Jack Del Rio has joined Luke Fickell's Wisconsin staff as a senior advisor to the head coach, the school announced today.
Del Rio, 61, last coached as the Washington Commanders' defensive coordinator from 2020-23, and has not been involved in college football since leaving USC in 1985 as a third-round pick of the New Orleans Saints.
Del Rio played in the NFL from 1985-96, then joined the Saints' staff upon retirement in 1997 as an assistant strength coach. That began a rise up the coaching ladder that led to him becoming the Jacksonville Jaguars head coach from 2003-11, and as the Oakland Raiders head coach from 2015-17.
Along the way he collected 1,005 tackles as a player, 93 wins as a head coach, one playoff win, a Super Bowl ring as the Baltimore Ravens linebackers coach, two firings, and 12 years of perspective to aid Fickell.
Fickell, a nose guard on the 1997 Saints team that Del Rio worked with as an assistant strength coach, has spent all but that year of his adult life at the college level.
Wisconsin went 7-6 in Fickell's debut season, concluding with a loss to LSU in the ReliaQuest (formerly Outback) Bowl.
The Badgers open their season Friday against Western Michigan (8 p.m. ET, FS1).
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