Luke Fickell Reveals Harsh Toll Coaching Takes On Family

It's been a long time since Wisconsin football coach Luke Fickell has seen his children.

The new Badgers coach took over in Madison near the end of November, and excitement is absolutely off the charts for what Fickell will do.

However, it's come at a price for him and his family.

While addressing the media late Monday ahead of the Guaranteed Rate Bowl against Oklahoma State, Fickell revealed he hasn't seen his family in about a month.

"It's difficult. It's difficult, but we felt this was the best thing for all of us. For our program, which is our family as well. There's sacrifice to be made by all. My wife has to sacrifice, my kids have to sacrifice and so do I," Fickell explained.

Luke Fickell is welcoming a new era in Madison.

While it might be easy to poke fun at a guy for claiming he's sacrificing while making a ton of money, it's almost certainly not easy to be away from your family that long.

Luke Fickell has six kids. He's a huge family man, and it's a big part of his identity. Since taking the job in Madison, he's apparently not seen them in-person outside of the Sunday he was introduced back in late November.

There's no doubt that it can't be easy, especially for a guy who has six kids.

Wisconsin football coach Luke Fickell hasn't seen his family in roughly a month. (Credit: Wisconsin Football)

The good news is it sounds like he's getting settled and his children will eventually follow him to Madison. Transitions can be tough, but are often necessary.

Once you get through it and settled, everything often turns out to be better than the original scenario. Luke Fickell left Cincinnati to start a new era of Wisconsin football, and that requires a little sacrifice when it comes to seeing his family.

It's not great, but it's necessary.

Luke Fickell talks transition to Madison. (Credit: Wisconsin Football)

Hopefully, everyone is together soon in Madison and he can get things rolling.