Greg Gard waited nearly three decades for this moment, so there wasn’t much harm in holding off for a few minutes longer.
After arriving a few minutes late — the UW band ended up playing “On, Wisconsin!” five times while waiting — Gard finally made his way to the podium, where he was formally introduced as the 16th head coach in the history of Wisconsin men’s basketball Tuesday afternoon.
“Well, it took me 26 years to get here, so I figured why not just drag it on a little longer,” Gard joked about his late arrival, which he attributed to a slow elevator ride.
But once he was there, he went down his long laundry list of people to thank for helping him along the way. From Southwestern School District athletic director Bill Taylor, who gave him his first job as an eighth grade coach in 1990, to Steve Randall, his high school coach at Iowa-Grant, almost everyone who had an influence on Gard’s coaching career received a shout out.
Of course, that list included former Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan, under whom Gard got his first collegiate job, ultimately serving 23 years on his coaching staff.
“I've obviously got to thank Coach Ryan, his family,” Gard said. “He took a chance on me 23 years ago as a student assistant, had great confidence and a vision in me in terms of what I could become and the potential that I had. I'm grateful for him for the opportunities he's given me over the course of time.”
The native of Cobb, Wisconsin (population: 458) had to fight back tears when talking about his hometown and his late father, Glen, who passed away after a six-month battle with brain cancer.
“Obviously where this all begins is always at home, and it all started in a little town about 60 miles from here. You all know where it is now. Maybe you didn't 15 years ago, but Cobb is pretty popular today,” an emotional Gard said. “For my mom, Connie, for you to be here, and Dad is here, as well, he's just watching from above, but thank you for everything, all you've done.”
But even though it was an emotional day for Gard, especially when talking about his family, he still was able to keep it relatively lighthearted and cracked a few jokes.
“And obviously behind every successful person there's always a rock, and one that really makes everything function, and I can't say enough about my wife Michelle,” he said. “That's the best recruiting job I've ever done. I'll never have one top that.”
In recent weeks, it became increasingly obvious that it was only a matter of time before the interim tag next to Gard’s name would be removed. Still, hearing the news straight from their coach Monday was obviously a joyous occasion for the UW players.
“Me, Nigel [Hayes] and Matt Ferris and [Aaron] Moesch went early to his office because we had a business school thing we had to go to, so it was just us four in his office and it was just cool to be the first couple that he told,” redshirt junior guard Zak Showalter said. “It was cool to get our congrats out. We were one of the first people he told, he said. That was cool to experience that and [it’s] something I’ll remember for a while and couldn’t be more proud of him.”
For his part, Gard, as he has throughout this entire process, stressed that none of this was really about him, but rather the players.
“As I've said from day one, this wasn't about me, this wasn't an audition. This was about you guys and how we were going to grow together, get better, learn,” he said to his players. “As I told you last night, the job you guys have done is second to none in terms of how you've bonded, how you've matured. I'm so proud to be your coach, and I know this is just the beginning, but thanks to each and every one of you for making this so special and to make this opportunity possible for me.”
However, though he may not want the spotlight on himself, the job Gard did after Ryan’s resignation earned him praise nationwide. After a slow start, the Badgers turned into an NCAA Tournament-caliber team under Gard’s watch, performing so well that it seemed inevitable that Gard would get the full-time gig. And when the UW job was posted publicly a week ago, it became clear that he had earned the permanent job in the eyes of Alvarez and the athletic department.
“[We] felt as though we had done our due diligence,” Alvarez said of the timing of the decision. “There was no reason to go any farther. We'd done our jobs. We know who the right man for the job is. The timing is right.”
