BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
MADISON, Wis. —
Barry Davis has had a front-row seat to one of the most astounding turnarounds in college sports history.
When Davis took over as interim coach of the Wisconsin wrestling team in 1993, there were no Rose Bowl victories to celebrate, no Heisman Trophy moments to cherish, no NCAA Final Four appearances to embrace, no postseason streaks of excellence to savor, no modern-day amenities to lure the best and brightest student-athletes.
When Davis showed up in Madison 25 years ago, this after a brilliant career as a collegian and U.S. Olympian, there was no universal sense of pride in the work being done at 1440 Monroe Street.
When Davis announced Monday that he was resigning, he did so as an appreciative witness to a renaissance.
"It's been a great ride," he said. "It's amazing what took place here."
Since 1993, Wisconsin has become a consistent powerhouse in football and men's basketball and won national championships in seven sports (men's and women's hockey, men's and women's rowing, men's cross country, men's soccer and men's track).
Meanwhile, the athletic facilities at UW are among the best in the country and Barry Alvarez, the former Hall of Fame football coach now director of athletics, oversees a department that many schools use as an administrative model.
Davis did his part to enhance Wisconsin's overall culture, producing four NCAA individual champions, 13 Big Ten Conference individual titlists, 26 All-Americans and 234 dual meet victories after being installed as full-time coach in March of 1994.
In addition to the individual success, the pinnacle of the Davis Era was in 2010 when the Badgers tied for fourth in the NCAA tournament — equaling the highest finish in program history — and Davis was named National Coach of the Year.
Davis, 56, will close out his coaching career at UW when the Badgers compete in the NCAA Championships starting March 15 in Cleveland, Ohio.
With Davis stepping down, men's rowing coach Chris Clark becomes the longest tenured of the 18 head coaches at Wisconsin. He was hired in 1996.
Davis said his legacy at UW is defined by accountability.
"Making sure I was there for them," he said of his student-athletes. "I'm teaching not just wrestling; I'm teaching life. Real things. Real world. Real stuff.
"You get a job; you're accountable. You have kids; you're accountable. That's the key."
Before coming to Madison, Davis was a four-time Big Ten titlist and three-time NCAA champion at Iowa from 1982 to '85. He was the Big Ten Athlete of the Year in 1985 and twice competed for Team USA in the Summer Olympics, in 1984 and '88, earning a silver medal in '84.
Three wrestlers won NCAA titles under Davis: Jeff Walter in 1996, Donny Pritzlaff in 2000 and '01, and Andrew Howe in 2010.
Davis hopes people will remember his tenure with fondness and respect.
"I don't just coach my team," he said. "I work in a department with six different floors of people in all sports.
"When I see a coach walk by with recruits, be it volleyball or track or swimming or whatever, you sit and talk to them. You're trying to help them to win. We're all helping each other win. That's the key."
Davis said his job boiled down to one thing.
"It's all about the student-athletes," he said.
"How many stories do you read about things going wrong here? Hardly ever.
"This was my philosophy: I don't want to bring anybody into this program that will affect Barry Alvarez, this athletic department, this program or this university in a bad way. I will not recruit that kid.
"It doesn't matter to me how good you are. I want the right kid to come here, to be proud of the 'W' that he wears and do this university proud."
Davis looks back over his time at UW with gratitude and appreciation.
"It's unbelievable what's gone on at this university," he said. "Look at it. All the bowl games. All the new buildings. It's a great environment. It's a great town, a great college town. One of the best in the country."
