Bo Ryan

The son of a coach, a student of the game, and a believer in the fundamentals, William Francis Ryan, Jr. – known less formally around hoops watercoolers as Bo – helped make college basketball relevant again in the state of Wisconsin. Bo Ryan arrived at the University of Wisconsin in Madison in 1976 as an assistant under Bill Cofield, the first Black head coach in the Big Ten. Wins were tough to come by in those days, and eventually Ryan landed the head job at nearby UW-Platteville. The change of scenery proved positive as Ryan guided the Pioneers to four Division III national championships in 15 years. He was the WIAC Coach of the Year six times. Then in the spring of 2001, almost 25 years to the day after he first arrived in Madison, Ryan was named head coach of the Wisconsin Badgers. In 15 seasons, the men’s basketball program won four regular season conference championships, three conference tournament championships, and reached two Final Fours. Ryan was named Big Ten Coach of the Year four times and the Badgers made the NCAA Tournament each season during his tenure.