Paul Joseph Chryst[1](born November 17, 1965) is an Americanfootballcoach. He served as the head football coach at theUniversity of Pittsburghfrom 2012 to 2014 and theUniversity of Wisconsin—Madisonfrom 2015 to 2022. Chryst had previously been theoffensive coordinatorat Wisconsin from 2005 through 2011. He also served in the same capacity atOregon State Universityand was an assistant coach for theSan Diego Chargersof theNational Football League(NFL). Chryst playedcollege footballat Wisconsin, where he lettered as aquarterbackandtight endfrom 1986 to 1988.
 Chryst in April 2015 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 17, 1965 Madison, WisconsinU.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1986–1988 | Wisconsin |
| Position(s) | Quarterback |
| Coaching career (HCunless noted) | |
| 1989–1990 | West Virginia(GA) |
| 1991 | San Antonio Riders(WR/TE) |
| 1992 | San Antonio Riders (RB/TE) |
| 1993 (spring) | Edmonton Eskimos(WR) |
| 1993 | Wisconsin–Platteville(OC/QB/WR) |
| 1994 (spring) | Ottawa Rough Riders(ST) |
| 1994 | Ottawa Rough Riders (QB/RB/WR) |
| 1995 | Illinois State(OC/QB) |
| 1996 | Saskatchewan Roughriders(OC/QB) |
| 1997–1998 | Oregon State(OC/QB) |
| 1999–2001 | San Diego Chargers(TE) |
| 2002 | Wisconsin (TE) |
| 2003–2004 | Oregon State (OC/QB) |
| 2005 | Wisconsin (co-OC/TE) |
| 2006–2011 | Wisconsin (OC/QB) |
| 2012–2014 | Pittsburgh |
| 2015–2022 | Wisconsin |
| 2023 | Texas(OA/special asst. to HC) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 86–45 |
| Bowls | 7–2 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 3Big TenWest Division (2016, 2017, 2019) | |
| Awards | |
| 2×Big Ten Coach of the Year(2016, 2017) | |
Early life
editThe son of ahigh school footballcoach, Chryst was born and raised inMadison, Wisconsin.The family moved toPlatteville, Wisconsin,when his father,George Chryst,became the head football coach at theUniversity of Wisconsin–Plattevillein 1979.[2]
Chryst attendedPlatteville High School,where he was a three-time letterman in football and basketball, and also lettered in baseball and track. As the startingquarterback,he led the 1982 and 1983 Hillmen to consecutive Southern Eight Conference titles and the Wisconsin Division 4 state championship in 1983.[3]
Chryst graduated from theUniversity of Wisconsinin 1988 with a degree inpolitical science,and was a two-time football letter winner at the quarterback and tight end position for the Badgers. He added a master's degree in educational administration from West Virginia in 1990.
Coaching career
editPaul Chryst started his career as a graduate assistant at West Virginia (1989–90), and was then an assistant coach for the World League'sSan Antonio Riders(1991–92),UW–Platteville(1993),Ottawa Rough Riders(1994),Illinois State(1995),Saskatchewan Roughriders(1996), andOregon State(1997–98).
He was thetight endscoach for the NFL'sSan Diego Chargersfrom 1999 to 2001, where he was instrumental in the development ofFreddie Jonesinto one of the NFL's toptight ends,as well as coachingSteve Heiden,who eventually started with theCleveland Browns.
Chryst wasoffensive coordinatorand quarterbacks coach at Oregon State in 2003–04. The Beavers ranked 10th nationally in total offense (463.0 ypg) and 6th nationally in passing yardage per game (328.1) in 2003. The 2003 Beavers became the first team inNCAA Division Ihistory with a 4,000-yard passer, 1,500-yard rusher and two 1,000-yard receivers. Among the Oregon State stars he coached were RBKen Simonton,the school's careerrushingleader, QBDerek Anderson,who left as thePac-10's No. 2 career passing leader, and RBSteven Jackson,a 2004 first-round draft choice for theSt. Louis Rams.
After a one-year stint as the Badgers' tight ends coach in 2002, Chryst returned to Wisconsin in 2005 and under his direction, the Wisconsin offense showed immediate and drastic improvement. The 2005 team set school records for both scoring average (34.3 ppg) and for points scored in a season (446). UW scored at least 40 points six times in 2005. After ending the 2005 season with a 10–3 record, the 2006 offense was again potent under Chryst, and helped the team to a strong 12–1 finish. Chryst's strong offenses helped guide Wisconsin to back-to-backRose Bowlappearances in 2010 and 2011. Chryst was a 2011 finalist for theBroyles Award,given annually to the nation's top college football assistant coach.
University of Pittsburgh
editChryst was hired as the head football coach at the University of Pittsburgh on December 22, 2012. Chryst had a record of 19–19 before being offered the head coaching position at Wisconsin. He won the Little Caesar's Bowl during the 2013 season.
University of Wisconsin
editOn December 17, 2014, Chryst was introduced as the head coach at Wisconsin following the departure ofGary Andersen.[4]
In Chryst's first season, the Badgers went 10–3 and finished 1st nationally in scoring defense (13.7 points per game) and 2nd in total defense (268.5 yards per game). All three losses came to teams that were in theAP top 25at the end of the season, eventual national champions #1Alabama,#9Iowaand #23Northwestern.Chryst also won theHoliday BowlagainstUSC,whom the Badgers had a 0–6 record against before the game, with their last meeting being in 1965 at the Colosseum in Los Angeles.
In the opening game of the 2016 season, the unranked Badgers upset #5 LSU atLambeau Field.Following the opening week of college football when the newAP Pollwas released the Badgers were ranked #10, the highest the Badgers had been ranked since the2011 seasonwhere Chryst was the offensive coordinator for theRussell Wilson-led Wisconsin team. On November 29, 2016, Chryst was named the Hayes-Schembechler Coach of the Year in the Big Ten Conference.[5]
Despite the Badgers going 12–1 in 2017, Wisconsin was held out of the College Football Playoff. However, they beat Miami in the2017 Orange Bowl.
In 2021 the Badgers started with a dismal 1-3 record, before starting a 7-game win streak.[6]At 8-3 they needed to beat Minnesota to clinch the Big 10 West, but ended up losing 13-23. The Badgers finished the season with a record of 9-4 with a 20-13 victory over Arizona State in the Las Vegas Bowl.[7]
Chryst was fired on October 2, 2022, after the Badgers started the2022 season2–3 (0–2 Big Ten).[8][9][10]He finished at Wisconsin with an overall record of 67–26 (.720), and 43–18 (.705) in Big Ten play.
Personal life
editChryst and his wife, Robin, have three children, daughters Katy and JoJo, and son Danny. He is the brother of formerMid-American ConferencecommissionerRick Chrystand formerSan Francisco 49ersoffensive coordinatorGeep Chryst.His nephewsKeller Chrystand Jackson Chryst play football. Keller played quarterback forTennesseewhile Jackson is a quarterback atUniversity of Wisconsin Whitewater.
Head coaching record
edit| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Panthers(Big East Conference)(2012) | |||||||||
| 2012 | Pittsburgh | 6–7 | 3–4 | 5th | LBBVA Compass | ||||
| Pittsburgh Panthers(Atlantic Coast Conference)(2013–2014) | |||||||||
| 2013 | Pittsburgh | 7–6 | 3–5 | 6th(Coastal) | WLittle Caesars Pizza | ||||
| 2014 | Pittsburgh | 6–6 | 4–4 | T–3rd(Coastal) | Armed Forces[a] | ||||
| Pittsburgh: | 19–19 | 10–13 | |||||||
| Wisconsin Badgers(Big Ten Conference)(2015–2022) | |||||||||
| 2015 | Wisconsin | 10–3 | 6–2 | T–2nd(West) | WHoliday | 21 | 21 | ||
| 2016 | Wisconsin | 11–3 | 7–2 | 1st(West) | WCotton† | 9 | 9 | ||
| 2017 | Wisconsin | 13–1 | 9–0 | 1st(West) | WOrange† | 6 | 7 | ||
| 2018 | Wisconsin | 8–5 | 5–4 | T–2nd(West) | WPinstripe | ||||
| 2019 | Wisconsin | 10–4 | 7–2 | T–1st(West) | LRose† | 13 | 11 | ||
| 2020 | Wisconsin | 4–3 | 3–3 | 3rd(West) | WDuke's Mayo | ||||
| 2021 | Wisconsin | 9–4 | 6–3 | T–2nd(West) | WLas Vegas | ||||
| 2022 | Wisconsin | 2–3[b] | 0–2 | ||||||
| Wisconsin: | 67–26 | 43–18 | |||||||
| Total: | 86–45 | ||||||||
| National championshipConference titleConference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
| |||||||||
- ^Chryst left for Wisconsin after the regular season;Joe Rudolphcoached the Panthers to a 34–35 loss to Houston in the Armed Forces Bowl.
- ^Paul Chryst was the head coach for the first five games of the season. Wisconsin fired Chryst on October 2, 2022.
References
edit- ^Directory search result: Paul Joseph ChrystArchivedNovember 14, 2016, at theWayback Machine.University of Wisconsin-Madison. Accessed November 12, 2016.
- ^"George Chryst, Football Coach At UW-Platteville".Chicago Tribune.December 7, 1992.RetrievedDecember 19,2011.
- ^Rezell, John (November 13, 1983)."Platteville captures state football title".Telegraph Herald.RetrievedDecember 19,2011.
- ^"Report: Paul Chryst set to return to UW as Badgers head coach".WISC-TV.Archived fromthe originalon December 13, 2014.RetrievedDecember 12,2014.
- ^"2016 Big Ten Individual Award Winners"(PDF).www.grfx.cstv.com.Big Ten Conference. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on November 29, 2016.RetrievedNovember 30,2016.
- ^"Wisconsin's rushing production in 8-game win streak vs. Nebraska is remarkable".Badgers Wire.November 21, 2021.RetrievedNovember 28,2021.
- ^"Video highlights: ASU loses to Wisconsin in Las Vegas Bowl".SunDevilSource.com.RetrievedDecember 31,2021.
- ^Rittenberg, Adam [@ESPNRittenberg](October 2, 2022)."SOURCE: Paul Chryst is out as #Wisconsin coach. Jim Leonhard will be the team's interim coach. Announcement will be coming shortly"(Tweet).Archivedfrom the original on October 19, 2022.RetrievedDecember 1,2022– viaTwitter.
- ^Feldman, Bruce [@BruceFeldmanCFB](October 2, 2022)."BREAKING Paul Chryst is out as Wisconsin's coach, per source. The news was first reported by @ESPNRittenberg. Chryst was 67-26 as the Badgers head coach but just 2-3 this year. An official announcement is expected soon"(Tweet).Archivedfrom the original on October 3, 2022.RetrievedDecember 1,2022– viaTwitter.
- ^McMurphy, Brett [@Brett_McMurphy] (October 2, 2022)."Wisconsin cuts ties w/Paul Chryst, source told @ActionNetworkHQ. 1st reported by @ESPNRittenberg. Jim Leonhard will be UW's interim coach. Chryst was at Wisconsin 8 years, w/ a 72 percent winning percentage"(Tweet).RetrievedDecember 1,2022– viaTwitter.