There is a documentary on the Big Ten channel that I watched documenting how Wisconsin turned its football program around in the 1990's. Very interesting to watch for anyone with the channel, because there are a lot of similarities to CU.
Wisconsin was the bottom-feeder of the Big 10 in the mid 80's, with bad facilities and half-filled stadiums for home games. The 1963 Rose Bowl was a distant memory. Turnaround started when the university hired Donna Shalala as school president (she is now at Miami) and she declared that athletics were critical for the university. She then hired a strong AD, Ken Richter, and he in turn hired Barry Alvarez from ND as head coach.
It took Alvarez four seasons to turn around the program (critics of MacIntyre take note), while the school continued to invest in facilities, fundraising and recruiting during and after the turnaround. The school never cut corners in the rebuilding effort but has never wavered in supporting athletics.
Solid account of what strong leadership can achieve for a school. Especially relevant since I expect Bruce Benson to retire a few years. Check it out if you can.
Wisconsin was the bottom-feeder of the Big 10 in the mid 80's, with bad facilities and half-filled stadiums for home games. The 1963 Rose Bowl was a distant memory. Turnaround started when the university hired Donna Shalala as school president (she is now at Miami) and she declared that athletics were critical for the university. She then hired a strong AD, Ken Richter, and he in turn hired Barry Alvarez from ND as head coach.
It took Alvarez four seasons to turn around the program (critics of MacIntyre take note), while the school continued to invest in facilities, fundraising and recruiting during and after the turnaround. The school never cut corners in the rebuilding effort but has never wavered in supporting athletics.
Solid account of what strong leadership can achieve for a school. Especially relevant since I expect Bruce Benson to retire a few years. Check it out if you can.
