By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – With Bret Bielema, it’s never dull.

I learned that right away in my first year on the Iowa football beat in 1992 when Bielema sort of introduced himself to the world during a very brief but highly emotional post-game encounter with Iowa State head coach Jim Walden.

Iowa had just defeated the Cyclones 21-7 at Kinnick Stadium to stretch its series domination to 10 consecutive victories when Bielema, a fifth-year senior co-captain, made sure that Walden knew exactly how much he enjoyed Iowa’s dominance in the series.

Walden was surrounded by media on the field when Bielema approached him and said, “You’ve been a big (expletive). I’ve enjoyed kicking your (expletive) the last five years.”

Bielema continued to bash Walden during the post-game interview session.

“I don’t want to take anything away from their players, but they’re not going to accomplish anything with Walden,” Bielema said. “He does more to motivate us than he knows.”

And though it wasn’t the best optics to criticize the opposing head coach, it was one of the first signs, at least publicly, that Bielema had an edge, and a willingness to speak his mind and put emotion into words.

Bielema’s story already was inspirational before he confronted Walden on the field, how Bielema came to Iowa as a skinny walk-on from a small town in Illinois and grew into a pretty good defensive lineman, and a respected team leader.

His encounter with Walden showed that Bielema was different because most players wouldn’t seek out the opposing head coach to rub it in.

But Bielema wasn’t like most players.

He was charismatic and outspoken, and showed signs of being a leader, someone to rally behind.

And now 29 years later, most of you reading this probably know Bielema’s story.

The young man who couldn’t resist telling Jim Walden how he felt, and who loved basking in the joy and togetherness of team and school spirit, is now 51 years old and the head coach at Illinois.

I’m not saying Bielema will turn Illinois into a football power, because so many others have failed to do so, but he will make his presence felt, and already has from a recruiting, and from a promotional standpoint.

Bielema has made Illinois interesting again, and he’s made recruiting in the state of Illinois a top priority. He’s a master at promoting and energizing his cause, and recruits have taken notice.

“We got to start building here in the state of Illinois and put a barrier around us,” Bielema said on national signing day. “We have other schools in our state, but this has got to be a school that Illinois kids want to come to — the one to come win Big Ten Championships. It starts there and we’ll branch out from everywhere else.”

Bielema was hand-picked by Barry Alvarez to be his successor at Wisconsin, and for the most part, Bielema met the challenge for seven seasons from 2006-12.

He coached Wisconsin to victories in 17 of his first 18 games and compiled a 68-24 overall record. He also led the Badgers to a Big Ten title in 2010 and to a divisional title in 2011.

And he called a fake punt against Iowa in 2010 that helped to turn not only that game around, but the series itself, considering Wisconsin has a 7-2 record against Iowa since 2010.

But then Bielema left Wisconsin to be the head coach at Arkansas, which was struggling to stay afloat in the deep and talented Southeastern Conference.

He left what appeared to be a stable situation at Wisconsin to take on the mighty SEC and Nick Saban, and for the most part, it didn’t work.

At times, it seemed that Bielema was close to breaking through at Arkansas, winning eight games in 2015, and seven in 2014 and 2016.

The momentum faded in 2017, however, as Arkansas finished 4-8 overall and 1-7 in the conference.

One could say in hindsight that Bielema made a mistake by taking the Arkansas job, but he also made a lot of money and showed that he wasn’t afraid to leave a stable situation to take on a challenge.

After parting ways with Arkansas in 2017, Bielema spent the 2018 and 2019 seasons coaching for the New England Patriots, and the 2020 season coaching outside linebackers for the New York Giants.

He probably could’ve spent the rest of his career coaching in the NFL and making a nice salary, and maybe even could’ve become an NFL head coach.

But then Illinois came calling, and Bielema couldn’t resist the money, of course, but also his love for college football, and for the Big Ten.

Bielema also loves a challenge and believes that he is up for whatever challenge that comes his way.

The Big Ten isn’t quite at the same level as the SEC, but one could argue that it’s just as hard, or more difficult to win at Illinois as compared to Arkansas.

Only four times since 2000 has Illinois finished with a winning record, and two of those records were 7-6 in 2010 and 2011.

This will be no easy task, but walking on at Iowa wasn’t easy, either, and yet, Bielema defied the odds and became  a key contributor, and a team captain.

“It’s been an easy sell,” Bielema said of his new job on the Big Ten Network. “I’m from the state. I know the lay of this land. I’ve been in this conference as a player, assistant coach, coordinator and head coach. It’s been a really easy thing for me to tell them, ‘Listen, come here and be a part of the plan. Get yourself better every day, and you’ll be rewarded for a lifetime.”

I personally like that Bielema is coaching in the Big Ten again because he brings credibility, a powerful personality and some fun to the job.

He also represents yet another branch from the Hayden Fry coaching tree, and once a Hawkeye, always a Hawkeye.

And should Bielema make Illinois a contender, that will certainly makes things more interesting, and more challenging for his opponents, including his alma mater.

Some Hawkeye fans that I know aren’t thrilled that Bielema is back in the Big Ten and coaching in the same division as Iowa.

But that feeling mostly comes from concern that Bielema will succeed.