Barry Alvarez Will Coach Wisconsin In Outback Bowl

Multiple news sources are reporting that University of Wisconsin Athletics Director Barry Alvarez will serve as head coach of the Badgers football team during its appearance in the 2015 Outback Bowl.

According to reports from the Wisconsin State Journal and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Alvarez said he was asked by seniors on the team to take the helm after former head coach Gary Andersen abruptly announced that he was leaving to coach Oregon State.

Alvarez is a highly respected and celebrated figure in UW and Wisconsin sports. He coached the Badgers for 16 seasons, and led the team to eight bowl victories between 1990 and 2005. He also briefly coached the Badgers in the 2013 Rose Bowl during a similar scenario, in which the team’s head coach Brett Bielema left to join Arkansas following the Badgers’ Big Ten championship game.