Bret Bielema is an icon who has achieved a remarkable feat in the National Football League (NFL), starting from being a player to eventually becoming a head coach. He has successfully managed to carve a niche for himself in the sport as he has played and coached many teams in the league including Iowa Hawkeyes, Wisconsin Badgers, and Arkansas Razorbacks. Among his many astounding records includes clinching the Super Bowl title (LIII), being a three-time Big Ten, 2006 Big Ten Coach of the Year, the first head coach in the annals of Big Ten to win ten games in his first season, the first coach in the annals of UW to win eleven games in the regular season, the third coach in the annals of NCAA to win 12 games in his debut season as a coach, among several others. Besides all these, there is a lot more to know about Bret and we are set to tell you all about it here.
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Bret Bielema Biography (Age)
The former Milwaukee Mustangs player was born on 13th January 1970 and named Bret Arnold Bielema in Prophetstown, Illinois, the United States to his parents, Arnie Bielema and Marilyn Bielema. He was raised together with his two sisters, Brandi and Betsy Bielema. He was so attached to them while growing up as they constantly share their photos on social media. Regarding his ethnicity and nationality, Bret Bielema is a white Caucasian American. He has not disclosed any details concerning the high school he attended to the media, he only revealed that he enrolled at the University of Iowa where he graduated with a degree in Marketing.
While in the university, Bret Bielema played as a defensive lineman under the tutelage of coach Hayden Fry from 1989 to 1992 and was later the team captain in his senior year. Following his graduation from the college, he had a brief stint as a player at AFL’s Milwaukee Mustangs in 1994 before becoming a coach and later a Graduated assistant at Iowa Hawkeyes from 1994 to 2001.
Prior to signing a lucrative contract with Arkansas Razorbacks in December 2012, Bielema achieved remarkable feats as the head coach of Wisconsin Badgers from 2006 to 2012. Among his numerous achievements at Wisconsin Badgers includes winning the 2010 Big Ten Coach of the Year, becoming the first coach in Wisconsin to win eight games in his rookie season, The third coach in Wisconsin to win his first three games, the first head coach in the annals of Big Ten to win ten games in his debut season, defeating No.1 ranked team, Ohio State by 31-18 in Madison, a finalist for 2010 Bear Bryant Award which he lost to Chizik of Auburn.
At Arkansas Razorbacks where he was the highest state earner, the coach performed very well in his second and third seasons but not compared to his astonishing success at Wisconsin which led to the termination of his contract after his fourth season. He is currently a consultant to the head coach of New England Patriots, a position he assumed since 2018.
Aside from serving under prominent coaches like Kirk Ferentz, Hayden Fry, Bill Synder and Barry Alvarez, there are many others who have worked as assistants under Bret Bielema that are head coaches now including Dave Doeren of NC State, Chris Ash of Rutgers and Thomas Hammock of Northern Illinois.
Salary and Net Worth
Despite the ups and downs, Bret Bielema has accumulated huge wealth from his incredible stint at Arkansas Razorbacks where he was made the 9th highest paid college football coach in 2014 with his lucrative contract of $4.25 million salary with additional $100, 000 every season. He also received a contract buyout of over $10 million following his sack on 24th November 2017. The former Wisconsin head coach sits on an estimated net worth of $8 million.
Family: Wife, Kid
Bret Bielema proposed to his girlfriend, Jennifer Hielsberg whom he dated for three years on 1st April 2011. The couple later solemnized the union on 11th March 2012 in a private ceremony held in Madison. They are blessed with a daughter, Briella Nichole Bielema, who became part of the family on 8th July 2017.
Prior to Jennifer’s marriage to the former Wisconsin head coach, she was a model who worked for various modeling agencies. She is also a businesswoman who has worked for many financial institutions.
Bret Bielema’s Height and Weight
Though Bret Bielema has not revealed the details of his weight to the media, he is a tall man but not the tallest college football coach you can find around as he has a towering height of 6 feet 2 inches (1.88m).
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