July 10, 2017 at 4:27 p.m.
Bucky heads north
Mendota Gridiron Club offers Northwoods fans a taste of Badger football
Bucky heads north
University of Wisconsin head football coach Paul Chryst and former coach and current athletic director Barry Alvarez were in attendance at the Red Crown Lodge in Arbor Vitae.
Chryst spoke briefly to the 225 people in attendance and took a few questions from the audience. Speeches and appearances at various gridiron clubs, specifically Mendota, are not rare for the Big Ten Coach of the Year.
"We've had five or six of them across the state. This is a pretty nice spot, here at the Red Crown, this is definitely not the norm," Chryst said. "It's fun to be able to get out and meet people and see people you've met along the way."
Chryst is no stranger to the Northwoods. His parents reside in Manitowish Waters and he visits two or three times per year. This marked the first time he's spoken so far north after the event was hosted in Wausau the past two years.
The Badgers have a unique following. Outside of the Green Bay Packers, the University of Wisconsin squad is the only major football team in the entire state, meaning there is a gigantic fan base spread across the state.
Making such trips to various parts of Wisconsin allow boosters and alumni to get a taste of the program, which encourages them to make financial donations to the football program.
"I think it's important to get out of Madison and go to different parts of the state," Chryst said. "Certainly, we're lucky in Wisconsin. We've got a great following. People come from all over the state - obviously some from out of the state - but for us to then go out and thank them for what they're doing, I think it's important."
Alvarez has been making similar treks across America's Dairyland since accepting the job as coach at Wisconsin in 1990. Prior to his arrival, the Badgers had suffered four consecutive losing seasons and held a 5-27 record in Big Ten play during that time.
As a result, Alvarez spoke at functions similar to the one at Red Crown Lodge on a nightly basis in order to restore confidence in the program to a dwindling following.
For fans, alumni and boosters, the opportunity to meet figures like Chryst and Alvarez gives them a sense of belonging to the program.
"When somebody gets to know you as a person and not just somebody standing on the sidelines, I think they feel a little more invested," Alvarez said. "So when we get to these functions like this we get to meet people and shake hands and talk to them face-to-face and they appreciate that."
Alvarez went 118-73-4, including three Big Ten championships before taking the job as athletic director after the 2005 season.
Since 1993, Wisconsin has won six conference championships. The Badgers are currently in the midst of a streak of three consecutive 10-win seasons, with Chryst guiding them to the last two.
Alvarez now oversees the entire athletic department, but he understands football fuels the funding for other sports. Events such as these are steps in encouraging donations to the football program.
"I learned early on, if you have success in football, the school year usually goes pretty well," Alvarez said. "But, the biggest and most important thing is, if football has success, the stadium's full. It allows your budget to be such where all your other teams can budget to allow them to be competitive. If football isn't making money, if football is struggling, you don't have enough money to support the other sports at the level we're doing now."
Chryst is deeply rooted in Wisconsin. His father, the late George Chryst, was the head coach at UW-Platteville. Paul went on to play quarterback for the Badgers and spent seven years as the offensive coordinator, and one coaching tight ends before earning his first job as a head coach at the University of Pittsburgh.
After three years at Pitt, Chryst returned to Madison in 2015 after Gary Andersen left. While head coaches across the country attend similar functions, Chryst says these are special.
"This is a little bit unique because you can cover the state," Chryst said. "Most of the universities I've been to have some type of functions like this, but these are pretty special. These are pretty neat."
Wisconsin opens the 2017 football season on at home against Utah State Sept. 1.
Nick Sabato may be reached at [email protected] or via Twitter @SabatoNick.
WEATHER SPONSORED BY
E-Editions
Latest News
E-Editions
Events
August
To Submit an Event Sign in first
Today's Events
No calendar events have been scheduled for today.
Comments:
You must login to comment.