WISCONSIN — Saturday’s announcement that Bo Ryan has made the Basketball Hall of Fame is a fitting cap to an incredible career.
He’s not only the winningest coach in Wisconsin Badgers history, his work at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville should not be forgotten. He won four Division III national championships there.
Even his two years at UW-Milwaukee served a purpose. He helped give the Milwaukee Panthers program credibility.
In truth, I thought maybe Wisconsin reached when they hired Ryan in 2001. I was dead wrong.
Ryan led the Badgers to a pair of Final Fours, 14 straight NCAA tournaments and seven Big Ten titles. He was the Big Ten Coach of the year four times.
Ryan probably didn’t “need” the two Final Fours (including one runner-up finish) to validate his career. Still, they brought more deserved attention to his work. 747 career wins speaks volumes.
I remember attending his introductory news conference at UW-Milwaukee when he got emotional, remembering how the late Bill Cofield brought him to Wisconsin as an assistant coach. Ryan never forgot where he came from and who helped him. He often talked about his hometown of Chester, Pennsylvania.
Now, he’s going into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Ryan paid his dues and moved up the coaching ladder by earning it. He earned this honor as well.