Bret Bielema
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Bret Bielema (b. January 13, 1970 in Prophetstown, Illinois) is currently the head coach of the Wisconsin Badgers football team. On July 28, 2005, the former Badgers head coach and UW athletic director, Barry Alvarez, announced that he would step down at the end of the 2005 season and named Bielema as his successor.
Coach Bielema played college football at the University of Iowa from 1989-1992, where he earned four letters. He went on to play for the Milwaukee Mustangs, a team in the Arena Football League. Bielema was an assistant coach at the University of Iowa from 1993-2001. He then moved on to become the co-defensive coordinator for Kansas State University from 2002-2003. Bielema then took on the same position at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2004.
Bielema received his bachelor's degree in marketing from the University of Iowa in 1992.
Rookie Coaching Season
Bret Bielema had a very successful first year as head coach of the Wisconsin Badgers in the 2006 season. His team ended the regular season 11-1 (7-1 in conference play). With the 35-3 defeat of the Buffalo Bulls on November 18, 2006, Bielema became the first coach in UW history to win 11 games in the regular season.[1] After a 17-14 victory over the Arkansas Razorbacks in the Capital One Bowl on 1 January, 2007, Bielema became only the third coach in NCAA history to win 12 games his rookie season.
Trivia
 | This article contains a list of miscellaneous information. (June 2007) |
- From his days as a football player at Iowa, he has a two-inch tattoo of a Tiger Hawk (Iowa's logo) on his calf, which he has stated he will not remove, despite being the coach of the Big Ten-rival Wisconsin Badgers. [2]
- With a 14-0 victory over the San Diego State Aztecs on 16 September 2006, Bielema became the third UW head coach to win the first three games of his career. [3]
- With a 24-3 win over the Purdue Boilermakers on 21 October 2006, Bielema tied the record (seven) for most wins by a first-year coach at UW. The other two coaches to complete this feat were Phil King in 1896 and William Juneau in 1912. [4]
- With a 30-24 victory over the Illinois Fighting Illini on 28 October 2006, Bielema became the first coach in Wisconsin history to win eight games in his first season. [5] He then extended the record with his ninth victory on 4 November 2006, defeating the Penn State Nittany Lions 13-3. [6]
- With a 24-21 victory over the Iowa Hawkeyes on 11 November 2006, Bielema became the first head coach in Big Ten history to win 10 games in his first season. [7]