Bo Ryan

Early Life and Playing Career
Born: December 20, 1947, in Chester, Pennsylvania
Played college basketball as a point guard at Wilkes University in Pennsylvania.
Coaching Career
Ryan’s coaching journey spanned over four decades, with a reputation for building disciplined and fundamentally sound basketball teams.

Early Coaching Roles

Dominican College (1972–1973): Started as a head coach.
University of Wisconsin-Madison (Assistant, 1976–1984): Served as an assistant coach under head coach Bill Cofield and later Steve Yoder.
Head Coach at UW-Platteville (1984–1999)

Established a Division III powerhouse.
Four NCAA Division III Championships: 1991, 1995, 1998, and 1999.
Record: 352-76 during his 15-year tenure.
Head Coach at UW-Milwaukee (1999–2001)

Turned around the program, laying the foundation for future success.
Head Coach at University of Wisconsin-Madison (2001–2015)

Transformed Wisconsin into a perennial Big Ten and national contender.
14 Consecutive NCAA Tournament Appearances
3 Big Ten Tournament Championships (2004, 2008, 2015)
4 Big Ten Regular Season Titles (2002, 2003, 2008, 2015)
Led the Badgers to back-to-back Final Fours in 2014 and 2015, with a national championship game appearance in 2015.
Finished with a 364-130 record at Wisconsin.
Retirement (2015)
Announced his retirement mid-season in December 2015. Greg Gard, his long-time assistant, took over as head coach.
Legacy and Hall of Fame Inductions
Renowned for his “swing offense” and player development.
Inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017.
Inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2024.
Known for his ability to recruit and develop talent in a way that consistently outperformed expectations.
Bo Ryan, the esteemed former head coach of the Wisconsin Badgers men’s basketball team, was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2024. The enshrinement ceremony took place on October 13, 2024, in Springfield, Massachusetts.