Bo Ryan Court
The University of Wisconsin-Platteville plays on Bo Ryan Court, named after its four-time national championship basketball coach.
In 2009-10, the Pioneers played in the totally renovated arena, as new chair-back seating replaced the bleachers that were installed in 1962. Prior to the 2010-11 season, a new paint job was done to the floor and midway through the 2011-12 season, a brand new Daktronics scoreboard was added. Following the 2011-12 season, new energy-efficient lights were installed.
William “Bo” Ryan made UW-Platteville the premier basketball program during his 15-year tenure, which included four NCAA Division III national championships. He recorded a 353-76 record at UW-Platteville from 1984-99 and his 82.2 winning percentage was the best in the history of NCAA Division III basketball.
UW-Platteville officially dedicated the floor on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2007, at halftime of a 61-58 win over UW-Eau Claire. Chancellor David Markee said in announcing the plan, “We are extremely excited and honored to recognize Bo for his accomplishments and the success of the teams. His teams brought such positive recognition for UW-Platteville both on and off the court.”
Ryan guided the Pioneers to eight conference titles and nine straight NCAA III playoff appearances. UW-Platteville won national titles in 1991, 1995, 1998 and 1999. His 1992 squad also advanced to the Final Four, where it placed third. In all, the Pioneers were 30-5 in NCAA tournament play.
In his last 12 seasons as the Pioneers’ leader, Ryan guided his team to 314-37 record, including a phenomenal 157-7 record in Williams Fieldhouse. UW-Platteville was the winningest team of all of college basketball during the 1990s, with a 266-26 record (90.9 percent). Ryan’s 1996-97 club set the all-time NCAA record (all divisions) for fewest points allowed at 47.5 ppg. He was named national coach of the year four times and WIAC coach of the year on six occasions.
After coaching at UW-Milwaukee for two seasons, Ryan became the head coach at the University of Wisconsin.
He has guided the Badgers to two Big Ten regular season titles and one conference tournament crown. The Badgers have been in the NCAA tournament every year under Ryan. The Badgers attended the dedication ceremony on their way to their Jan. 28, 2007 game at Iowa.
The Bo Ryan Court is contained in Williams Fieldhouse, which was named for William H. Williams, a mathematics professor for 42 years (1897-1939) and the chair of the Athletic Committee and Boards for 35 years.
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