April 1, 1999

MILWAUKEE - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has appointed former UW-Platteville coach William F. "Bo" Ryan as UWM's 18th Head Men's Basketball Coach. The appointment, effective immediately, was announced by UWM Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher at a press conference this afternoon.

Ryan earned his fourth Coach of the Year award at the Final Four in St. Petersburg, Fla., last month on the heels of winning his fourth NCAA Division III national championship crown.

"I'm very excited about my move to UWM," said Ryan. "I look forward to building a winning program at UWM and returning to Division I coaching. My entire family is looking forward to the move to Milwaukee and becoming a part of this community."

Coach Ryan's leadership both on and off the court was a factor in UWM's decision to offer him the position.

"Coach Ryan is a proven winner who I'm confident will bring his winning ways to Panther basketball," said Chancellor Zimpher. "There's no question that his success at UW-Platteville has been remarkable and we're confident he will continue that tradition of success to UWM. He brings the right mix to the Panther program, with his winning coaching methods, his Wisconsin recruiting ties and his proven record of academic excellence. He will not only be a great asset for the University, but also a huge asset to the Milwaukee community as a whole."

Ryan, who has coached the Pioneers to four NCAA III championships (1999, '98, '95 and '91), is the winningest coach in NCAA Division III history, with a 353-76 record and 82.8 winning percentage in his 15 seasons with the Pioneers. The Pioneers were 30-2 this season and won the national championship with a 76-75 double-overtime victory over Hampden-Sydney.

"We feel Bo Ryan will make an immediate and significant impact on the Panther program," said UWM director of athletics Bud Haidet. "Bo Ryan will provide dynamic and progressive leadership in all facets of our basketball program."

The entire Pioneer program was stepped up 15 years ago when Ryan took over the UW-Platteville program in 1984. After his first three teams went a combined 39-39, Ryan's squads have compiled a 314-37 record in the last 12 seasons. In the 1990s, the Pioneers hold a 266-26 record and a 92.8 winning percentage, making Coach Ryan the winningest coach of the 1990s at any NCAA division.

Ryan has taken his teams to the NCAA tournament every year since UW-Platteville joined that affiliation in 1990-91. The school's postseason mark of 30-5 includes back-to-back national Championships in 1999 and '98, as well as the '95 and '91 titles.

The Pioneers have also recorded eight conference championships (1988, '90, '93, '95, '96,'97, '98 and '99) under Ryan. Platteville became the first team in the 85-year history of the league to win four consecutive outright championships.

A native of Chester, Pa., Ryan was an assistant coach under Providence coach Pete Gillen for the gold-medal winning North squad at the 1993 U.S. Olympic Festival and under Illinois coach Lon Kruger for the gold-medal winning USA team at the 1995 World University Games.

Prior to joining the Pioneers in 1984, Ryan was an assistant coach at the University of Wisconsin for eight years under both Bill Cofield and Steve Yoder.

Ryan was the captain and most valuable player during his senior season at Wilkes College in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., where he earned his bachelor's degree in business administration in 1969.

A high-scoring guard who still holds two Wilkes College records (18 field goals in a game and 28 field-goal attempts), Ryan moved from Wilkes to Villanova University, where he did graduate work before taking an assistant coaching position in Wisconsin at the College of Racine.

Ryan accepted his first head coaching position at Sun Valley High School in Philadelphia, where he was named the Delaware County Coach of the year after directing his team to a second-place finish in the Philadelphia Suburban League. His 1976 squad was the first from the school to make it to the state tournament.

Ryan is the author of three books on coaching basketball, Passing and Catching: A Lost Art, How to Run the Swing Offense and Applying and Attacking Pressure. He also had produced five basketball instructional videos.

Ryan and his wife, Kelly, have five children - Megan, Will, Matt, Brenna and Mairin.

Year-by-Year at UW-Platteville

Year        Overall   WJAC   Home     Away  Pct.
1984-85       9-17    4-12    4-7     5-10  .346
1985-86      16-11    8-8     9-3     7-8   .593
1986-87      14-11    6-10   10-3     4-8   .560
1987-88      24-5    14-2    16-1     8-4   .828
1988-89      24-5    13-3    14-1    10-4   .828
1989-90      26-3    15-1    13-1    13-2   .897
1990-91      28-3    13-3    14-1    14-2   .903
1991-92      27-4    13-3    12-0    15-4   .871
1992-93      24-4    13-3    15-1     9-3   .857
1993-94      23-5    13-3    11-0    12-5   .821
1994-95      31-0    16-0    15-0    16-0   .100
1995-96      23-3    15-1    10-1    13-2   .885
1996-97      24-3    14-2    15-1     9-2   .889
1997-98      30-0    16-0    14-0    16-0   .100
1998-99      30-2    15-1    13-0    17-2   .938
15 Seasons  353-76  188-52  185-20  168-56  .823

Career Highlights at UW-Platteville

Accomplishments