Pitt coach goes to Wisconsin
Paul Chryst has been named the new football coach at Wisconsin.
PAUL CHRYST is coming home to coach Wisconsin.
The school made it official yesterday, hiring Chryst away from Pittsburgh. The announcement ended days of speculation following the surprising departure of Gary Andersen for Oregon State.
Chryst is a former Wisconsin offensive coordinator and a native of Madison, Wis. He leaves the Panthers after going 19-19 in three seasons, returning to his hometown and alma mater.
The 49-year-old Chryst had two prior stints as an assistant for the Badgers. Most notably, he was part of the Wisconsin staff from 2005-11, helping the Badgers to five double-digit victory seasons and two Rose Bowls.
He was coordinator in 2011 when the high-scoring Badgers featured quarterback Russell Wilson and running back Montee Ball.
Chryst started at Pittsburgh in 2012. When Bret Bielema left Wisconsin for Arkansas after the 2012 Big Ten championship game, athletic director Barry Alvarez said then that he would not pursue Chryst for the opening after helping him get his first head-coaching job at Pitt.
Andersen ended up in Madison, and left almost exactly 2 years later to take over the Beavers. Andersen's move was a stunner after leading the Badgers to a 19-7 record in two seasons.
Meanwhile, Pitt fired athletic director Steve Pederson after Chryst's abrupt departure left the Panthers searching for their fourth football coach in 4 years.
Randy Juhl, vice chancellor for research conduct and compliance, will serve as Pitt's acting athletic director. Offensive coordinator Joe Rudolph will serve as interim coach for the Panthers as they prepare for the Armed Forces Bowl on Jan. 2 against Houston.
Noteworthy
* Villanova junior linebacker Don Cherry was selected to the FCS All-America first team.
Junior quarterback John Robertson, who earlier this week won the Walter Payton Award as the top player in FCS, was selected to the second team. Junior Vernon Adams, of Eastern Washington, was the first-team quarterback.
* On the day he was introduced as Youngstown State's new head coach, the ugly nature of Bo Pelini's departure from Nebraska was revealed.
Pelini, who was fired on Nov. 30, lambasted Nebraska athletic director Shawn Eichorst in a profanity-filled talk during his final meeting with his players. The Omaha World-Herald reported that it had a writer listen to an audiotape of Pelini's address to the players on Dec. 2.
The university said in a statement that if the audiotape is authentic, "it only reaffirms the decision that he should no longer be a leader of young men at Nebraska."