Tim Ryan (born May 16, 1939) is a Canadian retired sportscaster who worked forNBC,CBS,Fox, andESPN in the United States. He was the play-by-play announcer for theNHL on NBC from 1972 to 1975, called over three hundred championship boxing matches, and was a host and play-by-play announcer forTennis on CBS.
Ryan was born inWinnipeg and raised inToronto and attendedDe La Salle College.[1][2] His father,Joe, was general manager of theWinnipeg Blue Bombers,Montreal Alouettes, andEdmonton Eskimos of theCanadian Football League and is a member of both theCanadian Football Hall of Fame andCanada's Sports Hall of Fame.[3][4][5] In 1956, while attending high school, Ryan got his start in radio atCFRB in Toronto.[3]
Ryan graduated from theUniversity of Notre Dame with a degree in journalism. He was the sports director of the university's radio station. After graduating, he returned to Toronto and worked as a sportswriter for theToronto Star. He then joined Toronto TV stationCFTO when it launched on January 1, 1961. He was the station's assistant sports director until 1967, when he became the director of public relations for theSan Francisco Seals – aWestern Hockey League team that joined theNational Hockey League the following season as theOakland Seals.[3] He also served as the team's radio and television play-by-play announcer.[6]
In 1970, Ryan moved toNew York City, where he was a news anchor and sportscaster atWPIX and a play-by-play announcer for theNew York Rangers.[6] In 1971, he called theFight of the Century forRadio New Zealand and theAmerican Forces Network. He was only English-language broadcaster to call the fight live.[7] In 1972, he became the lead announcer for theNHL on NBC.NBC ended its hockey coverage after three seasons due to poor ratings, but Ryan remained with the network as an announcer forNFL games,boxing matches, and other events.[6][8] From 1975 to 1982, Ryan called games for theNew York Islanders alongsideGeorge Michael andEd Westfall.[8]
Ryan joinedCBS in 1977 as a play-by-play announcer for theNBA on CBS,NFL on CBS, and boxing on theCBS Sports Spectacular.[6] In 1982, he began callingcollege basketball games on CBS. From 1987 to 1994, he was the studio host for CBS' coverage of theUS Open tennis tournament.[9] In 1994, he andJim Nantz became network's tennis play-by-play announcers after the departure ofPat Summerall.[10] Ryan calledalpine skiing at the1992,1994 and1998Olympic Winter Games. From 1996 to 1997, Ryan served as a play-by-play announcer forCBS' coverage of college football.[9]
In 1998, Ryan moved toFox, where he was the play-by-play announcer forNFL games andWorld Bowl '98.[11][12] In 2003 and 2004, Ryan was a play-by-play announcer forESPN College Football.[13][14] He hosted a nightly recap show onSIRIUS radio during the2006 Wimbledon Championships.[15]
Ryan worked the2000 Summer Olympics,2002 Winter Olympics,2004 Summer Olympics,2006 Winter Olympics,2008 Summer Olympics,2010 Winter Olympics, and2012 Summer Olympic for NBC, calling equestrian, rowing, flat water canoeing, and alpine skiing.[16][17]
Ryan's first wife, Lee Ryan, was diagnosed withAlzheimer's disease and died in 2002. He was a national board member of the Alzheimer's Association Public Policy Forum for eight years. He is a father of four children.[18]
Ryan's memoir,On Someone Else's Nickel: A Life in Television, Sports, and Travel, was published in 2016.[19]
A longtime resident ofKetchum, Idaho, Ryan moved toVictoria, British Columbia in 2019, where he resides with his second wife, Patricia.[20][21][19]
| Preceded by Win Elliot (in1966) | Lead play-by-play announcer,NHL on NBC 1972-1975 | Succeeded by Marv Albert (in1990) |
| Preceded by | Stanley Cup FinalsAmerican network television play-by-play announcer 1972-1975 1980 (withDan Kelly; Ryan called the second period of Game 6) | Succeeded by |