The Wisconsin Badgers weren’t very good at keeping secrets as athletic director Barry Alvarez went on the search for UW’s 30th head coach in history of its football program. Wisconsin was set to name Paul Chryst as the next head coach since last Friday according to media reports at the time, and on Wednesday the Badgers made it official.
BA "the first person I thought of when Gary Andersen decided to leave was Paul Chryst"
— talkingBadgers (@talkingBadgers) December 18, 2014
Introducing the new head coach of @BadgerFootball #badgers pic.twitter.com/g8YeKNVuuw
— Wisconsin Badgers (@UWBadgers) December 18, 2014
Chryst comes to the Badgers after three years at the helm of the Pittsburgh Panthers program. He went 19-19 over his time, leading the program to a bowl game every season and helping to stabilize a program that had seen four other coaches be involved in a two year period.
Paul Chryst first words as Wisconsin's head football coach "This is a big moment"
— talkingBadgers (@talkingBadgers) December 18, 2014
“I’d like to thank Coach Alvarez for this wonderful opportunity,” Chryst said in a statement released by the school. “This is obviously a special place not only for me but our whole family. I would also like to thank the players, staff and administration at Pitt for the last three years. I’m proud of what I helped to accomplish there and appreciate the support I’ve received. Pitt will always have a special place in my heart.”
“It’s a bit overwhelming to be able to come back to a place where you grew up, went to school and coached, where you have so many ties personally and professionally. This job has everything that we, as a family, and me, personally, are looking for. The bar has been set at a high level here and it didn’t just happen. I look forward to the challenge of continuing that tradition of success.”
The hiring of Chryst may have been the most obvious choice ever for the Badgers, but it was also the worst-kept secret this college football offseason. His name was immediately linked to the job, which was made available after Gary Andersen left for the head-coaching job at Oregon State.
However, it wasn’t immediately clear if Chryst would be interested in returning to the Badgers so quickly. Those fears were put to rest less than 24 hours later, as Jeff Potrykus of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel broke news that Chryst would become the next head coach late on Thursday night.
The signs continued to point in that direction after multiple reports indicating mutual interest and Alvarez also requesting and being granted a waiver of the 14-day waiting period. With just five days for the job to remain posted it became clear Chryst would be coming back to the place he was born and the place he went to college.
Chryst was born in Madison, Wis. and would go on to play quarterback at the University of Wisconsin from 1986 to 1988. After his playing days, Chryst immediately went in to the coaching ranks.
He had various roles on the offensive side of the ball with stops at West Virginia (GA), San Antonio Riders (assistant), UW–Platteville (OC), Ottawa Rough Riders (assistant), Illinois State (OC), Saskatchewan Roughriders (OC), Oregon State (OC) and the San Diego Chargers (TE) from 1989 to 2001.
A lot of those stops were as offensive coordinator, but after now-Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Mike Riely was fired as HC of the San Diego Chargers Chryst returned to his old stomping grounds as tight ends coach in 2002.
He left a year later to join Riley’s coaching staff at Oregon State only to return for the 2005 season as OC at Wisconsin.
It was at UW that Chryst’s reputation as an offensive coordinator really blossomed. It was something we covered in depth here, also taking an in-depth look at how important the passing game really was despite the run-heavy reputation he gained.
Under Chryst, Wisconsin’s offense averaged 33.9 points per game and after a small dip in the middle, Wisconsin’s offense took off in the final three years that he was offensive coordinator.
In his final season at Wisconsin in 2011, Chryst helped lead the Badgers to an 11-3 record and its second consecutive Big Ten title (winning the first ever Big Ten championship game) and Rose Bowl berth. Wisconsin featured a high-powered offense that set no fewer than a dozen school records, including points per game (44.1 avg.), total offense per game (469.9 avg.), total rushing yards (3,298) and total passing yards (3,280).
Chryst will be taking over a team that won 10 games in 2014 and won the Big Ten West division title. However, he’ll also be tasked with rebuilding a passing game that hasn’t been the same since he left for Pitt.
The Badgers have dipped from the highs of the Chryst era to averaging 173.9 passing yards per game over the last two years.
He’ll have plenty of options to work with, including senior quarterback Joel Stave, who will have started 28 games following the Outback Bowl on New Years Day. Chryst will also be working with some serious young talent in Bart Houston, D.J. Gillins and Austin Kafentzis (barring anything crazy happening in the late days of his recruiting process).
Considering this is the third coach for Wisconsin in as many seasons, the Badgers are looking for Chryst to provide some sense of stability to a program that has become a perennial Big Ten championship contender.
Given his ties to the school, this is more than a welcome back to the fold. This is a hire that has the feeling of the favored son coming home.
Now, the task turns from welcome home messages to winning football games on Saturday’s — something Chryst is very willing to do for a place he calls home.
(image courtesy Wisconsin Athletics)
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