William Francis "Bo" Ryan Jr. (born December 20, 1947) is an American former college basketball coach. He was the head coach of the Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team of the University of Wisconsin–Madison from 2001 to December 2015. Ryan served as the head men's basketball coach at the University of Wisconsin–Platteville from 1984 to 1999 and at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee from 1999 to 2001. His overall collegiate coaching record was 747–233. Ryan was inducted into the 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 Chester, Pennsylvania. Butch taught him the skills to be a successful point guard, generally the position of the on-court team leader. He became a star basketball player, leading his high school team to a 25–1 record in his senior year. In addition to basketball, Ryan was a high school quarterback. The 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.
In 1973, Ryan began his collegiate coaching career at Dominican College of Racine in Racine, Wisconsin. He won a Coach of the Year award as head baseball coach at Dominican while serving as an assistant basketball coach under Bill Cofield. In 1974, Dominican College closed down. Ryan then became head basketball coach at Sun Valley High School in Aston, Pennsylvania in 1974, where he was named conference coach of the year in 1976. 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. On December 10, 2005, Ryan recorded his 100th victory as Wisconsin head coach by defeating in-state rival Marquette.
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 AP poll in the school's history. However, the Badgers' time atop the poll was short-lived as they lost their next game, against Michigan State before losing to Ohio State in a #1 vs. #2 matchup. The Wisconsin–Ohio State game on February 25, 2007, featured two teams ranked #1 in that week's national polls, with Ohio State securing the top ranking in the Coaches' Poll and clinching the regular season Big Ten title. 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.
On January 24, 2010, Ryan recorded his 100th Big Ten Conference victory by defeating Penn State, 79–71 at the Kohl Center. 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.
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.
On March 14, 2014, Ryan got the 700th victory of his head-coaching career during an 83–57 win over Minnesota in the 2014 Big Ten tournament. On March 29, 2014, during the 2014 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, Ryan reached his first Division I Final Four with a 64–63 overtime win over Arizona.
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.
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.
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. 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. A month and a half later, Ryan announced he was "not totally sure" whether or not he would retire. 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.
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 Madison up for sale. At a charity fundraiser, he explained that they had chosen to downsize now that their children were all adults and out of the house, and had bought a condo near the Badgers' home of the Kohl Center. The house was ultimately purchased by new Wisconsin football head coach Paul Chryst.
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.
Head coaching record
See also
- List of college men's basketball coaches with 600 wins
- List of NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Final Four appearances by coach