In the wake of the news that Chris McIntosh is stepping down is stepping down from his post as Wisconsin’s Athletic Director for a newly created position with the Big Ten, former Wisconsin head football coach and Athletic Director Barry Alvarez shared his thoughts on the move.
Appearing on ESPN Wisconsin’s “Wilde & Tausch,” Alvarez said he learned of the move when the public did.
McIntosh became Wisconsin’s Athletic Director following Alvarez’s retirement from the role in 2021. Jason Wilde asked Alvarez if he was disappointed in McIntosh’s decision to leave after appearing to be a successor that Alvarez “groomed.”
“Look, I’m not disappointed. That’s his choice,” Alvarez clarified. “If he doesn’t want to be the Athletic Director, that’s great. We’ll have a number of great candidates… But you know, we just move forward.”
Alvarez also called the Athletic Director job a “tremendous” opportunity but said the next leader must navigate the NIL and transfer portal era with “no excuses,” stressing that football revenue drives the entire athletic department and warning continued losing seasons can lead to declining attendance, season-ticket sales and budgets across other sports.
