Athletic Director Departs UW–Madison

McIntosh: “It is bittersweet to leave the University of Wisconsin, a place that has had such a profound impact on me as a student and as an administrator.” Jeff Miller

In April, Chris McIntosh ’04, MS’19 resigned as UW–Madison’s director of athletics to become the Big Ten Conference’s first deputy commissioner for strategy.

McIntosh served five years as director and has been a UW athletics administrator since 2014. He played offensive tackle on the Badger football squad and served as captain for consecutive Rose Bowl–winning teams before entering the NFL.

“It is bittersweet to leave the University of Wisconsin, a place that has had such a profound impact on me as a student and as an administrator,” McIntosh said.

During McIntosh’s tenure as director of athletics, Badger teams won several conference and national titles. The overall student-athlete graduation success rate is 91 percent.

“While helping to establish a strong foundation for success in all sports moving forward, Chris has always represented our institution with high character, professionalism, and Badger pride,” said former Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin. “We should all be pleased that he will bring this integrity and commitment to his new position as he will play an instrumental role in the future of the Big Ten Conference and thus in the future of Wisconsin athletics.”

Marcus Sedberry, who had been the UW’s deputy athletic director, general manager, and chief operating officer, stepped in as interim director of athletics. Sedberry joined the Badgers in 2022 after senior-level experience in the SEC, Big 12, and NFL. The search for a new director of athletics will begin under Interim Chancellor Eric Wilcots.

Published in the Summer 2026 issue