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Paul Chryst's top ten moments as head coach at Wisconsin

A look at some of the more memorable moments in Paul Chryst's tenure as head coach of the Wisconsin Badgers

Matt Belz

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While the end of Paul Chryst's time as head coach of the Wisconsin Badgers is over, following his surprise dismissal on Sunday evening, he finished his career in Madison with one of the top winning percentages in school history and with plenty of memorable accomplishments.

The two-time Big Ten Coach of the Year winner had the opportunity to live out a lifelong dream by coaching at his alma mater and helped lead the Badgers to three Big Ten West division titles.

Paul Chryst now gives way to a new era of Wisconsin football as Jim Leonhard takes over as interim head coach, and the program searches for a new long-term head coach.

Before turning the page to the Badgers' upcoming contest with Northwestern set for this Saturday, let's first take a look back at ten moments that stand out from the Paul Chryst era in no specific order. 

Paul Chryst mocking the turnover chain at the end of the Orange Bowl

While Paul Chryst is not known for being an overly firey personality, he shared some of his true feelings at the end of the Orange Bowl with his now famous statement about the Miami football turnover chain. 

The comment caught on camera was an online hit and came as the Badgers secured a 34-24 win over the Hurricanes to finish the season 13-1. Overall, the win was the peak of Paul Chryst's time as head coach and the moment is a fan favorite to this day. 

Paul Chryst smiling with players after winning the Holiday Bowl.
Paul Chryst smiling with his team after winning the Holiday Bowl against USC.  / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Paul Chryst's bowl game crewneck collection

Regardless of who becomes the next long-term head coach, no one will compete with Paul Chryst's crewneck collection. He had a streak of wearing the team-supplied bowl crewneck several years in a row and finished his career winning six out of seven bowl appearances. 

Paul Chryst shaking hands with LSU head coach Les Miles in Lambeau Field.
Paul Chryst shaking hands with LSU head coach Les Miles after winning at Lambeau Field.  / Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Beating No. 5 LSU inside Lambeau Field in 2016

In one of the more impressive wins of his coaching career, Paul Chryst led the unranked Badgers over No. 5 LSU at Lambeau Field. 

While LSU would eventually finish the season unranked, the upset win for Wisconsin helped propel the Badgers to a surprisingly good season, while being a catalyst for LSU head coach Les Miles being let go later that year. 

Paul Chryst speaking with USC head coach Clay Helton after the Holiday Bowl.
Paul Chryst speaking with USC head coach Clay Helton after winning the Holiday Bowl.  / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Defeating USC for the first time since 1965 in the Holiday Bowl

One of the more exciting and entertaining games in the Paul Chryst era was the 2015 Holiday Bowl. It was Paul Chryst's first season in Madison as head coach, and it secured him his first of four 10-win seasons with the Badgers. 

Jack Cichy's three straight sacks get most of the attention, but it was a big win for Chryst and the Wisconsin program at the time. 

Paul Chryst unveils the 'Hippo Package' in a 21-point win over Michigan

In 2019, the Wisconsin Badgers put together a dominant performance on the ground against Michigan, running for 359 yards and converting three fourth-down conversions on the ground to beat the Wolverines. 

One of the most exotic aspects of that game came in the form of Wisconsin's 'Hippo Package' which featured seven offensive linemen on the field at the same time and two tight ends. 

The beloved formation helped the Badgers consistently move the ball down the field in short-yardage situations that season and was one of the most fun wrinkles of the 2019 campaign. 

Paul Chryst taping the top of his mask to keep his glasses from fogging

Anyone with glasses knows the struggle of wearing glasses with a mask. However, Paul Chryst took every necessary precaution to ensure that his glasses did not fog up during the 2020 season by taping the top of his mask. 

While Chryst was not the only head coach to do this (James Franklin also did it), Chryst was one of the first to do it, and it was another example of his lovable nature. 

Chryst and Wisconsin outlast Purdue in triple-overtime

While Wisconsin winning at Purdue has been a common practice for some time recently, the 2018 game was one of the more entertaining games of Paul Chryst's career. 

The Badgers stormed back late to take the game to overtime and ultimately won the contest in triple-overtime. The game featured a one-handed catch by Danny Davis in the end zone and Jonathan Taylor rushing for over 300 yards and three touchdowns to help Wisconsin secure a 47-44 win. 

Paul Chryst appreciates the opportunity

Paul Chryst will never be known for winning a press conference, but fans and media members will always remember key phrases that Chryst routinely used, such as "appreciate the opportunity" and "that's what is great about this game."

In larger press conferences, he was usually a bit more guarded in his responses, but anyone who spoke with him in a smaller setting knows his dry sense of humor and passion for the student-athletes he helped along the way. 

Paul Chryst speaking before the Rose Bowl with Jonathan Taylor and Tyler Biadasz.
Paul Chryst standing with Jonathan Taylor and Tyler Biadasz before the Rose Bowl.  / Rick Wood, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel via Imagn Content Services, LLC

26 players drafted during Paul Chryst's time as head coach

Paul Chryst not only won over 70% of his games as head coach of the Badgers, but he also sent a lot of players off to the NFL, both via the draft and free agency. 

In total, Chryst had 26 players drafted during his time as head coach and also helped develop the reigning NFL rushing champ in Jonathan Taylor and the reigning Defensive Player of the Year in T.J. Watt. 

Over the past week there have been an outpouring of support from former players as Chryst played a key role in their development on and off the field. 

Paul Chryst jokes that no one would want to play him in a movie

Once again, I could have easily brought up Paul Chryst'record against Iowa as a memorable moment or the team's Cotton Bowl win against Western Michigan, but this recent video is Paul Chryst in a nutshell. He has always been very aware of who he is and he was a consistent presence for the Wisconsin program for years. 

His humility and caring nature will forever be a lasting legacy for his players, and I thought that this video was a great representation of his sense of humor. 

Thank you, coach Chryst, and best of luck in the future. 

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Matt Belz
MATT BELZ

Title: Publisher, Beat Writer for AllBadgers.com, a Sports Illustrated Channel Hello, my name is Matt Belz, and I am the site manager at All Badgers. I previously wrote for multiple years at Buckeyes 5th Quarter and have been the leading publisher here since March of 2022.  When I am not covering the Wisconsin Badgers football and men's basketball teams, I enjoy being outside and spending time with family and friends.  You can follow everything I write about on several different platforms. First and foremost on our site...AllBadgers.com You can follow me personally on Twitter at @savedbythebelz or check out our Facebook page at Wisconsin FanNation on Sports Illustrated.

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