MADISON, Wis.— Bo Ryan will forever take his place alongside basketball's royalty.
Ryan was selected by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a member of its Class of 2024, as revealed on Saturday morning at an event held during the Final Four weekend in Phoenix, Ariz.
Joining Ryan in the Class of 2024 is Chauncey Billups (player), Vince Carter (player), Michael Cooper (player), Walter Davis (player), Charles Smith (coach), Seimone Augustus (player), Dick Barnett (player), Harley Redin (coach), Michele Timms (player), Doug Collins (contributor), Herb Simon (contributor) andJerry West (contributor).
"When I got the news about entering the Naismith Hall of Fame, my thoughts instantly went to the countless people who have been a part of this journey with me," Ryan said. "I'm grateful and humbled by an honor like this, but I sincerely believe that this is a reflection of the contributions of so many people that have helped me in my career.
"I can't express enough how thankful I am for the support of my wife, Kelly, and my family, being on my side for this journey. I wish I could thank all of the players I've had the privilege of coaching, all the coaches I've worked alongside, the staff and administrators who had a hand in our success and the thousands and thousands of fans who have supported us.
"There is no doubt that my roots in Chester, Pennsylvania shaped who I became as a coach. My parents were incredibly supportive role models for me and I'm forever indebted to my high school and college coach, Ron Rainey, for helping lay the foundation for later success.
"I'm proud that this honor will represent all the places I've coached, starting with Brookhaven Junior High to Sun Valley High School to Dominic College and Coach Cofield to Wisconsin as an assistant to UW-Platteville to UW-Milwaukee and then back to the Badgers for an incredible run.
"Thank you to the Hall of Fame committee and everyone who helped along the way."
Enshrinement for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2024 is set for the weekend of August 16-17 at ceremonies in Springfield, Mass.
Ryan became the third individual with ties to the Wisconsin men's basketball program inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, joining Harold E. "Bud" Foster and Walter Meanwell.
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame induction marks the ninth hall of fame that Ryan will be enshrined in, including his induction into the Madison Sports Hall of Fame in 2023.
GREG GARD:
"We are thrilled for Bo and proud that he has earned this well-deserved honor," Wisconsin men's basketball head coach Greg Gard said. "When you look at the numbers and success of his legendary resume, the case for Coach Ryan in the Naismith Hall of Fame is a no-brainer. He has the highest win percentage in Big Ten history, and even more impressive is the consistency at which he won. When you consider Bo's accomplishments at UW-Platteville alone, you realize that the level of success he achieved there may never be duplicated again. It was a pleasure to learn and coach with him for almost 25 years. If there's one thing that I know about Coach Ryan, it's that you will rarely find him speechless. This honor might find even Bo at a loss for words."
CHRIS McINTOSH:
"Selection into the Naismith Hall of Fame is one of the most prestigious honors in the game of basketball and Coach Ryan is tremendously deserving of this recognition," UW Director of Athletics Chris McIntosh said. "Bo's record of accomplishments in Platteville, Milwaukee and Madison is remarkable. His teams set a standard of excellence wherever he went and, for Badger men's basketball in particular, raised the bar higher than it had ever been. This is a great moment for Coach Ryan and, on behalf of our entire athletic department, we could not be happier for him."
BARRY ALVAREZ:
"My congratulations go out to Bo for this incredible honor," former UW Director of Athletics Barry Alvarez said. "As a fellow coach at Wisconsin and later as director of athletics, I had a front-row seat to see the Badger men's basketball program rise to new heights under Bo's direction. His teams were talented, tough and fundamentally sound. They were a pleasure to watch. I am very pleased that Bo will be joining the greats of the game of basketball in the Naismith Hall of Fame."
BO RYAN
Bo Ryan spent 32 seasons as a collegiate head coach before retiring in December of 2015. He finished his career 26th on the NCAA's all-time wins list with a record of 747-233 (.762), including a mark of 364-130 (.737) in 14-plus seasons at Wisconsin. Author of the most wins in UW annals and the best winning percentage in Big Ten history, Ryan led the Badgers to seven Big Ten titles, back-to-back Final Fours in 2014 and 2015 and an appearance in the national championship game.
A native of Chester, Pennsylvania, Ryan was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year four times (2002, 2003, 2013, 2015) while coaching at Wisconsin. Prior to his time in Madison, he coached at UW-Milwaukee (1999-2000) and UW-Platteville (1984-1999), where his team won four NCAA Division III national championships (1991, 1995, 1998, 1999). Ryan led Wisconsin to four Big Ten regular season championships (2002, 2003, 2008, 2015), three Big Ten Tournament championships (2004, 2008, 2015), and the NCAA Final Four twice (2014, 2015). Ryan is a recipient of the Clair Bee Coach of the Year Award (2007), NABC Outstanding Service Award (2009) and Coaches vs. Cancer Champion Award (2013).
It was during his 15-year tenure at UW-Platteville that Ryan firmly established himself as one of the nation's top coaches. Ryan guided the Division III program to a phenomenal 353-76 (.822) overall record. In his final 12 seasons, the Pioneers won four national championships (1991, '95, '98, '99), were the winningest NCAA men's basketball team of the 1990s (all divisions) with a 266-26 (.908) record, won eight WIAC titles, compiled a 30-5 NCAA Division III tournament mark, and never won fewer than 23 games.
Before coming to Wisconsin, Ryan coached for two seasons at UW-Milwaukee. There, he coached the Panthers to their first back-to-back winning seasons in eight years. UWM also experienced a 161-percent home attendance increase in his first season.
Ryan's coaching career began in the fall of 1972 at Brookhaven High School in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, where he was hired as a history teacher and head basketball coach. After just one year at Brookhaven, Ryan began his collegiate coaching career in 1973 at Dominican College of Racine (Wisconsin) as an assistant under Bill Cofield.
In 1974, Ryan moved back to the Philadelphia area to serve as the head basketball coach at Sun Valley High School. Ryan would move back to the collegiate coaching ranks for good in March of 1976 when Cofield again hired him as an assistant, this time at Wisconsin. Ryan spent eight seasons (1976-84) working under Cofield and Steve Yoder before taking over at UW-Platteville in the spring of 1984.
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