MADISON, Wis. — Zigzagging through campus on the 15-minute walk to his 8 a.m. class in Nancy Nicholas Hall, a black backpack slung over one shoulder and sporting a red University of Wisconsin warm-up jacket, Tony Granato looks like an average college student.
And Granato is, in fact, a student, working toward his bachelor’s degree in human development and family studies. But he is also the first-year hockey coach at one of the country’s most historically successful programs.
A former Badgers captain, Granato was hired March 30 to replace Mike Eaves.
Before he could assume the job, though, Granato had to agree to complete his undergraduate degree, a requisite for any head coach at the university, within one academic year.