Barry Alvarez Biography

Barry Lee Alvarez, born on December 30, 1946, is an American former college football coach and athletic director who served at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He led the Wisconsin Badgers football team as head coach for 16 seasons, achieving a career record of 119 wins, 72 losses, and 4 ties. After concluding his tenure as head coach in 2005, Alvarez remained in the role of athletic director until July 1, 2021. He has served as interim head coach on two separate occasions following his retirement from full-time coaching. In recognition of his contributions, the University of Wisconsin–Madison renamed the field at Camp Randall to Barry Alvarez Field in 2021. Prior to his time at Wisconsin, Alvarez coached at Lexington High School in Nebraska and later at Mason City High School in Iowa, where his team won the 1978 class 4A state championship. He previously held positions as an assistant coach at the University of Iowa and the University of Notre Dame, where he worked with linebackers including Leven Weiss, Todd Simonsen, Mel Cole, James Erb, Jonathan Hayes, and Larry Station.