After toying with the idea of retirement since the end of last season, Wisconsin head men's basketball coach Bo Ryan has decided to call it a career.
In a statement released by the school after the Badgers' 64-49 over Texas A&M - Corpus Christi, Ryan announced his retirement would be effective immediately, ESPN noted. Greg Gard, a longtime assistant on Ryan's staff, will take over as the Badgers' interim 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 in the 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. 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."
All the best to you, Bo Ryan! You are a great coach, mentor, and Wisconsin sports legend. #ThanksBo
— Scott Walker (@ScottWalker) December 16, 2015
In June, Ryan indicated this season would be his last, but stated a couple months later he was no longer sure about when he would retire. Ryan won 747 games as a college basketball head coach, including four Big Ten Tournament championships and as many conference Coach of the Year awards.
By retiring now, Bo Ryan assures himself this ridiculous feat: He never finished worse than fourth in the Big Ten. Ever. — Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) December 16, 2015
"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," Wisconsin Director of Athletics Barry Alvarez said in the statement. "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."
