Things Come Up 'Big' for Bielema--He Called Walden a 'Big Prick,' Now Gets Big Badger Break

HERE'S THE DEAL.....

Bret Bielema, a former Hawkeye player and assistant coach, will succeed Barry Alvarez, another former Hawkeye assistant, as Wisconsin's head football coach in 2006. This is a tremendous break for the 35-year-old Beliema, who was a hard-nosed player under Hayden Fry at Iowa before becoming a Hawkeye assistant, then a staff member under Bill Snyder at Kansas State.

HERE'S THE FUNNY STUFF.....

Bielema made statewide news after an Iowa victory over Iowa State at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City. During the postgame handshakes at midfield, Bielema--then a senior--confronted Cyclone coach Jim Walden and said, "You're a big prick. I enjoyed kicking your ass for five years (including his redshirt year)." Hawkeye fans loved it, Cyclone fans hated it. Walden? He was confused, as usual.

Hell, he was confused throughout the entire series. He didn't win any of the Big Games. He recovered enough by the following Monday to joke at a Cyclone Club luncheon in Des Moines about what he'd been called by Beliema on the 50-yard line two days earlier. "My wife wants to know how that guy Bielema knows so much about my anatomy," Walden said of being called a "big prick."

Bielema later was ordered by Iowa officials to apologize to Walden and Iowa State for what he said, but didn't do it in the normal way. He sent a telegram--which some of us interpreted as a backhanded way of saying he was sorry. In other words, maybe Beliema wasn't sorry at all, and the only reason he apologized was because he was told to do so.

In those days--when Iowa was in the process of winning 15 consecutive games from Iowa State--Beliema and other Hawkeye players got particular joy out of beating Walden, whose silly, smart-ass comments got under their skin and did nothing but provide bulletin-board material in Iowa City. Walden's act would have been funny had he been able to back it up with an occasional victory, but he couldn't do it. Fry had his number in a big-time way.

HERE'S THE GOOD NEWS FOR CYCLONE FANS.....

Iowa State boosters can now relax with the news that Beliema will become Wisconsin's head coach in 2006. Cyclone fans have long feared that McCarney, a former defensive coordinator at Wisconsin under Alvarez, would someday return to Madison to coach the Badgers. McCarney is a native of Iowa City, played for Fry at Iowa and was on Hayden's coaching staff there along with Alvarez. It could be that McCarney will now become a "lifer" at Iowa State. As far as I'm concerned, that's a good thing. The Cyclones could do a lot worse. McCarney has done an excellent job of injecting life into an Iowa State program that was left for dead when Walden, Jim Criner and Donnie Duncan were coaching there. Iowa State is my favorite to win the Big 12 North in the upcoming season.

HERE'S A PREDICTION.....

Bielema has played and worked at good places. He's been taught well. If I cared anything about Wisconsin football, I'd be somewhat concerned that he has no head coaching experience, but in time I think he'll be able to get the job done. It depends on how patient Alvarez and Badger fans are. All in all, there are lots of people who would gladly trade places with Beliema. As one guy told me, "It's a hell of an opportunity for a 35-year-old bachelor."