Jan. 30, 2007

Paul Erickson, UW-Platteville Sports Information

PLATTEVILLE, Wis.-

His full name is William Francis Ryan Jr., but in southwestern Wisconsin, only a two-letter name is ever needed: Bo.

For 15 years, Bo Ryan crouched on the sidelines at UW-Platteville's Williams Fieldhouse, turning the Pioneers into one of college basketball's true powerhouses and making the coach the most recognizeable figure around.

Saturday, UW-Platteville will say thanks by dedicating the Bo Ryan Court in Williams Fieldhouse. The Pioneers face UW-Eau Claire at 3 p.m. in an already sold-out Williams Fieldhouse. The dedication will be made at halftime.

"It means a lot to our program," said current Pioneer Coach Paul Combs. "It's a well-deserved honor for Coach Ryan and his whole family, as well as all the great players and staff who were part of his program."

"He is a great educator of the game. He has the ability to teach the fundamentals of the game and the ability of the players to buy into something greater than themselves. It's something I've always admired." - Paul Combs, University of Wisconsin-Platteville head basketball coach

It is on this court, that Coach Ryan put up accomplishments unparalled. His Pioneers were 181-20 in Williams Fieldhouse, including 157-7 from 1987 until he moved on to UW-Milwaukee after the 1999 season. UWP won its final 92 regular-season games contested here and its last 27 overall in Williams Fieldhouse under Coach Ryan.

Do those statistics sound familiar to Badger fans, too? In his five years at Wisconsin, Coach Ryan has led the Badgers to an 86-5 home record, including the current 17-game winning streak at the Kohl Center. The Badgers will accompany their coach to the game and dedication.

Numbers unmatched in basketball

The numbers the Pioneers put up during Coach Ryan's tenure are almost unbelievable. He is the only coach in NCAA Division III history to win four national championships, guiding the Pioneers to titles in 1991, 1995, 1998 and 1999. UWP was 353-76 with eight conference crowns and a staggering 314-37(89.7 percent) record in his final 12 years. In those dozen years, the Pioneers averaged 26 wins per season, even though the regular-season DIII schedule consists of 25 games. During the 1990s, the Pioneers had the best record in all of college basketball (266-26), beating the records of such schools as Kansas, Duke and Kentucky.

Twice, the Pioneers went through seasons undefeated, two of only three perfect seasons in Division III history. The 1995 Pioneers were 31-0 and the 1998 team 30-0. In the 1995 national championship game, UWP beat Steve Alford's Manchester (Ind.) 69-55 in the only college basketball title game ever featuring a pair of undefeated teams.

It was in the post-season that Coach Ryan's Pioneers really stood out, going 30-5 in NCAA playoff games. For good measure, UWP won the inaugural Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament, contested during the 1998-99 season.

His teams could win with high-scoring offenses, as the 1991 national champions averaged 97.4 points per game, and with defense, as his 1996-97 conference title team set an NCAA III record by allowing just 47.5 points per game.

"He is a great educator of the game," Combs said, "He has the ability to teach the fundamentals of the game and the ability of the players to buy into something greater than themselves. It's something I've always admired."

No detail was too small for Coach Ryan. One night in Oshkosh, a player was trapped in the corner way across the court from the Pioneer bench, and the coach had a hard time picking out his player in the light-blue uniform against the backdrop of the denim-clad students in the stands. On the way home, Coach Ryan thought, "if I had that problem, what happens if one of my players ever does in a tight game?"

The Pioneers have worn orange on the road ever since.

"It felt like I learned something new about the game, every day," said Merrill Brunson, the 1999 NCAA III Player of the Year and Final Four MVP. "Sometimes it was a rule of the game, other times a position on the floor, or a read on offense, or footwork on defense. Most importantly, I learned how much more successful you can be with discipline and a strong work ethic."

Putting academics first

It was not just basketball, where Coach Ryan preached discipline and a strong work ethic. In fact, Coach Ryan stressed the first part of "student-athlete" more than the second. In 1996-97, the Pioneers had more players (seven) on the National Association of Basketball Coaches Academic Honor Roll than any school in the country.

John Krogman, the Associate Vice Chancellor for Information Services who also serves as UW-Platteville's Faculty Athletic Representative to the WIAC and NCAA, recalled how quickly he learned about Bo Ryan's committment to academics.

"When William 'Bo' Ryan was introduced as the new Pioneer basketball coach in 1984, I knew who he was, but I didn't really know him," Krogman said. "Shortly after he was named head coach, I got a phone call from his assistant, Todd Kuckkahn. Coach Kuckkahn wanted to know if I would be willing to have my picture placed in the basketball program with one of the basketball student-athletes. He indicated they were trying to highlight the academic strengths of our campus and wanted to highlight faculty season ticket holders-- I think there were 10 of us!--I was sold immediately, even though I had no idea of the incredible ride we were about to embark on."

When Gabe Miller's death shocked the Pioneer community weeks after he played in the 1995 national championship game, Coach Ryan immediately honored his fallen player in the best way he knew. Every Pioneer student-athlete who achieves at least a 3.0 grade-point average now makes the Gabe Miller Honor Roll. Making the list is a source of pride at UW-Platteville, another long-lasting commitment to academics started under Coach Ryan.

"When we recruited together, Coach Ryan never talked basketball; instead he stressed academics, the wonderful campus, our excellent job placement, and the strong support of the university and the community," Krogman said. "He embraced the Division III philosophy of academics first, preparing young men to be successful in life, and yet, he was a winning phenomenon. That will be his legacy as much as his incredible record."

Platteville fan support

Under Coach Ryan, the Pioneers were the region's hottest tickets. Williams Fieldhouse was routinely sold out, and lines formed from the front doors all the way to the racquetball courts with people hoping to claim any tickets.

UW-Milwaukee Sports Information Director Kevin O'Connor witnessed the game-day spectacles from the vantage points of a UWP student, a sports information assistant and then as the radio voice of the Pioneers in the 1990s. He realizes what special times those were for him and the community. Everywhere he went, UW-Platteville basketball was the topic of conversation.

"It is safe to say the Bo Ryan era of Pioneer basketball was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for everyone involved with the program," he said. "What Platteville basketball meant to the campus, the community and Southwest Wisconsin is something no one can truly understand unless you were there while Coach Ryan was on the sidelines. The person who drove that commitment, that dedication, that amazing love affair between a basketball team and a community, was Bo."

"One of the greatest ways he did all of this was to ensure everyone associated with Pioneer basketball was an important part of the program and was an integral part of the Platteville family. Coach Ryan always made sure every day was a great day to be a Pioneer."

So Saturday the Pioneer fans get to say thanks to their four-time national coach of the year in what should be an emotional afternoon.

"I was very fortunate to be at UW-Platteville during a time of great support from the fans and community as well as tremendous players and assistant coaches," Coach Ryan said when the court naming was announced. "We were the recipients of a lot of cooperation and goodwill throughout the Platteville community. My family and I will cherish the 15 years we spent in Platteville the rest of our lives."

Coach Ryan had a glorious 15-run, to be sure, but in naming the court after him, UW-Platteville reiterates a point that Pioneer fans have always known: Bo will always be a big part of Platteville.