Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell finds himself on the hot seat, at least as far as fans are concerned, following the team’s loss to Maryland this weekend. Fans in attendance started a “Fire Fickell” chant as the Badgers fell to 2-2 on the season.
Former Badgers head coach Barry Alvarez arguably knows better than anyone how ruthless Wisconsin football fans can be when it comes to their beloved team, having finished his first season with a 1-10 record. However, Alvarez was able to pull the program out of the depths, coaching at Wisconsin for 18 seasons before going on to become the school’s athletic director.
Alvarez knows both sides of the fence, having served as a former coach who faced pressure from an athletic director to succeed, and as an athletic director patiently waiting for a coach to succeed.
Fickell’s time at Wisconsin has not gone as planned, and he currently has a 15-15 record in four seasons. However, during an appearance on ESPN Madison on Monday, Alvarez explained why he believes Fickell and Wisconsin players did not deserve the criticism they received from the fanbase this past weekend.
“I think it’s embarrassing,” said Alvarez of the chants. “I think it’s terrible, despicable. They are spoiled rotten. Here’s a team that’s got some young player trying to come on. They are competing. They have a chance to get better. And you flip on them. We’re early in the season, and you flip on them. You are chanting for the coach. How do you think that makes the players feel? That’s disrespectful; it’s not loyal. You are not a fan. If the person sitting next to me was booing, I would say, ‘Get the hell out of here. We don’t need you. You don’t want to watch this? Go somewhere else. Go boo in a bar.’ This really upsets me.”
Perhaps Wisconsin fans will heed the advice of their former coach and find patience with Fickell. However, if things keep going in this direction, the booing may be the least of Fickell’s problems.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.