Wisconsin Badgers

The Fickell File

Hometown

Columbus, Ohio

Family

Wife, Amy

Children, Landon, Luca, Aydon, Ashton, Laykon, Lucian

Education

B.S., Exercise Science, Ohio State, 1997

Playing Experience

Ohio State, 1992-96 (Nose Guard)

Head Coaching Record

71-31 (.696) - 8 seasons

Record at Wisconsin

8-6 (.571) - 1 full season

Bowls Coached In

2002 - OSU - Fiesta

2003 - OSU - Fiesta

2004 - OSU - Alamo

2005 - OSU - Fiesta

2006 - OSU - BCS National Championship

2007 - OSU - BCS National Championship

2008 - OSU - Fiesta

2009 - OSU - Rose

2011 - OSU - Gator

2013 - OSU - Orange

2014 - OSU - Sugar - CFP Semifinal/CFP National Championship

2015 - OSU - Fiesta

2016 - OSU - Fiesta - CFP Semifinal

2018 - Cincinnati - Military

2019 - Cincinnati - Birmingham

2020 - Cincinnati - Peach

2021 - Cincinnati - Cotton - CFP Semifinal

2022 - Wisconsin - Guaranteed Rate

2022 - Wisconsin - ReliaQuest

Luke Fickell was named the University of Wisconsin football's 31st head coach on Nov. 27, 2022. Fickell ushered in a new era of Badger football after elevating the University of Cincinnati football program to new heights during his six seasons as head coach. Fickell will enter his second full season as the Badgers' head coach in 2024.

After leading the Badgers in a Guaranteed Rate Bowl victory to close the 2022 season, Fickell embarked on his first full season at the helm of the Badger program in 2023. Wisconsin weathered injuries to key contributors and bounced back after a poor start to November to win back-to-back rivalry games to close the regular season. An overtime win over Nebraska and a road victory against Minnesota to claim Paul Bunyan's Axe gave the Badgers their 22nd-straight winning season and a trip to their 22nd-straight bowl game. Wisconsin finished 7-6 after falling to No. 13 LSU in the ReliaQuest Bowl.

Defensive leader S Hunter Wohler tallied 120 tackles, the most for a Badger DB since 1991 and the 2nd most in the Big Ten. Meanwhile, CB Ricardo Hallman grabbed seven interceptions, tied for the national lead. Offensively, QB Tanner Mordecai bounced back from a broken hand to lead Wisconsin down the stretch and tally a season-high 378 passing yards in the ReliaQuest Bowl. 

Before arriving in Madison, Fickell was hired to lead the Cincinnati Bearcats on Dec. 10, 2016, Fickell led Cincinnati to back-to-back 11-win campaigns in 2018 and 2019 and an undefeated regular season that culminated with a Peach Bowl berth in 2020. Then in 2021, he guided the Bearcats to the greatest season in school history leading them to an appearance in the College Football Playoff Semifinals at the Cotton Bowl and the first-ever 13-0 regular-season record in Bearcat history.

In just six years, Fickell has emerged as one of the nation's top coaches and positioned Cincinnati football as an elite program capable of consistently contending for championships. Fickell compiled a 57-18 record over six years with UC. Prior to the Bearcats’ three 11-win campaigns under Fickell, the program had only accomplished the feat twice (2008 and 2009). Fickell earned his 54^th win in 2022, cementing himself as the winningest coach in Cincinnati history. After going 4-8 in year one at Cincinnati, Fickell led the program to a 53-10 mark over the last five years. Of the seven teams Cincinnati has lost to since 2018, five have played in a New Year’s Six bowl (Alabama, Georgia, Memphis, UCF and Ohio State).

“My family and I are thrilled to join the Wisconsin family,” Fickell said. “This is a destination job at a program that I have admired from afar for years. I am in total alignment with Chris McIntosh’s vision for this program. There is a tremendous foundation here that I can’t wait to build upon. This world-class university, athletic department and passionately loyal fan base all have a strong commitment to success and I can’t wait to be a part of it.”

By leading Cincinnati to its first-ever appearance in the College Football Playoff in 2021, Fickell collected eight national coaching honors in 2021, including the The Home Depot National Coach of the Year, Paul "Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year, the Stallings Award, the Eddie Robinson Award and the Dodd Trophy, as well as accolades from the AFCA, Walter Camp Foundation and Sporting News. 

The Bearcats finished as the nation’s only undefeated team in the regular season and as the No. 4 seed in the College Football Playoff, capturing a spot in the CFP Semifinals at the 86th Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic in Arlington, Texas.

Fickell’s UC squad also secured a No. 2 ranking early in the fall in the Associated Press Poll – its highest ranking in school history. Cincinnati defeated No. 9 Notre Dame, 24-13, in South Bend, Ind., for its first-ever road victory over a Top 10 team. The Bearcats capped the season by defeating No. 16 Houston, 35-20, for their second consecutive AAC Championship title.

Fickell saw 16 Bearcats earn a selection in the NFL draft, including a school-record nine draft picks in 2022, and captured AAC Coach of the Year honors three times (2018, 2020, 2021). 

Off of the field, since his arrival at Cincinnati, the Bearcats’ four-year student-athletes posted a 100% graduation rate under Fickell.

With his arrival in Madison, Fickell returns to the Big Ten after an illustrious playing and coaching career at Ohio State. No stranger to championship-level football, Fickell was a part of nine Big Ten Conference titles (seven as a coach, two as a player), two national championship squads and 15 postseason games at Ohio State, including two College Football Playoff appearances. He served as co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach from 2005-2016.

From 2005-2016, Fickell-coached defenses at Ohio State ranked among the NCAA FBS Top-40 in yards-per-play allowed, averaging a ranking of No. 17 and earning its highest rank of No. 3 in 2016.

Fickell gained head coaching experience in 2011, taking over the reins in Columbus for one season amid tumultuous circumstances across the program. He led the Buckeyes to a 6-6 regular season record and a berth in the Gator Bowl.

He returned to his role as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach in 2012. Over the next five seasons, Fickell’s defensive units were a major reason the Buckeyes went 61-5 and won the 2014 College Football Playoff National Championship.

Fickell’s coaching career began at Ohio State. After spending a year on the injured reserve list with the New Orleans Saints, he was hired in 1999 as a graduate assistant at OSU by his college coach, John Cooper.

A native of Columbus, Ohio, Fickell played for the Buckeyes from 1992-96, redshirting the first year and then starting the next four seasons at nose guard. He started a then school-record 50 consecutive games between 1993 and 1996.

He graduated from Ohio State in 1997 with a degree in exercise science. Fickell and his wife Amy have six children: Landon, Luca, twin sons Aydon and Ashton, and twin sons Laykon and Lucian.
 

Fickell Coaching Career
Year	School/Team	Position
1999	Ohio State	Graduate Assistant
2000-01	Akron	Defensive Line
2002-03	Ohio State	Special Teams Coordinator
2004	Ohio State	Linebackers
2005-11	Ohio State	Co-Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers
2011	Ohio State	Head Coach
2012-16	Ohio State	Co-Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers
2017-22	Cincinnati	Head Coach
2023 - present	Wisconsin	Head Coach