John J. Ryan

John Joseph "Jack" Ryan (April 3, 1886 – April 7, 1950) was an American football and basketball player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Marquette University from 1917 to 1921 and at the University of Wisconsin–Madison from 1923 to 1924, compiling a career college football record of 33–11–9. 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 in Waterbury, Connecticut. He attended Dartmouth College, where he played football, basketball, and baseball. Ryan was captain of the Dartmouth Big Green football team in 1910.

After graduating from Dartmouth in 1911, Ryan began his coaching career at St. Thomas College—now known as the University of St. Thomas—in Saint Paul, Minnesota, where he was hired as the school's first resident athletic coach. He moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1914 where he worked for a flour milling firm based in Minneapolis, 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 to Jackson 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 an paid an annual salary of $6,000. Ryan helmed the Badgers football team for two seasons, tallying a mark of 5–6–4. He moved to Northwestern University in 1925 and worked as ends coach there for five seasons under Glenn Thistlethwaite and Dick Hanley. Ryan returned to Hanley's staff as an assistant coach and scout in 1934, and continued on under Pappy Waldorf until 1939.

Ryan served on the board of school directors in Milwaukee from 1940 until his death in that city in 1950. He died on April 7, 1950 at St. Mary's Hospital.

Football