MADISON, Wis. — The University of Wisconsin–Madison announced that Chris McIntosh will be the school's new athletic director on Wednesday.
“Chris is a natural leader who loves the Badgers and cares about our student-athletes," said Becky Blank, UW-Madison's chancellor. "He is uniquely positioned to continue our proud traditions of success on and off the field and doing things 'the right way.' Chris will build upon those traditions and has a strong vision for leading the program during a time of change in college athletics."
McIntosh will replace Barry Alvarez, who has been the athletic director for 16 years. Alvarez served as the school's head football coach for 15 years before that.
“I am thrilled to know that Chris McIntosh will be the Wisconsin Director of Athletics starting July 1,” Alvarez said in a statement Wednesday. “Mac has been an essential part of my staff for several years. In particular, his leadership and intelligence were critical in helping our department navigate the various challenges of the past 15 months. Those same qualities will serve him well on into the future.”
McIntosh has been with the athletic department for seven years and has been deputy athletic director since 2017. McIntosh was also an offensive lineman for Wisconsin in the late '90s and played in the 1999 and 2000 Rose Bowl.
“For me, this opportunity feels much like the opportunity that I was given when I was offered a scholarship here in 1994,” McIntosh said in a press conference Wednesday. “It was surreal; it's significant. it's going to come with an incredible amount of work— there will be challenging days ahead, but man oh man can it be rewarding and can it be impactful.”
McIntosh said he is different than Alvarez, but plans to continue with some of the priorities his predecessor had.
“The necessity and the need to put our student-athletes first in all of our decisions. 'What's right for our student-athletes?'” McIntosh said. “'What's right for our young people?' That is the guiding principle that has lead us to be successful for so many years, and I don't expect that's going to change.”
Both Blank and McIntosh talked about the challenges and changes coming to college athletics, particularly with a changing landscape for payment to athletes. McIntosh said he wants to move the department forward, not just keep it where it is.
“I don't view this next chapter as just carrying the baton. That's not what's needed here,” McIntosh said. “We're facing significant real challenges and there's likely some challenging times ahead and that's going to take a concerted effort and for us to work shoulder to shoulder going forward.”
McIntosh is a Pewaukee, Wisconsin native and a first-generation college graduate.