Bret Bielema says he hasn't talked to Barry Alvarez since he left Wisconsin
Bret Bielema shocked the college football world when he left Wisconsin for Arkansas in December 2012.
After a few years of rebuilding, Bielema has the Razorbacks on the rise, so he doesn’t regret the move whatsoever. However, he told the Sporting News that he misses the relationship he had with Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez – a man he hasn’t spoken to other than a few texts since he switched jobs.
“There are so many things I miss about him and what we had,” Bielema said. “Dinner three or four times a week, the vacations, the jokes and laughs. We have mutual friends that have said we’ve got to get you guys together.”
Bielema was the Badgers head coach for seven seasons and was handpicked by Alvarez to lead the UW program when Alvarez stepped aside to become athletic director in 2005.
Bielema told the Sporting News he may not have left Madison if Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long hadn’t been waiting in the school's plane with a contract after Bielema addressed his team.
The night he officially left Wisconsin, Bielema returned to campus to talk to the team. He was sitting in the Arkansas plane when Hogs athletic director Jeff Long had him sign his new contract.
“If he hadn’t, I might have just said, well, I’ll stay here,” Bielema said. “Because telling my team was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. I was crying like a baby. When I was finished, I walked out the door and I didn’t know who was going to come out. Just about the entire team came out and gave me big hugs. Only three kids didn’t come out that front door. That made it bearable.”
Bielema won 68 games at Wisconsin and led the team to three straight Rose Bowls before taking the job at Arkansas. Now entering his third season in Fayetteville, his Hogs are a trendy pick to compete in the vaunted SEC West.
For more Arkansas news, HawgSports.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
