Bo Ryan

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Bo Ryan
Wilkes
Position(s)
Wisconsin–Platteville
1999–2001Milwaukee
2001–2015Wisconsin
Head coaching record
Overall747–233 (college)
Tournaments25–14 (
2015)
4 Big Ten regular season (2002, 2003, 2008, 2015)
Awards
Clair Bee Coach of the Year (2007)
4× Big Ten Coach of the Year (2002, 2003, 2013, 2015)
Jim Phelan Award (2008)
Adolph Rupp Cup (2007)
Basketball Hall of Fame
Inducted in 2024 (profile)
College Basketball Hall of Fame
Inducted in 2017

William Francis "Bo" Ryan Jr. (born December 20, 1947) is an American former

College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017 and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
in 2024.

Playing career

Ryan began playing basketball at a very young age. His father, Butch Ryan was already a legend in the area, coaching youth sports including basketball to under-privileged children in

center snapping him the ball was Ted Cottrell, who later served as a defensive coach and coordinator for a number of teams in the NFL. Ryan lettered in football, basketball and baseball, and was president of his class. After high school, Ryan starred as a point guard at Wilkes College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. His love for the game drove him to remain involved with the sport, choosing to delve into the coaching profession.[1]

Coaching career

Early years

After a playing career at Wilkes University, Ryan graduated in 1969, and began graduate work, attending Villanova University in Villanova, Pennsylvania.

Ryan's coaching career began in 1972 at Brookhaven Junior High School in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, where for one year he worked as a history teacher and basketball head coach.[1]

In 1973, Ryan began his collegiate coaching career at

Aston, Pennsylvania in 1974, where he was named conference coach of the year in 1976.[1]

His success at Dominic College and Sun Valley led to a job as assistant head coach at the University of Wisconsin–Madison under head coaches Bill Cofield and Steve Yoder from 1976 to 1984.[1]

Wisconsin–Platteville (1984–1999)

After his stint as an assistant, Ryan accepted the head coaching position at the University of Wisconsin–Platteville. From 1984 until 1999, Ryan's Platteville team posted a 352–76 overall record, an .820 winning percentage. Ryan guided the UW–Platteville Pioneers to four national championships (1991, 1995, 1998 and 1999). He also won eight Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships and set a Division III scoring defense record in 1997, with his team only allowing 47.5 points per game.[1]

During Ryan's tenure, UW-Platteville was the winningest NCAA men's basketball team of the 1990s (all divisions) with a 266–26 (.908) record.[1]

On January 27, 2007, UW-Platteville officially honored Ryan's 15-year tenure by naming the playing surface at Williams Fieldhouse "Bo Ryan Court". Ryan, along with the 2007 Wisconsin Badgers team, attended the event.

Wisconsin–Milwaukee (1999–2001)

Ryan as an assistant for Wisconsin in 1977.

On the strength of his success at Platteville, Ryan was hired as head coach at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee for the 1999–2000 season. In his two seasons as coach, the team had its first back-to-back winning seasons in nearly a decade.[3] Ryan also brought a 161 percent increase in home attendance at UWM, giving the program a new energy that continued into the tenure of his successor Bruce Pearl.[1]

Wisconsin–Madison (2001–2015)

Following the Badgers' 2000

Final Four run, head coach Dick Bennett retired two games into the 2000–01 season. Assistant coach Brad Soderberg finished the season as interim head coach, but was not considered for the full-time job. The coaching search began to concentrate on Rick Majerus of the University of Utah (who was a Milwaukee native) and Bo Ryan. After Majerus pulled his name out of consideration, UW athletic director Pat Richter
made the decision to hire Ryan as Wisconsin's 13th head coach.

Ryan's first season was much more successful than anticipated. The team was predicted to finish as low as ninth in the

NCAA tournament. In the 2002–03 season, the Badgers won their first outright Big Ten regular season title in 56 years and advanced to the "Sweet Sixteen" in the NCAA Tournament. The Badgers won the Big Ten tournament Championship in 2004, led by Devin Harris, and once again received an NCAA Tournament invitation. In the 2004–05 season, Wisconsin advanced to the "Elite Eight" in the NCAA Tournament, losing to the eventual national champion North Carolina Tar Heels.[4] On December 10, 2005, Ryan recorded his 100th victory as Wisconsin head coach by defeating in-state rival Marquette.[5]

In the 2006–07 season, Ryan led the Badgers to the pinnacle of college basketball, helping them achieve their first top-five ranking and #1 ranking in the

Coaches' Poll and clinching the regular season Big Ten title.[8] The following week they rebounded with a 52–50 win at home over Michigan State and again defeated Michigan State in the Big Ten tournament, before losing the Big Ten tournament championship game to Ohio State. In 2007, Ryan was named the winner of the Clair Bee Coach of the Year Award. A year later, the Badgers notched their most wins ever in Big Ten play (16) en route to a school-record 31 wins.[1]

On December 12, 2009, Ryan recorded his 200th victory as Wisconsin head coach by defeating in-state rival Marquette, 72–63 at the Kohl Center.[9]

On January 24, 2010, Ryan recorded his 100th

Penn State, 79–71 at the Kohl Center.[10] With that victory, Ryan became the 2nd fastest coach to reach that milestone, tying Ryan with Branch McCracken who both needed 140 games to reach the 100th conference victory.[10] The only coach to reach the 100th conference win faster was Bob Knight, who only needed 131 games.[10]

On March 9, 2012, in the

Hoosiers, giving Ryan his 266th win at Wisconsin and vaulting him past Bud Foster to become the winningest coach in school history.[11]

On December 4, 2013, Ryan won his 300th game at Wisconsin during a 48–38 victory over Virginia becoming only the ninth Big Ten head coach to win 300 games.[12]

On March 14, 2014, Ryan got the 700th victory of his head-coaching career during an 83–57 win over

Arizona.[13]

On January 8, 2015, the Badgers defeated Purdue 62–55 giving Ryan his 159th Big Ten victory, passing Walter Meanwell for most Big Ten conference victories in UW history.[14]

On February 14, 2015, Ryan was named a finalist to be considered for election in the Class of 2015 for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.[15]

On April 6, 2015, after losing the

2015 NCAA Championship game to Duke 68–63, Ryan's immediate post game interview with CBS' Tracy Wolfson implied that the officiating was the reason for his team's loss.[16][17]
For the game, Duke was called for 13 fouls while the Badgers were called for 15.

Ryan has written three books: Bo Ryan: Another Hill to Climb, The Swing Offense, and Passing and Catching: the Lost Art. He led the Badgers to the NCAA Tournament in each of his 14 full seasons at Wisconsin; the team had only been to a total of seven NCAA Tournaments before Ryan's arrival (three of them under Bennett). He also owns all four of Wisconsin's 30-win seasons.

He coached the Badgers to the NCAA Final Four two years in a row, falling to Kentucky, 74–73, in the 2014 semifinals in Arlington, Texas, and to Duke, 68–63, in the championship game on April 6, 2015, in Indianapolis.

On June 29, 2015, Ryan announced that he would retire after the 2015–16 season, naming associate head coach Greg Gard, who had been on Ryan's staff at both UW-Platteville and Milwaukee, as his preferred successor.[18][19] A month and a half later, Ryan announced he was "not totally sure" whether or not he would retire.[20] On December 15, 2015, Ryan announced his retirement after a win against Texas A&M–Corpus Christi, effective immediately, and Gard took over for the rest of the season.[21]

Personal life

Ryan and his wife, Kelly, have five children: Megan, Will, Matt, Brenna and Mairin. Ryan also has 10 grandchildren: Aoife, Imogen, Maeve, Owen, Liam, Callen, Roen, Remi, Finn and Ryan.

Shortly after the Badgers' loss in the 2015 NCAA title game, there was speculation Ryan would retire when he and his wife put their home in

condo near the Badgers' home of the Kohl Center. The house was ultimately purchased by new Wisconsin football head coach Paul Chryst.[22]

In 2016, Ryan admitted to having an affair with a massage therapist. An investigation ensued concerning whether Ryan improperly used school resources during the course of the tryst. He was eventually cleared.[23]

Head coaching record

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Wisconsin–Platteville Pioneers (Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
) (1984–1999)
1984–85 Wisconsin–Platteville 9–17 4–12 7th
1985–86 Wisconsin–Platteville 16–11 8–8 5th
NAIA First Round
1986–87 Wisconsin–Platteville 14–11 6–10 T–5th
1987–88 Wisconsin–Platteville 24–5 14–2 1st NAIA Third Round
1988–89 Wisconsin–Platteville 24–5 13–3 3rd NAIA Third Round
1989–90 Wisconsin–Platteville 26–3 15–1 1st NAIA Third Round
1990–91 Wisconsin–Platteville 28–3 13–3 2nd NCAA Division III Champion
1991–92 Wisconsin–Platteville 27–4 13–3 2nd NCAA Division III Third Place
1992–93 Wisconsin–Platteville 24–4 13–3 T–1st NCAA Division III Elite Eight
1993–94 Wisconsin–Platteville 23–5 13–3 2nd NCAA Division III Sweet 16
1994–95 Wisconsin–Platteville 31–0 16–0 1st NCAA Division III Champion
1995–96 Wisconsin–Platteville 23–3 15–1 1st NCAA Division III First Round
1996–97 Wisconsin–Platteville 24–3 14–2 1st NCAA Division III Second Round
1997–98 Wisconsin–Platteville 30–0 16–0 1st NCAA Division III Champion
1998–99 Wisconsin–Platteville 30–2 15–1 1st NCAA Division III Champion
Wisconsin–Platteville: 353–76 (.823) 188–52 (.783)
Milwaukee Panthers (Horizon League) (1999–2001)
1999–00 Milwaukee 15–14 6–8 T–4th
2000–01 Milwaukee 15–13 7–7 5th
Milwaukee: 30–27 (.526) 13–15 (.464)
Wisconsin Badgers (Big Ten Conference) (2001–2015)
2001–02
 Wisconsin 19–13 11–5 T–1st NCAA Division I Round of 32
2002–03 Wisconsin 24–8 12–4 1st NCAA Division I Sweet 16
2003–04
 Wisconsin 25–7 12–4 T–2nd NCAA Division I Round of 32
2004–05
 Wisconsin 25–9 11–5 3rd NCAA Division I Elite Eight
2005–06 Wisconsin 19–12 9–7 T–4th NCAA Division I Round of 64
2006–07 Wisconsin 30–6 13–3 2nd NCAA Division I Round of 32
2007–08 Wisconsin 31–5 16–2 1st NCAA Division I Sweet 16
2008–09 Wisconsin 20–13 10–8 T–4th NCAA Division I Round of 32
2009–10 Wisconsin 24–9 13–5 4th NCAA Division I Round of 32
2010–11 Wisconsin 25–9 13–5 3rd NCAA Division I Sweet 16
2011–12 Wisconsin 26–10 12–6 4th NCAA Division I Sweet 16
2012–13 Wisconsin 23–12 12–6 T–4th NCAA Division I Round of 64
2013–14 Wisconsin 30–8 12–6 T–2nd NCAA Division I Final Four
2014–15 Wisconsin 36–4 16–2 1st NCAA Division I Runner-up
2015–16 Wisconsin 7–5
Wisconsin: 364–130 (.737) 172–68 (.717)
Total: 747–233 (.762)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Bo Ryan Bio". UWBadgers.com - The Official Athletic Site of the Wisconsin Badgers. Archived from the original on June 4, 2012.
  2. ^ "Bo Ryan Bio - UWBadgers.com - The Official Athletic Site of the Wisconsin Badgers". Archived from the original on December 19, 2013.
  3. ^ "Men's Basketball, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, Official Athletic Site". Archived from the original on June 25, 2006. Retrieved July 15, 2006.
  4. ^ "Wisconsin Badgers vs North Carolina Tar Heels - Recap". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on March 24, 2014.
  5. ^ "Marquette Golden Eagles vs Wisconsin Badgers - Recap". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on March 24, 2014.
  6. ^ "Wisconsin vs. Ohio State - Game Recap - February 25, 2007 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on January 2, 2017.
  7. ^ "2006-07 Big Ten Conference Conference Standings". Big Ten Conference. Archived from the original on July 25, 2011. Retrieved June 2, 2009.
  8. ^ "Ohio State Earns Big Ten Men's Basketball Championship Big Ten Conference Official Site". Big Ten Conference. Archived from the original on July 25, 2011. Retrieved June 2, 2009.
  9. ^ "Marquette Golden Eagles vs Wisconsin Badgers - Recap". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on December 15, 2009.
  10. ^ a b c "Penn State Nittany Lions vs Wisconsin Badgers - Recap". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on January 27, 2010.
  11. ^ "Indiana Hoosiers vs Wisconsin Badgers - Recap". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on March 10, 2012.
  12. ^ "Wisconsin wins defensive battle". ESPN.com. December 5, 2013. Retrieved March 30, 2014.
  13. ^ "Wisconsin does what works to get to Final Four". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on March 30, 2014. Retrieved March 30, 2014.
  14. ^ "Kaminsky scores 21 as No. 4 Wisconsin beats Purdue 62-55". yahoo.com. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  15. ^ "Wisconsin head coach one of 12 individuals on the ballot for the Class of 2015".
  16. ^ "Bo Ryan on Duke-Wisconsin: 'A shame' game had so much body contact". CBS Sports. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  17. ^ "Wisconsin's Bo Ryan Has Some Sour Grapes About The Officiating At The End Of The Championship Game". sportsgrid. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  18. ^ Bo Ryan Lobbies Hard for Greg Gard, accessed August 13, 2015
  19. ^ Vecenie, Sam (December 16, 2015). "Who is Greg Gard? 3 things to know on Bo Ryan's successor at Wisconsin". CBS Sports. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  20. ^ Bo Ryan Not Totally Sure He Will Retire, accessed August 13, 2016
  21. ^ "Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan announces retirement". www.si.com. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  22. ^ Katz, Andy (May 3, 2015). "Bo Ryan: Duke loss still 'stings'". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
  23. ^ "Wisconsin says Ryan didn't misuse funds in affair". ESPN.com. March 5, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
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