After nearly four decades as a coach at the collegiate level, Bo Ryan has finally decided to hang up the whistle for good.
Ryan, who turns 68 next week, announced his immediate retirement during an emotional postgame press conference following Wisconsin’s 64-49 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Tuesday night.
“Extremely hard telling the players, as you can imagine,” Ryan said. “It's so emotional right now and I'm trying to hold this together.”
Associate head coach Greg Gard, who has been an assistant under Ryan for over two decades, will take over on an interim basis for the remainder of the season.
Though nothing is guaranteed for Gard beyond this season, he doesn’t think that adds any pressure to the job that lies ahead for him.
“I've never had more than a one-year contract, in my entire career,” Gard said of his interim status. “For me, it's never been about the pressure in that way.”
Though Gard has spent nearly 23 years as an assistant for Ryan, his mentor leaves behind massive shoes for him to fill.
Ryan spent 31-plus years as a collegiate head coach in Platteville, Milwaukee and Madison. He finishes with a 747-233 overall record, including a 364-130 mark with the Badgers.
Prior to his arrival, Wisconsin had enjoyed only fleeting success throughout much of its history, making only seven appearances in the NCAA Tournament. From 1948 to 1988, the Badgers didn’t make a single appearance in either the NCAA Tournament or the NIT.
Though Dick Bennett had success during his time in Madison, including a surprise run to the Final Four during the 2000 NCAA Tournament, Ryan elevated the program to unprecedented heights.
Under Ryan’s watch, Wisconsin made it to the NCAA Tournament 14 times, never finished outside the top four in the Big Ten standings and won at least a share of four conference regular-season titles and three Big Ten tournament titles. In addition, his .717 winning percentage (172-68) in conference play is the best in Big Ten history, ahead of legendary coaches such as Bobby Knight and Tom Izzo.
Though he won four national championships with Division III UW-Platteville, he didn’t make the Final Four with the Badgers until 2014, which set the stage for a 2014-’15 season that saw Wisconsin go 36-4 and make it to the national championship game for the first time since 1941.
Back in June, Ryan announced that this season would be his last, but had since backed off that statement.
“This was a decision months in the making. I brought this up to Barry back in April. He advised me to take some time to think it over and I appreciated that,” Ryan said. “But in recent weeks, I have come to the conclusion that now is the right time for me to retire and for Greg Gard to have the opportunity to coach the team for the remainder of the season. I discussed this with Barry and I appreciate him giving me the space to make this decision.”
UW athletic director Barry Alvarez spoke highly of Ryan and the legacy he’s left behind in Madison.
“His record speaks for itself. He is a legend. He is a Hall of Famer. He has won his way at every level,” Alvarez said. “He leaves our basketball program in great shape.”
He also expressed his confidence in Gard, who turned 45 last month.
“I feel good about Greg taking the job on an interim basis,” Alvarez said. “Greg had a good visit with the team after the game. I’m sure they’ll move forward.”
Ryan told his players of his decision in the locker room following the win over the Islanders. Though the announcement came as a shock, junior forward Nigel Hayes had noticed something peculiar about his coach prior to Tuesday night’s game.
“Bo and I never make eye contact [during pregame introductions], and this game we did and he had the saddest look I’ve ever seen him have when we looked at one another,” Hayes said. “I guess now it makes sense why he looked like that.”
{{tncms-asset app="editorial" id="6db2a2c2-a3b8-11e5-b37f-ffc161681287"}}
