Ryan Bids Farewell after 37 Years

Author: Peter Yordan

The mother of Middlebury sports is finally leaving the College this winter, and with her goes the end of an era for the athletic department. For 37 years Winnie Ryan, assistant to the athletic director, has been the quiet controlling force behind the scenes in Middlebury athletics. Players, coaches and athletic directors have come and gone over the years, but Ryan has endured. After serving countless hours in the gym and touching thousands of athletes over the course of her distinguished career, however, Ryan has finally decided to call it quits. She leaves behind footprints which no one person can hope to fill.

Every student athlete at Middlebury over the last four decades has been watched over in some way by Ryan, though many may not have known it. Every time a team bus arrived, every time hockey tickets were sold, every time a recruiting letter was sent out, Ryan's tireless efforts were behind it all. "She's the works that make the watch tick," said Athletic Director Russ Reilly. "Ever since she told me over a year ago that she was taking off, it's been a bad day. Unfortunately, she's leaving on my watch." Ryan has run the lives of every team at Middlebury, and she has taken care of every detail of every athletic event that the college runs. "She just holds this place together. She's the glue. Anytime anyone has a question they just go to her," said 25-year coach Bob Smith. "I think it's very difficult to replace someone who knows as much as she knows. She's touched probably as many lives as any one of us here."

Ryan has indeed had a profound, if subtle effect on the coaches, staff and students at the college. "Winnie is a mother figure to many of us," said golf and men's hockey coach Bill Beaney. "She has the innate ability to anticipate what needs to be done before you even ask."

Ryan's effect on the College was felt almost immediately upon her arrival. Transferring from the purchasing department in 1968, Ryan began work under the legendary Duke Nelson in an athletic department far different from the one we know today. There was no Kenyon Arena, no Fletcher Gymnasium, no Olympic-sized pool, no fitness center.

Only men's teams practiced down at the athletic center, and there were no national championships to pique the minds and stoke the ambitions of young student-athletes. Ryan quickly set about making herself indispensable to the then-small department, taking care of everything from travel, budgets and ticket sales for every team at the school well before the advent of word processing.

She even found time for a few other unexpected duties. "I used to hand draw all the plays in the football team's handbook," said Ryan. "We didn't have computers, so everything was done by hand. In my high school they didn't even play football, so I didn't even know what I was drawing."

As the seasons went by Ryan found many new things to deal with as the face of Middlebury sports changed. The women left McCullough and moved into the Athletic Center in the 70s. The athletic facilities were expanded and renovated again and again, and a slew of new teams began to arrive on the scene as athletics began to increase in importance on campus. Her favorite moment came in 1995, when the Middlebury men's hockey team won the first of its five consecutive national titles. "When men's hockey won its first national championship that was the highlight," said the long-time hockey fan. "It was really pretty exciting, it was just great to be a part of it." Ryan dealt with every new task that came her way as she continued to control the fates of every team at the college. No change was perhaps bigger than the rise of the computer.

"I had never used a computer in my life. I had no clue," laughed Ryan, recalling the shift. She detailed the wearying list of new programs and formats she's had to deal with since then. "It's just been a continuous learning thing. I finally got to the point in my life where I just said, 'Uh-uhh, I'm through.'"

Ryan eagerly awaits the opportunity to spend more time with her husband, five children and grandchildren once she retires. "If my grandchildren are doing something special I can be there," said Ryan, who has spent many a weekend over the last 37 years in the service of Middlebury athletics. Her presence here will be dearly missed, however. "She's a caring, very professional first class human being," said Beaney. "Her personal qualities exemplify for me what Middlebury College stands for." Beaney lamented the loss of her famous annual Christmas cookies, but added, "The thing I'll miss the most is her infectious smile, the comforting feeling her whole person exudes. There's only one Winnie, that's for sure."

"She's been a very good friend to everyone who's ever been involved in athletics here," said Reilly. "She has covered the mistakes of many of us - always doing it with a smile and always throwing in a little bit of dry Vermont humor."

Even Ryan herself was a little surprised to see the outpouring from the community when she announced her plans to retire. "Even people around town," she said. "It's amazing, you don't realize people recognize you as 'the person' of Middlebury athletics." Though Ryan has been, for many, "the Voice" of Middlebury, she remains circumspect about her 37-year legacy.

"I try to keep people on their toes," she said. "I enjoy the challenge. It's nice to know you can be helpful, I just enjoy doing that.

"I'm definitely going to miss all the people I work with. Working and raising my children here, they always are there to help, and it's just such a family feeling - a lot of really special people. I really feel blessed."