Tim Ryan (sportscaster)

Ryan was born in Winnipeg and raised in Toronto and attended De La Salle College.^[1][2] His father, Joe, was general manager of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Montreal Alouettes, and Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League and is a member of both the Canadian Football Hall of Fame and Canada's Sports Hall of Fame.^[3][4][5] In 1956, while attending high school, Ryan got his start in radio at CFRB in Toronto.^[3]

Ryan graduated from the University 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 the Toronto Star. He then joined Toronto TV station CFTO 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 the San Francisco Seals – a Western Hockey League team that joined the National Hockey League the following season as the Oakland Seals.^[3] He also served as the team's radio and television play-by-play announcer.^[6]

In 1970, Ryan moved to New York City, where he was a news anchor and sportscaster at WPIX and a play-by-play announcer for the New York Rangers.^[6] In 1971, he called the Fight of the Century for Radio New Zealand and the American Forces Network. He was only English-language broadcaster to call the fight live.^[7] In 1972, he moved to NBC, joining the network’s sports division and local New York station WNBC.^{[citation needed]} He was the lead announcer for the NHL on NBC from 1972 to 1975, when NBC ended hockey coverage due to poor ratings. Ryan remained with the network as an announcer for NFL games, boxing matches, and other events.^[6][8] From 1975 to 1982, Ryan called games for the New York Islanders alongside George Michael and Ed Westfall.^[8]