Alvarez, Badgers’ godfather, answers call

Wisconsin Athletic Director Barry Alvarez (left) and a person dressed as Mickey Mouse, center, high-five as Stanford Coach David Shaw (right) watches during a news conference at Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., Wednesday. Alvarez, who coached at Wisconsin from 1990-2005, will coach the Badgers in today’s Rose Bowl, following the departure of Bret Bielema to Arkansas.
Wisconsin Athletic Director Barry Alvarez (left) and a person dressed as Mickey Mouse, center, high-five as Stanford Coach David Shaw (right) watches during a news conference at Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., Wednesday. Alvarez, who coached at Wisconsin from 1990-2005, will coach the Badgers in today’s Rose Bowl, following the departure of Bret Bielema to Arkansas.

— Barry Alvarez said he felt compelled to protect the Wisconsin program he built into a power when his successor, Bret Bielema, left the Badgers for Arkansas three days after clinching a third consecutive trip to Pasadena.

“Just give me a whistle,” Alvarez said. “That’s all I need, is a whistle and a bunch of guys to coach, and I feel very comfortable with that. And it’s been fun for me. This has been like a gift. To be able to do this, and on this stage, is truly special.”

The Badgers (8-5) are six point underdogs heading into today’s game against No. 6 Stanford (11-2) today, and Alvarez, Wisconsin’s athletic director, said he knows he can’t work miracles. He acknowledges no tricks or insight into beating the Cardinal.

Instead, the Badgers are getting perspective, inspiration - and even a little swagger - as Alvarez bridges Wisconsin’s one-game gap between Bielema and former Utah State Coach Gary Andersen, who will watch his new team from the sideline while Bielema’s soon-to-depart assistant coaches largely run the show.

Wisconsin’s current players were kids when Alvarez retired, but the Badgers said they know a leader when they see him.

“He’s almost got an aura around him, like this man built what we are, and everyone knows it and recognizes it,” Wisconsin defensive tackle Ethan Hemer said.

“He definitely walks around with a lot of confidence,” Wisconsin safety Shelton Johnson said. “I think that rubs off on the players as well. You just see, he’s just the Don sometimes when he walks around, because you just know. He has a physical presence to him when he walks in a room.”

Alvarez, in 16 seasons at Madison, built Wisconsin’s long-mediocre program into a consistent contender and a three-time Rose Bowl winner, most recently in the 2000 game, a 17-9 victory over Stanford led by Heisman Trophy winning tailback Ron Dayne.

Alvarez said he sees similarities between his work and the Stanford revitalization now led coach David Shaw. The Cardinal won the Pac-12 title to advance to their third consecutive BCS bowl with their third consecutive 11-victory season, including the last two under Shaw after Jim Harbaugh left.

Wisconsin and Stanford have remarkably similar approaches to their sport. Both schools favor hard-nosed running games with tailbacks Montee Ball and Stepfan Taylor running behind mammoth offensive lines.

Both offenses are run by relatively inexperienced quarterbacks: Stanford freshman Kevin Hogan has beaten four ranked teams in his four starts since taking over, while Wisconsin senior Curt Phillips is a smooth game manager who missed two full seasons with injuries and only got his starting job in November.

Both defenses lack glaring flaws, and Stanford is eager to show off the nation’s third-ranked run defense. Both teams played numerous close games this season, with Stanford enjoying a bit more success than a Wisconsin team that lost three overtime games.

Wisconsin earned a third trip by blasting Nebraska in the Big Ten title game, becoming the first five-loss team to reach the Rose Bowl. The Badgers got the chance to trounce the Cornhuskers only because the two teams ahead of them in their division - Ohio State and Penn State - were ineligible for postseason play.

The Badgers won’t apologize for using a back door to Pasadena, not with Alvarez leading them through it.

Wisconsin lost the last two Rose Bowls, under Bielema, falling short in the fourth quarter of tight games, so Alvarez has stressed the importance of tenacity and commitment. And Alvarez said he thinks the Badgers have learned how to finish a season with pride.

“It would really be a great life lesson for these players,” Alvarez said. “I think they’d learn quite a bit about how to deal with adversity, how to deal with (tough) situations and make something positive come out of it, especially after two tough losses. They could have won either game the last two years. They had opportunities to win, but couldn’t close the deal. So I think it would be a tremendous lesson for them and very positive if they could win.”

Sports, Pages 17 on 01/01/2013

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