Who is Jake Ferguson's grandfather Barry Alvarez? All about Cowboys TE's family

Jake Ferguson was raised in Wisconsin and was familiar with football from a very tender age. Barry Alvarez, his grandfather, is a member of the football elite.

Ferguson's grandpa was the head coach at Wisconsin before becoming the university's athletic director. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and the most successful coach in Badger football history.

In 1990, Alvarez took over as Wisconsin's head coach. The team had won three conference championships and three Rose Bowls and had been a consistent competitor in collegiate football by the time Alvarez left to take over as athletic director of the university in 2005.

The 77-year-old Alvarez has led his beloved Wisconsin team as an interim head coach twice since he announced his official retirement. Following Bret Bielema's departure in 2013, he led the team to the Rose Bowl. Two years later, he led the team in the Outback Bowl when Gary Andersen transferred to Oregon State University.

In 2010, Alvarez received his induction as a coach into the College Football Hall of Fame. Wisconsin declared in 2021 that a field at Camp Randall would bear the famous Barry Alvarez's name in recognition of his achievements.

Football has been instilled in Jake Ferguson since childhood

Jake Ferguson, a tight end for the Cowboys, learned all his grandfather accomplished in football coaching as a child and by the time he arrived in Wisconsin, he had a firm grasp of the game.

The Dallas Cowboys selected Jake Ferguson in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, 129th overall, with the intention of using him as a long-term replacement for Dalton Schultz.

In Schultz's absence—he is currently with the Houston Texans—Ferguson has gradually emerged as the player the team anticipated he would be from the start of the 2023 season.

Ferguson noted following the Cowboys' 2022 draft selection of him (via Cowboys Wire):

"We always talk about three words that we live by at Wisconsin: smart, tough, dependable. I've been attempting to base my life on and off the field off of those three words for the last five years that I played college football."

Ferguson frequently recalls his undergraduate days, when he could see his grandfather watching from his balcony when he looked up from the practice field. Alvarez also remembers that on occasion when he saw his grandson doing something well, he would applaud.

Jake Ferguson intends to make his grandad proud:

"This university is his favorite. He loves this program. He gave the thing his blood, sweat, and tears. I'm going to make an effort to follow suit."

However, Ferguson's connection to Wisconsin extends beyond his grandpa. For four years, up to 2017, his older brother Joe also played safety for the team.