CHICAGO -- When a reporter subtly brought up the discussion of Wisconsin's coaching changes yesterday, Joe Paterno played the prankster.

"Something happen with Wisconsin?" Paterno quipped.

When the reporter responded with "Coach Alvarez said he's going to retire" -- Paterno's response?

"He should. He's old."

The irony was obviously intended. When Alvarez was born, Paterno was already playing football at Brown.

Alvarez, the Badgers' football coach, made it clear last Thursday that this season would be his last.

The announcement made the Big Ten media kickoff a much more retrospective place.

Instead of triumphing the magnanimous achievements ninth-, 10th-, and 11th-place teams have made in the offseason and how much more awesome they are going to be this season, a lot more attention was directed where it was due: honoring the impact Alvarez has had on the conference since arriving in Madison.

"When you are across the [sidelines] from him, you always know you are going to be in a real fight," Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said.

Alvarez has been produced fighting teams at Wisconsin since he took over the program in 1990, after a stint as an assistant at Notre Dame.

How has he done? Well, he leaves the school -- after this season -- as the winningest coach in Badger football history.

"I admire Barry," Paterno said. "I've known Barry since he was a high school kid, western Pennsylvania kid."

Alvarez was on the radar screen right when a scrappy assistant coach named Joe Paterno was scouting the state for players to fill his offensive roster. But Barry wasn't one of those.

Born in Burgettstown, off Route 22 near the West Virginia border, Alvarez played his prep football against regional legends like Jack Ham but went west to Nebraska when it came time for college.

He put on the headphones as an assistant at a high school in Lincoln, Neb., and hasn't stopped coaching since.

On making his announcement prior to his final season, Alvarez's head was with his players.

"It gave me time to talk to our players and let them know before they took a little break before we start camp so it's not a distraction for them," Alvarez said.

"This was they can digest it."

The announcement of a replacement, too, in the form of defensive coordinator Bret Bielma, will also save the Badgers recruiting-wise.

Bielma is the recruiting coordinator this year.

Carr waxed intellectual on what it takes for someone like Paterno to become successful, but the same words could be applied to Alvarez's 15 years at Wisconsin.

"What longevity gives you if you can have success is tradition and tradition is a critical part of any enduring success," Carr said. "I think what they've been able to do is create great tradition, and that tradition will get you through some of the downtimes."

Alvarez brought a tradition of learning from legendary coaches -- like longtime Iowa coach Hayden Fry -- and legendary places -- like Notre Dame, where Alvarez was an assistant before jumping to Wisconsin.

At 10 a.m. on the nose yesterday, the conclusion of the morning media session, the only Big Ten coach to have ever won back-to-back Rose Bowls was beaming as he strode over to Paterno's table.

Paterno stood up to shake Alvarez's hand.