Bielema says he hasn't talked to Alvarez since leaving Wisconsin
Bret Bielema's departure from Wisconsin for Arkansas after the 2012 season was a stunner. Bielema, after all, had been hand-picked by legendary coach Barry Alvarez to be his replacement, and with Alvarez still in the picture as Wisconsin athletic director, Bielema led the Badgers to a 68-24 record in seven seasons and three consecutive Rose Bowls from 2010-12.
Arkansas is now on the rise after having gone 7-6 last year, with most preseason rankings featuring the Razorbacks in the top 20 -- even in what appears to be a loaded SEC West. In that regard, Bielema told The Sporting News this week, he doesn't regret the move to Fayetteville. But he now has essentially no relationship with Alvarez, his one-time mentor.
In fact, Bielema told The Sporting News, he hasn't spoken to Alvarez at all -- other than a few text messages -- since leaving Wisconsin.
"There are so many things I miss about him and what we had," Bielema told The Sporting News. "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.'"
That reportedly hasn't happened, though. Bielema also detailed the difficulty of informing the Wisconsin players of his departure.
"(T)elling 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's comments serve as a good reminder that, in the coaching profession, the big paychecks come along with some difficult personal decisions and sacrifices.