McKendree University Athletics

William Lawrence Cofield’s 1976 appointment as the University of Wisconsin Badgers’ head basketball coach made him the first earned his prestigious appointment to Wisconsin by reeling in winning seasons, including conference championships, at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, Prairie View A & Min Texas and the College of Racine in Wisconsin. Prior to his Wisconsin appointment, Bill assisted University of Virginia head coach Terry Holland in securing an NCAA Tournament bid in 1976, reversing in only two years Virginia’s string of losing seasons. At Wisconsin, Bill was challenged to lift the basketball program to a level never achieved by prior badger coaches. During his tenure, he was credited with bringing national recognition to Wisconsin’s basketball program by facing one of the toughest schedules in the country and recruiting some of the nation’s best high school talent. He laid a foundation that succeeding coaches have built on, resulting in a program of national prominence.