Wisconsin athletics director Chris McIntosh is leaving the school to become the Big Ten’s deputy commissioner for strategy, sources told ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg on Sunday, confirming multiple reports.
McIntosh will work closely with commissioner Tony Petitti and the league’s senior staff, sources told Rittenberg.
“On one hand it’s very difficult for me to transition away from a place that’s so important to me,” McIntosh told the Sports Business Journal. “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 Petitti and alongside some top-tier, very capable members of the Big Ten as we navigate a dynamic period for college athletics.”
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).
In July 2024, he signed five-year contract extension that ran through June 30, 2029.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
