FOOTBALL
HELP WANTED
Finding quality assistants to fill out a staff is nothing new to Bret Bielema, but with five vacancies for 2012, the Badgers' head coach is focused on a different type of recruiting
BY MIKE LUCAS • UWBADGERS.COM B
ret Bielema had a call waiting. And another call, and another call and another call -- all the callers were waiting to visit with the UW football coach about the job openings on his staff. At any given point recently there have been double-digit voice messages on his cell phone.
"It has been absolutely amazing,'' he said. Bielema was returning a call Tuesday afternoon from San Antonio, the site of the American Football Coaches Association's annual convention. Over the last four days, a relatively small window by most standards, Bielema estimated that he has sat down and interviewed over a dozen candi- dates. The list, he said, included former and current head coaches, NFL and college assistant coaches and "some guys that I was enemies with who now want to join my staff.''
Bielema chuckled, and sighed. "It's just been overwhelming,'' he said. "I thought last year was insane. This is pure insanity.''
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