Hall of Fame
The Rev. Vincent B. Ryan, S.J.
A Question of Balance…
He was a towering figure in the formative days of Le Moyne College and his mark will remain, especially in the athletic program which he founded.
In the quiet hours outside of competition one has little difficulty expounding the importance of idealism in collegiate athletics. Few will question the emphasis on academics in the term “student-athlete.” Fewer will contend that winning is more important than building the character of players.
It is in the heat of competition that idealism is lost, a competition which extends far from the court or playing field to the admissions office, to the dean of students office, and to the classroom.
When the new college on the Heights inaugurated its athletic program its clear aim was to be first among its peers. But winning exacts a price. What price would Le Moyne College pay for winning?
The task of answering that question fell to the Rev. Vincent B. Ryan, the first dean of discipline and moderator of athletics. Like so many aspects of his character, his answer blended two extremes into perfect balance: There was no price too high for the joy of victory. There was no joy in victory without honor. Idealism was not to be a theory. It was to be an integral part of the game plan. The integrity of Le Moyne College was to be the first and foremost consideration.
That integrity demanded that, in their own interest, Dolphin athletes must be students first. They had to meet the same entrance requirements as any student. They had to take the same courses. They had to observe the same rules.
That integrity demanded that the College serve its student-athletes with competent coaches and challenge them with competitive schedules, no small task for a new institution. Father Ryan met the first need by hiring a young man from the Buffalo area whose name was to become synonymous with Dolphin athletics, Tom Niland. He met the second by working tirelessly to attract top-notch talent to play against the Green and Gold.
The principles which Father Ryan expounded, the balance which he struck, have become the soul of the athletic program because of the sheer weight of his character. In his life there is no distinction between what is right and what is to be done. The example he shared with countless students has become the core of their morality.
He had a scowl which could make your blood run cold, but when he laughed you knew it had to be sincere. He would not tolerate a lie, but somehow it was easy to open your heart and share your deepest secrets with this man. He demanded respect, yet earned it. Without doubt he was the most feared man on campus, and still his friendship was offered to all and valued dearly by those who accepted it.
The key to this balance of extremes in character is a prodigious sense of humor. Legends abound: Is it possible that his deep scowl masked a grin as he handed out parking tickets at the entrance to the student lot, minutes after an announcement that all student vehicles parked in the faculty-only section were to be towed immediately?
What other Dean could claim to attract daily attention to bulletin board announcements? His were constructed of mighty prose and sparkled with a wit which made reading them an eagerly anticipated ritual. A word from Father Ryan caused a group of apparently pilfered portraits of New York’s Governors to reappear in an Albany restaurant within hours after he became aware of their loss following a Le Moyne basketball game in the state’s capitol. He has promised that “no questions would be asked” is they were returned promptly.
This very special priest is a legend in many ways, but his legacy is real. He anchored the Le Moyne College Athletic Program in the bedrock of integrity and struck the balance which is at the heart of the pride the College Community takes in that program.
Because the principles which underlie intercollegiate competition at Le Moyne are his own, the Rev. Vincent B. Ryan, S.J. is an integral part of the
Le Moyne College Athletic Hall of Fame
May 5, 1984
