All Badgers

Luke Fickell earns key endorsement from Barry Alvarez: 'He's the right guy to be here'

Ahead of a pivotal season for the Wisconsin Badgers, head coach Luke Fickell earned the confidene of former athletic director Barry Alvarez on his radio show.
Lorin Cox|
Retiring UW athletic director Barry Alvarez is shown during a ceremony honoring his tenure at the Kohl Center Tuesday, April 6, 2021, in Madison, Wis. Alvarez was head football coach for 15 years and athletic director for 18 years. During his time Wisconsin teams combined to win 16 national titles and 74 conference regular-season or tournament titles in various sports.
Retiring UW athletic director Barry Alvarez is shown during a ceremony honoring his tenure at the Kohl Center Tuesday, April 6, 2021, in Madison, Wis. Alvarez was head football coach for 15 years and athletic director for 18 years. During his time Wisconsin teams combined to win 16 national titles and 74 conference regular-season or tournament titles in various sports. | Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel via Imagn Content Services, LLC

In this story:

Wisconsin Badgers

Former Wisconsin Badgers athletic director Barry Alvarez stopped by fall camp practice to see how Luke Fickell's squad will fare this season.

Evidently, he liked what he saw.

Alvarez appeared on ESPN Madison for a weekly radio show this season, and he gave a strong endorsement of Fickell running the team.

"I think we have the right person in charge," Alvarez said on the show. "I think Luke [Fickell] understands the Big Ten. He knows how to win."

The retired athletic director had previously been critical about the state of the program, highlighting the need for things to turn around after the bowl streak ended last season.

He thinks Fickell has learned what it takes to be successful with the Badgers and has the wherewithal to get it done.

"Wisconsin's a difficult place," Alvarez said. "You have to understand this place as far as where to recruit, the type of players that fit here, the type of football that can win here.

"He's the right guy to be here. I really feel good about that. I like the players in the program. I like the attitude."

It's going to be difficult for the Badgers to make major gains in the win column with a brutal schedule in front of them, but just getting back to a bowl game in 2025 will go a long way toward feeling like the program is headed back in the right direction.

More Wisconsin Badgers News:

Published
Lorin Cox
LORIN COX

Lorin Cox is the managing editor of Wisconsin Badgers on SI. He has been covering Badgers sports since 2014, when he was an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin. He previously wrote for the Wisconsin State Journal, NBC Sports Chicago and USA Today Sports Media Group, and he is a former analyst for Pro Football Focus.

Home/Football