Bo Ryan – former head basketball coach at Sun Valley High School
The Aston Board of Commissioners, during the April 15 meeting, officially congratulated Bo Ryan, head coach of the University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team.
Wisconsin was runner-up in this year’s NCAA National Championship.
Born and raised in Chester, Ryan’s coaching career began in 1972 at Brookhaven Junior High School, where he was employed as a history teacher and head basketball coach. He also served as head basketball coach at Sun Valley High School, where in 1976, he was named conference coach of the year. Ryan’s success at Dominic College and Sun Valley led to a job as assistant head coach at the University of Wisconsin–Madison under head coaches Bill Cofield and Steve Yoder from 1976 to 1984.
In 1984 he was named head coach of the Wisconsin Badgers men’s basketball team.
Ryan has neen named to the Wilkes College Hall of Fame, Delaware County Chapter of Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame, and the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Hall of Fame.
Ryan boasts more than 700 wins, 18 championships and countless conference and national coach of the year awards.
He is widely recognized as one of the greatest coaches in college basketball history.
After moving from Chester, Ryan and his family resided in the Bridgewater Farms section of Aston Township. His father, Butch, was a well known area coach and mentor to underprivileged youth. His sister, Nancy Sipple, is a former Aston Comnmissioner. Nancy and Butch are co-founders of the Aston Township Sports Hall of Fame.