 Ryan pictured inThe Hilltop 1920, Marquette yearbook | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1886-04-03)April 3, 1886 Waterbury, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Died | April 7, 1950(1950-04-07) (aged 64) Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| Football | |
| 1906 | New Hampshire |
| 1908–1910 | Dartmouth |
| Baseball | |
| 1909 | Dartmouth |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 1911–1912 | St. Thomas (MN) |
| 1916 | Marquette (advisory) |
| 1917–1921 | Marquette |
| 1922 | Dartmouth (assistant) |
| 1923–1924 | Wisconsin |
| 1925–1929 | Northwestern (ends) |
| 1934–1939 | Northwestern (assistant) |
| Basketball | |
| 1917–1920 | Marquette |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 44–11–11 (football) 13–9 (basketball) |
John Joseph Ryan (April 3, 1886 – April 7, 1950) was an Americancollege football andcollege basketball player and coach. He served as the head football coach at theCollege of St. Thomas inSaint Paul, Minnesota from 1911 to 1912, atMarquette University from 1917 to 1921, and at theUniversity of Wisconsin from 1923 to 1924, compiling a career college football head coaching record of 44–11–11. Ryan was also the head basketball coach at Marquette from 1917 to 1920, tallying a mark of 13–9.
Ryan was born on April 3, 1886, inWaterbury, Connecticut.[1] He first attendedNew Hampshire College of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts (which later became theUniversity of New Hampshire), where he played quarterback on the1906 New Hampshire football team.[2] Ryan then attendedDartmouth College, where he played football, basketball, and baseball. He was captain of the1910 Dartmouth football team.[3][4]
After graduating from Dartmouth in 1911, Ryan began his coaching career at St. Thomas College in Saint Paul, Minnesota, where he was the school's first resident athletic coach. He moved toMilwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1914, where he worked for a flour milling firm based inMinneapolis, Minnesota. He joined the football team at Marquette University in 1916 as an advisory coach under fellow Dartmouth alumnus,John B. McAuliffe. Ryan replaced McAuliffe as head coach the following year and held the post for five seasons, during which he compiled a record of 28–5–5. He returned to his alma mater in 1922 to serve as an assistant toJackson Cannell.
In March 1923, Ryan was hired as the head football coach at the University of Wisconsin. He was also given the title of assistant professor and paid an annual salary of $6,000.[5] Ryan helmed theBadgers football team for two seasons, tallying a mark of 5–6–4. He moved toNorthwestern University in 1925, where he was the ends coach for five seasons underGlenn Thistlethwaite andDick Hanley. Ryan returned to Hanley's staff as an assistant coach and scout in 1934, and continued on underPappy Waldorf until 1939.[3]
Ryan served on the board of school directors in Milwaukee from 1940 until his death. He died on April 7, 1950, at St. Mary's Hospital in Milwaukee.[3]
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Thomas Cadets(Independent)(1911–1912) | |||||||||
| 1911 | St. Thomas | 5–0–1 | |||||||
| 1912 | St. Thomas | 6–0–1 | |||||||
| St. Thomas: | 11–0–2 | ||||||||
| Marquette Hilltoppers(Independent)(1917–1921) | |||||||||
| 1917 | Marquette | 8–0–1 | |||||||
| 1918 | Marquette | 2–0–1 | |||||||
| 1919 | Marquette | 5–1–2 | |||||||
| 1920 | Marquette | 7–2 | |||||||
| 1921 | Marquette | 6–2–1 | |||||||
| Marquette: | 28–5–5 | ||||||||
| Wisconsin Badgers(Big Ten Conference)(1923–1924) | |||||||||
| 1923 | Wisconsin | 3–3–1 | 1–3–1 | 7th | |||||
| 1924 | Wisconsin | 2–3–3 | 0–2–2 | T–8th | |||||
| Wisconsin: | 5–6–4 | 1–5–3 | |||||||
| Total: | 44–11–11 | ||||||||