# List of Wisconsin Badgers head football coaches

The Wisconsin Badgers college football team represents the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the Big Ten Conference (Big 10), as part of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. The program has had 30 head coaches, and 3 interim head coaches, since it began play during the 1889 season. Since November 2022, Luke Fickell has served as Wisconsin's head coach. As of the end of the 2023 season, Wisconsin has an all-time record of 742 wins, 518, losses, and 53 ties (.585 all-time winning percentage).
Eight coaches have led Wisconsin in postseason bowl games: Ivy Williamson, Milt Bruhn, Dave McClain, Barry Alvarez, Bret Bielema, Gary Andersen, Paul Chryst, and Fickell. Seven of those coaches also won conference championships: Philip King captured three, and Charles P. Hutchins and William Juneau each one, as a member of the Western Conference; Williamson captured one, Bruhn two, and both Alvarez and Bielema three as a member of the Big 10.
Alvarez is the leader in seasons coached, with 16 years as head coach and games coached (195) and won (119). King has the highest winning percentage at 0.853. Alvin Kletsch has the lowest winning percentage of those who have coached more than one game, with 0.000. Of the 33 different head coaches who have led the Badgers, King, George Little, Clarence Spears, Harry Stuhldreher, and Alvarez have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

## Key

Key to symbols in coaches list :
| General | General | Overall | Overall | Conference | Conference | Postseason | Postseason |
| No. | Order of coaches | GC | Games coached | CW | Conference wins | PW | Postseason wins |
| DC | Division championships | OW | Overall wins | CL | Conference losses | PL | Postseason losses |
| CC | Conference championships | OL | Overall losses | CT | Conference ties | PT | Postseason ties |
| NC | National championships | OT | Overall ties | C% | Conference winning percentage | | |
| † | Elected to the College Football Hall of Fame | O% | Overall winning percentage | | | | |

## Coaches

List of head football coaches showing season(s) coached, overall records, conference records, postseason records, championships and selected awards :
| No. | Name | Season(s) | GC | OW | OL | OT | O% | CW | CL | CT | C% | PW | PL | PT | DCs | CCs | NCs | Awards |
| 1 | Alvin Kletsch | 1889 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 2 | Ted Mestre | 1890 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0.250 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 3 | Herb Alward | 1891 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0.700 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 4 | Billy Crawford | 1892 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0.571 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0.500 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 5 | Parke H. Davis | 1893 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0.667 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.500 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 6 | Hiland Orlando Stickney | 1894–1895 | 15 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 0.700 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 7 | Philip King$^†$ | 1896–1902 1905 | 78 | 66 | 11 | 1 | 0.853 | 17 | 8 | 1 | 0.673 | — | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | — |
| 8 | Arthur Hale Curtis | 1903–1904 | 18 | 11 | 6 | 1 | 0.639 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0.071 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 9 | Charles P. Hutchins | 1906–1907 | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0.850 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0.813 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | — |
| 10 | Thomas A. Barry | 1908–1910 | 16 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 0.656 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 0.545 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 11 | John R. Richards | 1911 1917 1919–1922 | 42 | 29 | 9 | 4 | 0.738 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 0.646 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 12 | William Juneau | 1912–1915 | 28 | 18 | 8 | 2 | 0.679 | 10 | 7 | 2 | 0.579 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | — |
| 13 | Paul Withington | 1916 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0.643 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0.375 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 14 | Guy Lowman | 1918 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0.500 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0.333 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 15 | John J. Ryan | 1923–1924 | 15 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 0.467 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 0.278 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 16 | George Little$^†$ | 1925–1926 | 16 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 0.750 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 0.636 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 17 | Glenn Thistlethwaite | 1927–1931 | 45 | 26 | 16 | 3 | 0.611 | 10 | 14 | 2 | 0.423 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 18 | Clarence Spears$^†$ | 1932–1935 | 32 | 13 | 17 | 2 | 0.438 | 7 | 13 | 2 | 0.364 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 19 | Harry Stuhldreher$^†$ | 1936–1948 | 113 | 45 | 62 | 6 | 0.425 | 26 | 45 | 4 | 0.373 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 20 | Ivy Williamson | 1949–1955 | 64 | 41 | 19 | 4 | 0.672 | 29 | 13 | 4 | 0.674 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | — |
| 21 | Milt Bruhn | 1956–1966 | 103 | 53 | 45 | 6 | 0.534 | 35 | 37 | 5 | 0.487 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | — |
| 22 | John Coatta | 1967–1969 | 30 | 3 | 26 | 1 | 0.117 | 3 | 17 | 1 | 0.167 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 23 | John Jardine | 1970–1977 | 87 | 37 | 47 | 3 | 0.443 | 25 | 38 | 1 | 0.398 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 24 | Dave McClain | 1978–1985 | 91 | 46 | 42 | 3 | 0.522 | 32 | 34 | 3 | 0.486 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| Int | Jim Hilles | 1986 | 12 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 0.250 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0.250 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 25 | Don Morton | 1987–1989 | 33 | 6 | 27 | 0 | 0.182 | 3 | 21 | 0 | 0.125 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 26 | Barry Alvarez$^†$ | 1990–2005 2012 2014 | 195 | 119 | 72 | 4 | 0.621 | 65 | 60 | 3 | 0.520 | 9 | 4 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | — |
| 27 | Bret Bielema | 2006–2012 | 92 | 68 | 24 | — | 0.739 | 37 | 19 | — | 0.661 | 2 | 4 | — | 2 | 3 | 0 | — |
| 28 | Gary Andersen | 2013–2014 | 26 | 19 | 7 | — | 0.731 | 13 | 3 | — | 0.813 | 0 | 1 | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 29 | Paul Chryst | 2015–2022 | 93 | 67 | 26 | — | 0.720 | 43 | 18 | — | 0.705 | 6 | 1 | — | 3 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Int | Jim Leonhard | 2022 | 7 | 4 | 3 | — | 0.571 | 4 | 3 | — | 0.571 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 30 | Luke Fickell | 2022–present | 26 | 13 | 13 | — | 0.500 | 8 | 10 | — | 0.444 | 1 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |