Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies
Wisconsin coach passes on UM, gets new deal.
©Associated Press
© St. Petersburg Times, published February 3, 2001
MADISON, Wis. -- Wisconsin football coach Barry Alvarez, courted by the University of Miami, agreed to a contract extension Friday, saying he plans to finish his career with the Badgers.
Terms were not revealed, but Chancellor John Wiley described it as a competitive package. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported on its Web site that the deal would increase Alvarez's annual compensation from just more than $1-million to $1.5-million.
Miami was prepared to offer Alvarez a five-year deal worth about $1.4-million annually, but the coach said his decision wasn't about the money.
"I've put an awful lot of work into this program," Alvarez said. "It's my program. I put my stamp on it. I plan on this being my last job."
Miami athletic director Paul Dee quickly was busy again with his continuing search.
"I've moved on," he said. "Barry Alvarez is a great coach. I can't tell you that one day he was a great coach and the next day he wasn't. He is a fine coach wherever he decides to coach.
"But I think we had a really good set of candidates. I don't know that you would say he was first choice or not, but he certainly was someone that we talked to early."
The Hurricanes seemingly will turn their attention to the other potential candidates to replace Butch Davis, who resigned this week to take the head coaching job with the Cleveland Browns.
Possible replacements include Hurricanes offensive coordinator Larry Coker, who became interim coach Monday, Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator Chan Gailey and Colorado State's Sonny Lubick.
Alvarez, who took Wisconsin from the bottom of the Big Ten to three Rose Bowl titles, said the Miami offer was the most serious he has considered, mainly because of the location and the recruiting possibilities.
"The best high school football in the country is played in Florida," Alvarez said. "It's a school that could potentially play for a national championship every year."
In 11 seasons under Alvarez, the Badgers are 79-48-4, including Rose Bowl titles in 1994, 1999 and 2000.
The Badgers went into last season ranked in the Top Five and expected to contend for a national title. But the school became embroiled in a controversy about unadvertised discounts players received at a local shoe store.
It resulted in the suspensions of 27 players, and Wisconsin struggled to a 9-4 record, including a 21-20 win against UCLA in the Sun Bowl.
Still, athletic director Pat Richter said Alvarez was a central part of the program's future, including a planned $99.7-million, three-year renovation of Camp Randall Stadium that would increase its capacity to more than 82,000.
The five-year deal worth about $1.4-million annually was the same contract Davis turned down. Alvarez said he didn't discuss the Miami job with Dee just to drive up his value for Wisconsin.
"I made it clear to both parties I did not want a bidding war. I did not want to play one side off the other," he said.
Alvarez had been an obvious choice for the Hurricanes. He interviewed for the Miami job in 1995 after Dennis Erickson left the program, but the Hurricanes hired Davis.
Dee said Miami's board of trustees met Friday and evaluated the short list of candidates.
TALLAHASSEE -- Anquan Boldin, one of Florida State's top receivers, is being moved back to his high school position of quarterback where the Seminoles enter spring practice with only one scholarship player.
Boldin, who passed for 2,482 yards and 36 touchdowns while running for another 1,497 and 20 touchdowns as a high school senior, will compete with redshirt freshman Chris Rix for the starting job in spring practice.
"He's not going there to back up," Florida State assistant coach Jeff Bowden said. "He's going there to win the job."
The 6-2, 205-pound Boldin caught 41 passes for 664 yards and six touchdowns last season as a sophomore.