In Barry Alvarez's three decades with the University of Wisconsin, from his time as head coach of the football program through his tenure as athletic director, it can be hard to keep track of all the little things.
So here's a breakdown of a few key numbers in Alvarez's storied career:
Alvarez picked up the first of his program-leading 119 victories at UW on Sept. 15, 1990, when the Badgers defeated Ball State 24-7 (above) at Camp Randall Stadium for their sole win of his inaugural season as head coach. His final win would come on Jan. 1, 2015, when he stepped in to lead UW to a 34-31 victory over Auburn in the Outback Bowl a month after Gary Andersen left the program for Oregon State.
The Badgers won 73 conference championships (regular season and tournaments combined) during Alvarez's tenure as athletic director.
ABOVE: UW men's basketball players celebrate their Big Ten Conference title following their 68-61 win over Michigan State at the Kohl Center March 1, 2015. The Badgers added the conference tournament crown exactly two weeks later with an 80-69 overtime win over Michigan State at the United Center in Chicago.
The NCAA suspended 26 of Alvarez’s players for having accepted improper discounts from The Shoe Box (above), a discount retail store in Black Earth, forcing Alvarez to shuffle his lineup during the first four games of the 2000 football season.
Taking over the job from Pat Richter (above right) in April 2004, Alvarez would go on to serve 17 years as athletic director at UW before announcing his retirement in April 2021.
Alvarez’s tenure as the athletic department’s leader saw success across a number of programs, with 16 teams winning national championships, including six in women’s hockey — with the most recent one (above) coming just this March — and five in women’s lightweight rowing.
During Alvarez's tenure as AD, the Badgers football and men’s basketball programs produced 15 consecutive years of playing in a bowl game and reaching the NCAA tournament, setting an NCAA record.
ABOVE: Badgers fans celebrate on State Street in Madison following the UW men's basketball team's NCAA National Championship loss to Duke April 6, 2015.
Alvarez lead the football team in 13 bowl appearances, including a final turn during the 2015 Outback Bowl (above) when he served as interim head coach after Gary Andersen left the month before to coach at Oregon State.
In his 13 bowl appearances, Alvarez came away with 9 victories, starting with the 1994 Rose Bowl (above), when UW took down UCLA 21-16 in Pasadena, Calif.
Alvarez finished his coaching career with 3 Rose Bowl victories, leading the Badgers to wins over UCLA after the 1993 and 1998 seasons, and a win over Stanford following the 1999 campaign.
ABOVE: Alvarez reacts to a soaking at the end of UW's 38-31 victory over UCLA in the 1999 Rose Bowl.
Alvarez spent 2 seasons as UW's head football coach and athletic director after taking over AD duties following Pat Richter's retirement in 2004. Alvarez compiled a 19-6 record while serving in the dual roles before retiring from coaching in 2006.
ABOVE: Alvarez with his wife, Cindy, take in the applause and congratulations from the fans after Alvarez's final home game, a loss to Big Ten rival Iowa on Nov. 12, 2005.
Barry Alvarez, 74, will finish his term leading the UW athletic program this summer after a 17-year stretch in the seat during which the department's budget nearly doubled.
Watch as UW celebrates Alvarez's 31-year Badgers career with "Thanks Coach! Celebrating Three Decades of Excellence" at 12:30 p.m. at the Kohl Center.
“There’ll be plenty of time for me to get emotional,” the UW athletic director said.
The coach-turned-athletic director turned around the fortunes of the football team and solidified the bottom line.
The Wisconsin State Journal is providing our readers with comprehensive coverage of Barry Alvarez's retirement from his position as athletic d…
The University of Wisconsin is looking for a proven leader and decision-maker to succeed Barry Alvarez as its athletic director.
“Every time you get to your senior year, you kind of feel a responsibility that it’s kind of your time to take over the reins,” Logan Bruss said.
State Journal beat reporters Colten Bartholomew and Jim Polzin get together over Zoom and discuss Barry Alvarez’s retirement ceremony, the search for the Badgers’ next AD and UW’s spring football practices.
“Man, Witt’s a dog,” sophomore Nick Herbig said. “He doesn't always get his job done in the prettiest way, but he gets his job done. No matter what, he’s scrapping, clawing, he's fighting every rep."
Jake Ferguson breaks down why he returned to Wisconsin, the dynamics of the tight end meeting room, what he makes fun of coach Mickey Turner about, how veterans get through spring practices.
Dean Engram and Alexander Smith have earned most of their playing time the past three seasons on special teams units.
“He told us that he wanted corners that played with a dog mentality. He just want dogs out there on the island," Badgers junior Alexander Smith said of new cornerbacks coach Hank Poteat.
State Journal beat reporters Colten Bartholomew and Jim Polzin get together over Zoom for a special episode of the show: UW senior cornerbacks Faion Hicks and Caesar Williams enter the Red Zone!
The offense lacked same crispness it has had in other practice sessions.
“I would say, in general, I hated the combine, the pro day, the draft, because I thought most of it was pretty silly,” Joe Thomas told the State Journal earlier this month.
Defenders and ball-carriers weren’t shy about laying a solid hit on a teammate during 11-on-11 portions of Tuesday's spring practice.
Loudermilk will have the opportunity to learn from new teammate Cameron Heyward, a two-time first-team All-Pro and four-time pro bowler.
From his Wisconsin roots to his business background, to his time as a Badgers tackle and in the NFL, here's what you should know about the Badgers' next AD.
The choice for Barry Alvarez’s replacement played for the Badgers and has spent the last four years working for the UW athletic department.
Wherever he goes, whatever he does after 31-plus years in the Madison spotlight, there’ll always be a part of western Pennsylvania — and its lunch-pail mentality — that never leaves Alvarez.
The announcement for the field name is expected to come Saturday and the name change will officially take place in 2022.
With Barry Alvarez announcing his retirement as athletic director at the University of Wisconsin, take a look back at some of the biggest cele…
Replacing Barry Alvarez as the University of Wisconsin’s athletic director will be both a tremendous opportunity and challenge.
Longtime friend Ted Kellner gets up to speak about Barry Alvarez at the University of Wisconsin athletic director's retirement news conference…
Sweeping changes are coming to college athletics in the form of NIL payments and athlete empowerment. UW's next AD has to take those challenges head-on.
With Alvarez announcing he'll be retiring as UW's athletic director June 30, we thought now's the perfect time to ask our readers what they think of his impact over 31 years in Madison.
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