MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Chris McIntosh plans to step down as Wisconsin’s athletic director to take a job with the Big Ten, according to published reports.
Sports Business Journal and the Wisconsin State Journal reported McIntosh's decision on Sunday. SBJ said McIntosh has accepted a position as the Big Ten’s deputy commissioner for strategy.
“On one hand, it’s very difficult for me to transition away from a place that’s so important to me,” McIntosh said in a statement to SBJ. “On the other hand, it’s an incredible honor and an incredible opportunity to be able to transition to a position at the Big Ten and to work for an incredible leader like Commissioner (Tony) Petitti and alongside some top-tier, very capable members of the Big Ten as we navigate a dynamic period for college athletics.”
Wisconsin didn’t respond to a message seeking confirmation of McIntosh's departure.
McIntosh, 49, took over as athletic director in the summer of 2021 after the retirement of Barry Alvarez. He played football for the Badgers and was part of two Rose Bowl-winning teams coached by Alvarez.
McIntosh was named associate athletic director in 2014. He became deputy athletic director under Alvarez in 2017.
He fired football coach Paul Chryst midway through the 2023 season and hired Luke Fickell to replace him. Fickell has gone 17-21, including a 4-8 finish last year and a 5-7 mark in 2024 that snapped what had been a Power Four-leading streak of 22 consecutive winning seasons.
Also in 2023, McIntosh fired men's hockey coach Tony Granato and brought in Mike Hastings from Minnesota State. Wisconsin reached the Frozen Four this season and lost 2-1 to Denver in the national title game Saturday.
During McIntosh’s tenure, Wisconsin has won three national championships in women’s hockey (2023, 2025 and 2026) and one in women’s volleyball (2021).
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
CA Is Burning said:
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.