Year In Review: Grading Gary Andersen And His First Year As Wisconsin’s Head Coach
By Daniel
Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Integrity Off The Field And On:
Andersen has been known for his integrity long before he made his way to Madison. This is what former Badger Jared Abbrederis had to say about the fact that Andersen individually called each of his players at Utah State when he took the Wisconsin job.
"“Just knowing that his players meant that much to him, that he would call each and every one of them, I thought that was pretty special… Just from that, I think we all knew he would care about us.”"
It is undeniably refreshing to have a head coach at the helm that isn’t known for drunken-partying and going out on the town and making ill-advised comments…cough, Bielema, cough. Check out this picture. Slob? I’ll let you decide. But, Andersen’s conduct on the field, and on the podium, has been admirable. The early season controversy which gave Wisconsin its first loss was handled great. He was honest but never lost total control in his post game comments. He kept his composure for the sake of the team, and the tough-to-swallow loss didn’t throw the Badgers into a tailspin of a season. Andersen’s level-headedness will be a valuable asset in Madison for years. He’s a great guy (not just a coach) who puts his athlete’s personal lives, and academics, ahead of football. If you’re looking for controversies involving head coaches…look elsewhere. He does it, no matter what it is, the right way every time.
Grade: A+
So here we are, over a year into Andersen’s reign in Madison. His second go ’round at spring practices are unfolding as you read this and his second season as head coach is about six months away. He’s done a lot of great things for the Badgers since taking over as the top dog in south-central Wisconsin.
Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports
Andersen’s tenure has just begun. If the current trends that he has implemented continue in the coming years expect his overall grade to raise even higher. With Coach A at the helm, it’s a good time to be rooting for Bucky and honestly, an even better time to play for in Madison.
First Year As Head Coach Overall Grade: A-
Agree or disagree?