Chris Bono has been named head coach at WisconsinMADISON, Wis. -- Chris Bono, the 2017 Big 12 Coach of the Year, has been named the 16th head coach in Wisconsin wrestling history, Director of Athletics Barry Alvarez announced Saturday.
Bono spent the last six seasons as the head coach at South Dakota State, establishing the Jackrabbits as a national contender and a powerhouse in the Big 12, coaching three conference champions in the program's three years in the league.
The Jackrabbits are coming off their best season under Bono. Two-time All-American Seth Gross won the program's first national title at 133 pounds while the team placed 12th in the NCAA tournament, the highest finish of any Big 12 team.
Bono has coached five All-Americans at South Dakota State, including three from last season. He produced two the year before, marking the first All-Americans for South Dakota State at the Division I level. Bono had at least one NCAA Qualifier since taking the reins of the program and had a school-record seven in the most recent tournament.
Bono leaves SDSU with a 64-41 overall record, a total of 24 NCAA qualifiers, five All-Americans and one national champion.
A four-time NCAA qualifier and three-time All-American for Iowa State, Bono ranks fifth in ISU history with 130 career wins and was the 150-pound NCAA champion as a junior. He went on to coach as an assistant at his alma mater for nine years and was named the National Wrestling Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year in 2002.
Bono then spent three seasons as the head coach at Chattanooga and led the Mocs to three Southern Conference titles, coaching two All-Americans and 19 NCAA qualifiers from 2006-09.
In national and international competition, Bono is a two-time United States National Champion, took first at the World Cup in both 2002 and 2003 and is a three-time World Team member.
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