In 1960, Hirsch succeeded Alvin "Pete" Rozelle as Rams' general manager when the NFL named Rozelle commissioner following the death of
Bert Bell. Hirsch named Waterfield head coach, but the team struggled on the field and fell to 1-12-1 in 1962. He eventually became special assistant to the president before leaving the organization, after 20 years, to succeed Ivy Williamson as University of Wisconsin athletic director.
He retired from Wisconsin in 1987 after serving the longest tenure ever for a Wisconsin AD. During that time, the men's ice hockey team won four of its five NCAA championships. Hirsch, however, drew fire for botching the search for a men's basketball coach in 1982. Several top candidates rejected Wisconsin, and according to the Milwaukee Sentinel, Hirsch was on a Caribbean cruise while appointee Ken Anderson was twice misidentified at a press conference. Days later, Anderson said he would stay at Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
Citing this material
Please include a link to this page if you have found this material useful for research or writing a related article. Content on this website is from high-quality, licensed material originally published in print form. You can always be sure you're reading unbiased, factual, and accurate information.
Highlight the text below, right-click, and select “copy”. Paste the link into your website, email, or any other HTML document.
User Comments Add a comment…