October of 1990: Playing youth football on a fall Saturday afternoon, I took an end-around and was promptly driven into the turf at Brookfield East High School.Â
I was flattened by Chris McIntosh.Â
Today, the former youth football star is replacing legendary Barry Alvarez as the next Athletic Director for the University of Wisconsin.Â
The decision to promote McIntosh is much more than an exercise in dot-connecting. The Wisconsin native was recruited by Alvarez as a high school offensive lineman in the mid-90’s and recruited again by Alvarez in a different capacity in 2014.Â
Alvarez’s succession plan started with McIntosh enhancing the athletic department’s relationship with business partners. Just over a year later, McIntosh grew, a year later, he was Alvarez’s right-hand man.Â
We all love a good homecoming, but McIntosh is much more than that. After seven years under the guidance of a legend, he’s the best person for the job.
