At least Nebraska had legit blue blood history they were comparing it to at the time. Wisconsin has been really good for a while now, but never far away from being a 3-5 loss team most years. Nowhere near OSU level on a consistent basis.
 
Its not coincidence that Iowa, Minny & Wisky are ground & pound teams. Weather certainly has something to do with it. With college game moving more & more to wide open offense...those programs have easier time recruiting...less competition...Big OL, Power FB etc
That is all true, but it creates a high floor / low ceiling situation. You can't just ground and pound teams with elite athletes like Ohio State, as evidenced by Wisconsin's consistent inability to beat them. You have to have a 21st century offense to reach that next level. I can't think of a single true ground and pound team that has had success at the CFP level, which is where Wisconsin aspires to be.
 
  • Like
Reactions: purduepat1969
At least Nebraska had legit blue blood history they were comparing it to at the time. Wisconsin has been really good for a while now, but never far away from being a 3-5 loss team most years. Nowhere near OSU level on a consistent basis.
The success Wisky hoops has had over last decade certainly takes some pressure off football. Peeps credit Alvarez for the turnaround….it really was then AD Pat Richter who laid the groundwork
 
Its not coincidence that Iowa, Minny & Wisky are ground & pound teams. Weather certainly has something to do with it. With college game moving more & more to wide open offense...those programs have easier time recruiting...less competition...Big OL, Power FB etc

You can be successful that way, but the issue is, you have to have a really good D because if you fall to far behind early, the game is over quickly.
 
  • Like
Reactions: purduepat1969
They fired Gary Andersen in his second year back in 2014. He had a 13-3 conference record and a West title. Alvarez was interim coach until they hired Chryst in 2015. It’s happened before. They don’t play around. This will backfire at some point.
Alvarez had a 65-60-3 conference record. He had a 118-73-4 overall record so he beat up the non conference teams.
 
They fired Gary Andersen in his second year back in 2014. He had a 13-3 conference record and a West title. Alvarez was interim coach until they hired Chryst in 2015. It’s happened before. They don’t play around. This will backfire at some point.
Alvarez had a 65-60-3 conference record. He had a 118-73-4 overall record so he beat up the non conference teams.
Alvarez wasnt afraid to strip program down & build it back up. He went 5-19 Big Ten his first 3 years.
 
  • Like
Reactions: FirstDownB
I think their recruiting has fallen off under Chryst

I don't pay much attention to Wisconsin, honestly don't pay much attention to recruiting at all anymore because guys change their mind so freaking much, but I've heard rumblings of wanting a little more offensive fire power as there are always games where you do have to put points on the board to win and they can't take that next step just focusing ground and pound. They've been at their current level for a long time now and I think they want to take that next step where they are entering the BCS playoff talks.
 
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest posts

ADVERTISEMENT