| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1902-04-11)April 11, 1902 Starbuck, Manitoba, Canada |
| Died | June 2, 1979(1979-06-02) (aged 77) Victoria, British Columbia, Canada |
| Career history | |
| 1931-41 | Winnipeg Winnipegs (Manager) |
| 1946-49 | Montreal Alouettes (Manager) |
| 1960-65 | Edmonton Eskimos (GM) |
Canadian Football Hall of Fame (Class of 1968) | |
Joseph Bernard Ryan (11 April 1902 — 2 June 1979) was a Canadianfootball manager of theWinnipeg Winnipegs andMontreal Alouettes between the 1930s to 1940s. During his manager tenures, Ryan won theGrey Cup with Winnipeg in 1935, 1939 and 1941. He also won the Grey Cup with the Alouettes in 1949. With theCanadian Football League, Ryan worked as the general manager of theEdmonton Eskimos from 1960 to 1965. Ryan was inducted into theCanadian Football Hall of Fame in 1968, theCanada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1975 and theManitoba Sports Hall of Fame in 1982.
Ryan was born on 11 April 1902 inStarbuck, Manitoba. He attended a law program at theUniversity of Manitoba before dropping out after the first year.[1]
Ryan began his career at a lumber company inChicago during the start of the 1920s. After moving to Winnipeg, he worked forManitoba Pool Elevators from 1928 to 1930.[1] Ryan shifted torugby football in 1931 when he became manager of theWinnipeg Winnipegs.[2] While with Winnipeg, the 'Pegs won the1935 Grey Cup as manager.[3] When the 'Pegs were renamed theWinnipeg Blue Bombers, Ryan won additional Grey Cups in1939 and1941.[4]
Ryan went on to co-form theMontreal Hornets and theMontreal Alouettes in the mid 1940s. With the Alouettes, Ryan was a manager and a secretary until 1949.[5] He also won the1949 Grey Cup as the manager for the Alouettes.[6] After a break from football, Ryan joined theCanadian Football League in 1960 to become the general manager of theEdmonton Eskimos.[7] With the Eskimos, Ryan served as general manager from 1960 to 1965 and executive assistant in 1966. He ended his football career in 1967 and moved toVictoria, British Columbia.[8] Outside of football, Ryan became a sportswriter for theWinnipeg Free Press in 1938[9] and worked at anOttawa tax office in 1942.[10]
Ryan was inducted into theCanadian Football Hall of Fame in 1968.[5] In 1975, he was inducted into theCanada's Sports Hall of Fame.[4] After his death, Ryan was posthumously named to theManitoba Sports Hall of Fame in 1982.[11] A few years later, he became a member of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers Hall of Fame in 1984.[12]
On 2 June 1979, Ryan died from cancer in Victoria, British Columbia.[13]
Ryan was married and had four children.[13] One of his childrenTim, is a renowned sportscaster for NBC, CBS, Fox and the New York Islanders.