The University of Wisconsin-Madison's football team just kicked off their football season. More popularly referred to as the Wisconsin Badgers, they got off to a great start. Their first game of the season ended up as a blowout win over Illinois.
Shortly after, however, several confirmed cases of COVID-19 emerged among their ranks. Coming from the coaching staff and the players alike. Quarterback Graham Mertz, who was already filling in for Jack Coan, was one of them. And now so is head coach Paul Chryst.
School postpones teams activities for at least one week
The Badgers are temporarily halting football activities, according to CBS. Their next game was supposed to be against the Nebraska Cornhuskers. But that game has been canceled. The Badgers did not forfeit it. Instead, it's classified as a 'no contest.'
247Sports indicates that the decision was the school's, not the Big Ten Conferences. The move received praise, including from ESPN's Mike Golic Jr. and Chiney Ogwumike. Seen as proactive and putting health and safety first, things that don't always happen in college football.
Chryst said that safety had to be the top priority and that he supported the pause in activities. Athletic director and former head football coach Barry Alvarez said it was the responsible thing to do.
Because of Chryst's COVID-19 diagnosis, he would've had to be separated from the team anyway.
The Badger's next scheduled game would be against the Purdue Boilermakers. Purdue has had its own COVID-19 problems, including but not limited to their own head coach, Jeff Brohm, falling ill from the novel Coronavirus.
It remains to be seen how many more Big Ten games might be canceled or postponed.
The Badgers have been a favorite to win the Big Ten West Division. Something that could still very well do but becomes trickier from the scheduling changes, and both players and coaches sit out.
Chryst is a native of Madison
Paul Chryst was born in Madison, Wisconsin. He later graduated from high school in Platteville. His father coached the football team at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and eventually became the school's athletic director.
Chryst would graduate from UW-Madison and play for the Badgers.
Chryst would become an assistant coach with various teams, including stops in the NFL and CFL. His time as an NCAA assistant includes jobs at Wisconsin-Platteville and multiple tenures with the Badgers. During his second go-round in Madison, he helped the Badgers win two Big Ten Championships.
After spending time as the head coach with the University of Pittsburgh, Chryst returned home, taking over the Badgers. Since then, he's led them to wins at the Cotton Bowl and the Orange Bowl.
One brother, Geep, has also been an assistant at Platteville and Madison. He would become a longtime NFL assistant coach, helping the San Francisco 49ers reach Super Bowl XLVII. Another brother, Rick, became the commissioner of the Mid-American Conference.
