Ellis W. Ryan (June 7, 1904 – August 11, 1966) was the principal owner of the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive ...

of the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

from through . A Cleveland native, Ryan graduated from

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best pu ...

and went into the insurance business, eventually building one of the more successful insurance agencies in northeast Ohio, W. F. Ryan Insurance. His agency was located adjacent to the

Cleveland Arena Cleveland Arena was an arena in Cleveland, Ohio. It was built and privately financed by local businessman Albert C. Sutphin during the height of the Great Depression in 1937 as a playing site for Sutphin's AHL team, the Cleveland Barons. The are ...

. In 1949, Ryan headed a syndicate that purchased the Indians from

Bill Veeck William Louis Veeck Jr. ( ; February 9, 1914 – January 2, 1986), also known as "Sport Shirt Bill", was an American Major League Baseball franchise owner and promoter. Veeck was at various times the owner of the Cleveland Indians, St. Louis ...

. At first, Ryan largely stayed in the background, leaving the baseball side mostly to newly appointed general manager

Hank Greenberg Henry Benjamin Greenberg (born Hyman Greenberg; January 1, 1911 – September 4, 1986), nicknamed "Hammerin' Hank", "Hankus Pankus", or "The Hebrew Hammer", was an American professional baseball player and team executive. He played in Major Leagu ...

. However, he did negotiate a long-term lease for

Municipal Stadium Municipal Stadium may refer to: Europe and Asia *Beirut Municipal Stadium, Lebanon *Herzliya Municipal Stadium, Israel *Hiroshima Municipal Stadium (1957), Japan *Jinnah Stadium, Gujranwala or Municipal Stadium, Pakistan *Kfarjoz Municipal Stadium, ...

. However, in 1952, the Indians suffered a marked downturn in attendance despite finishing only two games out of first. Ryan jettisoned five of the Indians' 13 minor league affiliates and laid off three scouts. Greenberg opposed these cutbacks, prompting Ryan to make plans to fire Greenberg and become his own general manager. When the board sided with Greenberg, Ryan sold his share of the franchise to a group headed by

Myron H. Wilson Myron Henry "Mike" Wilson Jr. (September 9, 1887 – August 19, 1962) was the principal owner of the Cleveland Indians baseball team of the American League from through . He was a native of Cleveland. In 1952, Wilson purchased Ellis Ryan's share ...

. Following the sale of the Indians, Ryan joined a syndicate headed by David Jones, a former Indians board member, that purchased the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

in 1953. That group sold the Browns to

Art Modell Arthur Bertram Modell (June 23, 1925 – September 6, 2012) was an American businessman, entrepreneur and National Football League team owner. He owned the Cleveland Browns franchise for 35 years and established the Baltimore Ravens franchis ...

in 1961. At one time, Ryan was also was a part-owner of the Cleveland Arena and the Cleveland Barons minor league hockey team. He died in 1966 at the age of 62 in

Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale () is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and largest city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it the tenth ...

."Ellis W. Ryan Sportsman, Dies", ''The Times Recorder'', Friday, August 12, 1966, Zanesville, Ohio, United States Of America His body was returned to Cleveland, and he was buried at

Knollwood Cemetery Knollwood Cemetery is a cemetery located at 1678 SOM Center Road in Mayfield Heights, Ohio. Established in 1908, it is one of the largest cemeteries in Cuyahoga County. A mausoleum was completed in 1926, and an expansion finished in 1959. The cemet ...

Mayfield Heights, Ohio Mayfield Heights is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States, and is an east-side suburb of Cleveland. The population was 18,827 at the 2010 census. History Mayfield Heights was initially built up as a streetcar suburb of Cleveland. It was ...

References

Cleveland Indians owners

Bibliography

* Baseball executives Cleveland Indians owners Cleveland Indians executives 1904 births 1966 deaths Burials at Knollwood Cemetery Ohio State University alumni {{baseball-business-bio-stub