3 worst head coach hires in Wisconsin basketball history
. 1968-1976. 88-108 overall record. John Powless. player. . John Powless. Wisconsin MBB. 2. 493
John Powless is more known for his tennis career than his time coaching Wisconsin men's basketball, which might be why he is on this list. When Powless was coaching men's tennis at Wisconsin, he also accepted the head coaching position for basketball. In eight seasons, Powless only had two winning records but never finished higher than fourth in the Big Ten.
In the 1973-1974 season, Powless went 16-8 and 8-6 in the Big Ten, the most wins he ever had in Big Ten play. Other than that one season, Powless went 34-72 in the Big Ten. Powless like Erickson was not fired by Wisconsin, instead, he resigned amid a 14-game losing streak. Powless never had an NCAA Tournament appearance in his tenure with the Badgers.
It is hard to say whether or not Powless was on the hot seat, in my opinion, I believe he was. With only one winning season and in the middle of a 14-game losing streak, I would say his time with the Badgers was close to ending. Powless was replaced by Bill Cofield in 1977.