Today is the last day for former Notre Dame defensive coordinator Barry Alvarez as Wisconsin’s athletic director. Effective July 1 he will officially be retired after spending the last nearly 30 years at Wisconsin as head football coach and eventually athletic director after being the defensive coordinator for Lou Holtz and the Irish.
Alvarez’s resume after leaving Notre Dame is mighty impressive considering he took Wisconsin from a bottom-feeder of the Big Ten to a perennial Rose Bowl threat.
As great as Alvarez was at Wisconsin both as their head football coach and athletic director, it’s hard to call him the most successful after leaving Notre Dame.
In no particular order, here are five former Notre Dame assistant coaches that went on to grand things away from the golden dome, and who you perhaps weren’t even aware once coached the Irish.