Varsity is the free Official Digital Magazine of Wisconsin Athletics, covering Badgers football, basketball, hockey and more each week.
Issue link: https://catalog.e-digitaleditions.com/i/226695
I BEHIND THE DESK BY BARRY ALVAREZ // UW DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS Bowl draw brings challenge and opportunity first got to know Steve Spurrier in the early '90s when we were both coaching in the Japan Bowl, a postseason college all-star game in Tokyo. Spike Dykes was the West head coach and I was one of his assistants, along with Al Luginbill. The East staff was made up of Spurrier, Bill Dooley and Paul Pasqualoni. I enjoyed talking football with them. I was a first-time college head coach so I used it as a clinic. I had questions on how they handled their routines on the road, and they each had different ideas. The trip was very beneficial to me because the following December we returned to Tokyo and played our final regular-season game against Michigan State. We won and went on to the Rose Bowl. I've known Steve for quite awhile and obviously we'll get to cross paths again in Orlando at the Capital One Bowl. Everyone is aware of the job he's done at South Carolina. You want to draw a good opponent for your bowl game so you can get your kids' attention. And we certainly did that. We were going to get an SEC team regardless, but South Carolina is really good. It should be a motivating tool, especially for our seniors. During their careers, they've had an exceptional record at home and they didn't finish up the right way, or the way they wanted. Losing to Penn State just leaves a bad taste in your mouth. But now 22 // VARSITY December 12, 2013 you have an opportunity to rectify it by playing on Jan. 1 in a good bowl game against a good team. My final game before retiring as a head coach was in the Capital One Bowl against Auburn. So I've got some fond memories of Orlando and Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium. Earlier this week, I was in New York City with Ron Dayne for the National Football Foundation dinner that honored the latest class in the College Football Hall of Fame. Ronnie was very deserving of being a first-ballot selection and unanimous choice. LOSING TO PENN STATE JUST LEAVES A BAD TASTE IN YOUR MOUTH. BUT NOW YOU HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO RECTIFY IT BY PLAYING ON JAN. 1 IN A GOOD BOWL GAME AGAINST A GOOD TEAM. I've said it many times before: when people think of Wisconsin football, they envision Ron Dayne carrying the ball. That describes the brand that we established here with the running game. The numbers speak for themselves. No one has ever rushed for more yardage in college football, and his total doesn't even include bowl games. It was an honor for me to have coached him. He is the third player I've had go into the Hall of Fame. I also coached Larry Station at Iowa and Chris Zorich at Notre Dame. It's very gratifying when you see one of your own people excel and they're recognized and honored nationally. I remember saying in May when it was announced that Ronnie was a member of the 2013 Hall of Fame class that it was hard for him then to appreciate the magnitude of this achievement. I don't think something like this really sinks in until you show up in New York for the NFF festivities and you get a better feel for how big of a deal this really is. It starts to hit home when you're around the other people who are being inducted and you see the credentials of players like Tommie Frazier, Orlando Pace, Tedy Bruschi and Vinny Testaverde. This is a Who's Who of college football. I love coming back here for the dinner because you get to run into so many Hall of Famers, former players and current coaches. This past week, I spent some time with Bobby Stoops and I also visited with Kevin Sumlin. Like everybody else, they had nothing but good things to say about Gary Andersen. I keep hearing, "You've got a good guy … you hired the right guy." It was all positive. Our New York alums were saying the same things. They're excited about the future. So am I.