SAD NEWS: Wisconsin Badgers former head coach Barry Alvarez Confirmed Dead at 76read more details
Wisconsin legend Barry Alvarez has a clear message for the 2025 Badgers: It’s time to start winning.
The former Badger coach (1990-2005) and athletic director (2004-21) appeared on ESPN Madison on Tuesday night, where the conversation centered around the 2025 Badgers looking to bounce back from the program’s first bowl-less season in 23 years.
“This spring practice is important. After having a losing season, there has to be a pride in this team that they want to come back and bounce back and be relevant again,” Alvarez began. “We worked our fannies off to start winning, win championships, and be good, and go to bowl games every year. We did it better than anybody for 20-something years, after not going for like a million years.”
Alvarez cites the beginning of his tenure with the program, after he took over a team that had made three bowl appearances in 27 years from 1963-89. It went 1-10 in his first year in 1990, 5-6 in consecutive seasons in 1991 and 1992, and then began a three-decade run of success with a Rose Bowl appearance in 1993.
Wisconsin’s 22-year bowl streak lasted from 2002 to 2023. As mentioned, it was snapped this past season when the Badgers closed the year on a five-game losing streak to finish 5-7. Alvarez is clear on his expectations for the program after that let-down year:
“Now, these guys have to fight their ass off to get back into that group. I hope that they understand that,” Alvarez continued. “They have a responsibility. I don’t like where we are right now. They need to bounce back and put this program back where it belongs.”
Alvarez has been no stranger to public comments over the last year, especially as the Badgers have struggled on the field. He made his most notable comments in early October after texting CBS play-by-play broadcaster Brad Nessler during the Badgers’ loss at USC that he didn’t like Wisconsin’s decision to run out of the shotgun on fourth-and-1.
The program legend’s words carry weight, especially since he was the architect for its sustained 30-year run of success.
Wisconsin has a brutal schedule in 2025, one that may rank among the toughest in the entire sport. Still, Alvarez is clear on his expectations for the program. A six-win season and a return to bowl eligibility is the baseline of what can be considered a success.
