Chris McIntosh and his Legacy

FlaPack

FlaPack

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The legacy of an AD is usually tied to how the programs that he / she oversees performs which when you connected the dotted line that also goes with making the right hire in revenue sports such as basketball and football. Chris McIntosh gets his swing at it much earlier than expected

To begin with McIntosh was not the most popular replacement for Alvarez among boosters and alumni. There were questions about his ability to fundraise among other things. For him he had Barry Alvarez’s support and endorsement and yes then and even now his legacy and presence make a difference in Madison

So…. fast forward to Sunday and the announcement that Chryst was out as HC and Jim Leonhard is in at interim HC. Full disclosure it’s probably the best long term move for the program; my issue was timing and what was Mac’s end game to make the move now

Per multiple reports Chryst and the staff were blindsided. I have heard some “thrown under the bus” comments but not sure if that is accurate. Players were shocked as expected. Mac probably is not the most popular person in Kellner Hall right now.

Why make the move now. Well, if he wanted to target Leipold or Campbell you can do that via back channels, common practice. The gorilla is the room is he elevated Leonhard who is probably more Wisconsin than PC. If his target is Leipold, and I would not be shocked if it is ….and Jimmy goes 4-3 or 5-2 then what? By making the move now Mac put himself in a no-win situation in under that scenario. He gets his coach but at what expense

There was chatter the seat got hotter for PC after the Minnesota game last year, even some speculation that Mac wanted Jimmy the day he was hired and needed the right moment to pull the trigger. Do I believe the seat was hot after the Minnesota game yes, the rest doubtful

So where does UW go next? Personally, I would have played out the season with PC and make the move after the season. Clean break, no interim title to mess things up. Mac made the bed now he must lay in it. Mac said it would be a search after the season but that to me is window dressing. As The Emperor once said I don’t call search firms, they call me. I believe the list is short but its also complicated. If Jimmy goes 4-3, they play hard he will have support of the players. Hiring Leipold at that point is a major risk. If Jimmy goes 2-5 it’s a much easier break. I was not a fan of the McIntosh hire, the best thing that could / can happen with this program is to get out the Wisconsin family or Wisconsin ties, both the AD and HC.

The Emperor still is a shadow in the program, much like Osborne is at Nebraska. Getting this hire RIGHT is so important. Just ask Nebraska or Texas or FSU. I hope for Mac’s sake he knocks off out of the park. I have little confidence he will
 
Interesting topic, first and with all due respect let's remove two things.

First, the alumni and homer buckyville crowd who have a hard-on for Jimmy L. Harsh? Maybe but this whole group swore up and down that PC wouldn't be fired, hell even I can admit that I thought it was a stretch.

Second, that iffy article in the athletic that frankly talked about anonymous players' parents? The recruiting stuff has some validity to it but that along with some really awful smelly articles on Jimmy by the JSOnline guy and Madison papers...just trash it all. Purely speculative because they got blindsided and had no one tip them off.

So to the task at hand. CM is sticking his neck out a bit but to be truthful a lot of the issues Barry knew about and I believe tried to address before he left. PC didn't listen or frankly didn't want to.

I revert back to some of the off-field stuff and how it was handled, also some of his staffing issues. If you go back here in this forum to where he was hired you will see my concerns from PC Pitt days. Almost everything they said he had issues with came to fruition at UW. He won't leave his comfort zone in staffing and philosophically at all. Thus his hire of Engram as OC, someone that worked with him before and whom he could basically use as a front.

As to your question on CM, I have read those reports on him not being able to handle the job and being inept. I would tend to agree he was hired because he was Barry's guy however, the actions of the last week could also mean that the powers at be had enough of everything PC. I said 72 hours prior that his luck with the WFCA ran out and to watch closely. That was the same thing that finished GA at Wisconsin.

Chris M had to be getting heat in state and from the Barry era Badgers to act on the program and try to get Paul to get his act together. My guess is and it's just that a guess, that PC was hostile in his response. Basically insubordinate. I think that's part of the reason he negotiated the settlement. Insubordination is a cause termination.

I think CM is an inexperienced AD but also a guy that is dying to get out behind Barry's legacy. Would hiring Jimmy L do that? I say no. I think his comments about a full search are telling and unless Jim L goes 4-2 or better he does his search and it's 50/50 at best Jim is his guy.

As to his legacy, it's either the guy who brought a breath of fresh air into the UW program or the guy who led us away and screwed it up. No happy medium. I will watch with no expectations because I am not sure that he won't let his old Badger buddies sway him one way or another.

Last note, Barry hasn't been very vocal on this. That says a lot more about CM then PC IMHO.
 
Mark87 said:
Interesting topic, first and with all due respect let's remove two things.

First, the alumni and homer buckyville crowd who have a hard-on for Jimmy L. Harsh? Maybe but this whole group swore up and down that PC wouldn't be fired, hell even I can admit that I thought it was a stretch.

Second, that iffy article in the athletic that frankly talked about anonymous players' parents? The recruiting stuff has some validity to it but that along with some really awful smelly articles on Jimmy by the JSOnline guy and Madison papers...just trash it all. Purely speculative because they got blindsided and had no one tip them off.

So to the task at hand. CM is sticking his neck out a bit but to be truthful a lot of the issues Barry knew about and I believe tried to address before he left. PC didn't listen or frankly didn't want to.

I revert back to some of the off-field stuff and how it was handled, also some of his staffing issues. If you go back here in this forum to where he was hired you will see my concerns from PC Pitt days. Almost everything they said he had issues with came to fruition at UW. He won't leave his comfort zone in staffing and philosophically at all. Thus his hire of Engram as OC, someone that worked with him before and whom he could basically use as a front.

As to your question on CM, I have read those reports on him not being able to handle the job and being inept. I would tend to agree he was hired because he was Barry's guy however, the actions of the last week could also mean that the powers at be had enough of everything PC. I said 72 hours prior that his luck with the WFCA ran out and to watch closely. That was the same thing that finished GA at Wisconsin.

Chris M had to be getting heat in state and from the Barry era Badgers to act on the program and try to get Paul to get his act together. My guess is and it's just that a guess, that PC was hostile in his response. Basically insubordinate. I think that's part of the reason he negotiated the settlement. Insubordination is a cause termination.

I think CM is an inexperienced AD but also a guy that is dying to get out behind Barry's legacy. Would hiring Jimmy L do that? I say no. I think his comments about a full search are telling and unless Jim L goes 4-2 or better he does his search and it's 50/50 at best Jim is his guy.

As to his legacy, it's either the guy who brought a breath of fresh air into the UW program or the guy who led us away and screwed it up. No happy medium. I will watch with no expectations because I am not sure that he won't let his old Badger buddies sway him one way or another.

Last note, Barry hasn't been very vocal on this. That says a lot more about CM than PC IMHO.
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The perception and challenges that UW will have in the next 3-4 years is they will not be able to hide behind the unbalanced divisions when the B1G goes to pod scheduling and no divisions. Now add in USC along with OSU, Michigan, PSU getting to a B1G title game let alone a championship will be a major challenge. Leipold or Leonhard could bring a new dynamic / fresh air the program but will it result in better “results” in the standings, wins and bowl games

That said I’m more convinced that Mac had his guy / target in mind since the Minnesota game and loosing at home to BB gave him a path to move on. That’s said the risk is if LL is your guy and JL goes 5-3 or so you have some explaining to do and it probably won’t go well.

I don’t mind the move , I have more of an issue with the timing
 
I get the impression that Chryst may have been trying to prove to McIntosh that he was the one in charge, not Chris. Maybe he believed he was untouchable, as the HC of the football team, and would get the blessing of Alvarez.

I definitely see where he could have been nailed for insubordination.
 
TW said:
I get the impression that Chryst may have been trying to prove to McIntosh that he was the one in charge, not Chris. Maybe he believed he was untouchable, as the HC of the football team, and would get the blessing of Alvarez.

I definitely see where he could have been nailed for insubordination.
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Very plausible. One more possibility is that PC wanted more resources and fill some of the recruiting staff that did not get filled since Covid and Mac was not receptive.

Footnote: I’ve never sensed that PC and Alvey were particularly tight. There was some chatter/ conjecture before PC went to Pitt that was the case
 
Mark87 said:
Interesting topic, first and with all due respect let's remove two things.

First, the alumni and homer buckyville crowd who have a hard-on for Jimmy L. Harsh? Maybe but this whole group swore up and down that PC wouldn't be fired, hell even I can admit that I thought it was a stretch.

Second, that iffy article in the athletic that frankly talked about anonymous players' parents? The recruiting stuff has some validity to it but that along with some really awful smelly articles on Jimmy by the JSOnline guy and Madison papers...just trash it all. Purely speculative because they got blindsided and had no one tip them off.

So to the task at hand. CM is sticking his neck out a bit but to be truthful a lot of the issues Barry knew about and I believe tried to address before he left. PC didn't listen or frankly didn't want to.

I revert back to some of the off-field stuff and how it was handled, also some of his staffing issues. If you go back here in this forum to where he was hired you will see my concerns from PC Pitt days. Almost everything they said he had issues with came to fruition at UW. He won't leave his comfort zone in staffing and philosophically at all. Thus his hire of Engram as OC, someone that worked with him before and whom he could basically use as a front.

As to your question on CM, I have read those reports on him not being able to handle the job and being inept. I would tend to agree he was hired because he was Barry's guy however, the actions of the last week could also mean that the powers at be had enough of everything PC. I said 72 hours prior that his luck with the WFCA ran out and to watch closely. That was the same thing that finished GA at Wisconsin.

Chris M had to be getting heat in state and from the Barry era Badgers to act on the program and try to get Paul to get his act together. My guess is and it's just that a guess, that PC was hostile in his response. Basically insubordinate. I think that's part of the reason he negotiated the settlement. Insubordination is a cause termination.

I think CM is an inexperienced AD but also a guy that is dying to get out behind Barry's legacy. Would hiring Jimmy L do that? I say no. I think his comments about a full search are telling and unless Jim L goes 4-2 or better he does his search and it's 50/50 at best Jim is his guy.

As to his legacy, it's either the guy who brought a breath of fresh air into the UW program or the guy who led us away and screwed it up. No happy medium. I will watch with no expectations because I am not sure that he won't let his old Badger buddies sway him one way or another.

Last note, Barry hasn't been very vocal on this. That says a lot more about CM then PC IMHO.
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My only real disagreement with this is that Mac and Alvarez were and are still extremely tight. I think Alvey is giving Mac some runway but typically you seek advice from your mentor
 
Interesting stuff

But multiple sources this week told FootballScoop that Chryst’s firing had blindsided many even in the upper reaches of Wisconsin’s administration. Those same sources indicated an extremely heated conversation between Chryst and Wisconsin athletics director Chris McIntosh rested at the foundation of the stunning move. Sources tell FootballScoop neither Chryst nor McIntosh headed to that meeting expecting the outcome that transpired.
 
FlaPack said:
Interesting stuff

But multiple sources this week told FootballScoop that Chryst’s firing had blindsided many even in the upper reaches of Wisconsin’s administration. Those same sources indicated an extremely heated conversation between Chryst and Wisconsin athletics director Chris McIntosh rested at the foundation of the stunning move. Sources tell FootballScoop neither Chryst nor McIntosh headed to that meeting expecting the outcome that transpired.
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As stated he was insubordinate, and that will get you fired.
 
FlaPack said:
I would love to know what led to that conversation getting out of control.
Click to expand...
My guess is...again just me speculating:

Chris M: Paul this team is a mess you've got to make some changes and get this thing under control.
PC: This my #$^ team, I'll determine when and if we change anything.

It then spiraled into a mine is bigger than your's pissing match that Paul lost. I think Barry gave him a bit too much leeway and told Chris you need to have a come to Jesus meeting before this goes south. Plus as stated certain factors like the WFCA and former players balking put heavy pressure on Chris to act.

The fact the PC, his staff, and administration didn't see it coming may be a bigger red flag than people think. It was fairly obvious over the past month and longer to others that the program had issues.
 
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