Wisconsin’s Bo Ryan steps down

Wisconsin Coach Bo Ryan, one of the top coaches in Big Ten sports history, announced his immediate retirement as men's basketball coach Tuesday night.

Longtime associate head coach Greg Gard was named interim head coach for the remainder of the season.

'After months of conversation with Barry Alvarez and his administrative staff, as well as my wife, Kelly, I have decided that now is the right time to step down from the head coaching position here at Wisconsin,' Ryan said.

'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. 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.'

Wisconsin (7-5) beat Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 64-49 on Tuesday at the Kohl Center.

Ryan, 67, announced in June he'd leave the Badgers after this season after health issues. He wanted to leave in June, but Gard's father was ill. Instead Ryan quietly chose to leave at the end of Wisconsin's first semester and give Gard a head start at claiming the position on a permanent basis.

'I wanted to give Coach Gard plenty of time to get the guys ready,' Ryan said at his postgame news conference.

Ryan retires as the Big Ten's top coach by winning percentage, claiming 71.7 percent of his league games. His teams were virtually unbeatable in Big Ten home games with a 106-14 record.

In 14-plus seasons at Wisconsin, Ryan won seven Big Ten titles, made 14 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, seven trips to the Sweet Sixteen and three Elite Eight appearances. He guided the Badgers to consecutive Final Four bids in 2013-14 and 2014-15. Last year Wisconsin won 36 games and advanced to the NCAA championship game. He was 172-68 in Big Ten play and owns the Wisconsin school record for wins (364).

Before he took over at Wisconsin in 2001, Ryan spent 15 seasons at Division III Wisconsin-Platteville and a pair of successful seasons at UW-Milwaukee. Ryan guided Wisconsin-Platteville to a 353-76 (. 822) overall record and four national championships (1991, 1995, 1998 and 1999). He finishes his career with a 747-233 record, ranking 27th in NCAA all-time wins.

'I want to thank Bo Ryan for everything he has done for our athletic department, the state of Wisconsin and certainly the Badgers basketball program,' Alvarez said. 'He oversaw an incredible run of sustained success and helped elevate Wisconsin among the nation's elite programs. He is truly a Hall of Fame coach and led our program to the most successful era in school history. He will be missed.'

Six different Wisconsin players earned All-American honors under Ryan. They include: Kirk Penney (honorable mention in 2003), Devin Harris (second team in 2004), Alando Tucker (first team in 2007), Jon Leuer (honorable mention in 2011), Jordan Taylor (second team in 2011 and honorable mention in 2012) and the 2015 consensus national player of the year Frank Kaminsky (first team in 2015). Ten former Badgers made NBA rosters during the Ryan era, including four first-round draft picks.

Ryan is a member of five different halls of fame and is scheduled to enter the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 2016. He was a finalist for the Naismith Hall of Fame.

'His record speaks for itself,' Alvarez said. 'He's a legend. He's a hall of famer.'

Ryan was 19-7 against Iowa in his career, including an 11-1 mark at home.

Bo Ryan's Wisconsin Era (2001-15)

• A .737 win pct. (364-130) overall

• A .717 win pct. (172-68) in Big Ten play

• A .906 win pct. (211-22) at home

• 7 Big Ten titles

• The 11 winningest seasons in UW history

• 6 players with AP All-America recognition

• 14 NCAA tournaments, 7 Sweet 16s, 3 Elite Eights, 2 Final Fours and 1 national championship game

l Comments: (319) 339-3169; scott.dochterman@thegazette.com