Athletic director Barry Alvarez will coach the Wisconsin Badgers in the Outback Bowl against Auburn on Jan. 1, the school announced on Thursday.
Alvarez is replacing Gary Andersen, who abruptly accepted the job as Oregon State coach on Wednesday. Alvarez coached the Badgers for 16 years before taking the athletic director's job. He retired following a 24-10 victory against Auburn in the 2006 Capital One Bowl.
"A number of the seniors met with me on Wednesday after our team meeting and asked if I would consider coaching the team," Alvarez noted in a statement. "I told them I would have to sleep on it.
"After thinking it over and meeting with some of the seniors again this morning I have decided to coach," Alvarez added. "I feel this gives our assistants an opportunity to concentrate on getting the team ready for a very good opponent in Auburn.
"My goal is to make sure our players, especially the seniors playing their last game, have a memorable experience and we do everything we can to prepare to win the game."
Alvarez also was pressed back into service to coach the Badgers in a loss to Stanford in the 2013 Rose Bowl after Bret Bielema left for the Arkansas coaching job.
