Robert Allen Ryan (born December 13, 1962) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...

coach who is currently the senior defensive assistant for the

Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West divi ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ma ...

(NFL). Ryan has served as a

defensive coordinator A defensive coordinator is a coach responsible for a gridiron football (American football) team's defense. Generally, the defensive coordinator, the offensive coordinator and the special teams coordinator represent the second level of a team's c ...

or assistant coach for seven different NFL teams. He was the linebackers coach for the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

when they won both

Super Bowl XXXVI Super Bowl XXXVI was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion St. Louis Rams and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League (NFL) champio ...

and

Super Bowl XXXVIII Super Bowl XXXVIII was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Carolina Panthers and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League (NFL) c ...

. Ryan is the son of

Buddy Ryan James David "Buddy" Ryan (February 17, 1931 – June 28, 2016) was an American football coach in the National Football League (NFL) and American Football League (AFL). During his 35-season coaching career, Ryan served as the head coach of th ...

and the twin brother of

Rex Ryan Rex Ashley Ryan (born December 13, 1962) is an American former football coach and analyst. Ryan was formerly the head coach of the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL), and also held various coaching positions ...

Early life and playing career

When his parents, Doris and Buddy Ryan, divorced in 1966, Rob and his

fraternal twin Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of TwinLast Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two ...

, Rex, moved with Doris to Toronto. In 1974, they moved back to the United States to live with their father. He attended Stevenson High School in

Lincolnshire, Illinois Lincolnshire is a village in Vernon Township, Lake County, in the U.S. state of Illinois. The village is a northern suburb of Chicago. Per the 2020 census, the population was 7,940. Lincolnshire was incorporated on August 5, 1957, from the un ...

. Rob played defensive end opposite his brother, Rex, at

Southwestern Oklahoma State University Southwestern Oklahoma State University (SWOSU) is a public university in Weatherford and Sayre, Oklahoma. It is one of six Regional University System of Oklahoma members. History SWOSU was first established through an act of the Oklahoma T ...

Coaching career

Early career

Ryan was a graduate assistant at

Western Kentucky Western Kentucky is the western portion of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It generally includes part or all of several more widely recognized regions of the state. ;Always included * The Jackson Purchase, the state's westernmost generally recogn ...

in 1987. Then in 1988, he was an assistant coach at

Ohio State 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 public ...

. He then spent five seasons at Tennessee State, where he coached

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. The ...

s (1989–91), wide receivers (1992) and the

defensive line In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numbe ...

(1993).

Arizona Cardinals

Ryan first entered the NFL coaching ranks in 1994 as defensive backs coach on his father's staff for the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division, an ...

. He also coached Cardinals

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create turnove ...

s and safeties in 1995. With Ryan as his position coach, cornerback Aeneas Williams earned two trips to the

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nelson Ma ...

and

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake strike ...

. In 1995, the Cardinals led the NFL with 32

interception In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team ...

s and 42 total takeaways. The 1994 Cardinals ranked second in the NFL total defense, second in run defense and third in pass defense.

Hutchinson Community College

After being fired by the Arizona Cardinals, Ryan served as defensive coordinator at Hutchinson Community College in 1996. Ryan's defense led the nation in total defense (228 yards-per-game) and in sacks (56). They also set a national record by forcing 49 turnovers.

Oklahoma State University

In 1997, Ryan became the defensive coordinator at

Oklahoma State Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

. While at Oklahoma State, the Cowboys defense continually ranked among the best in the nation, also he was named Coordinator of the Year by The Sporting News in 1997. In 1999, they were ranked 10th in the nation in total defense. In 1998, they were second in the nation with 41 sacks. In his first season at Oklahoma State, the Cowboys defense finished among the nation top-20 in turnover margin, rushing defense, scoring defense, and total defense, allowing just 302.7 yards-per-game. It was an over 100-yard improvement per game from the year before and helped the Cowboys produce an 8–4 mark and capping the 1997 season with a berth in the

Alamo Bowl The Alamo Bowl is an NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football bowl game played annually since 1993 in the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Since 2010 it matches the second choice team from the Pac-12 Conference and the second c ...

New England Patriots

Prior to the 2000 season, new Patriots coach

Bill Belichick William Stephen Belichick (; born April 16, 1952) is an American professional football coach who is the head coach of the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). Additionally, he exercises extensive authority over the Patr ...

hired Ryan to serve as the

linebackers coach In American football, a position coach is a team official in charge of coaching a specific position group. Position coaches have more specialized duties than the head coach, assistant coach, and the offensive and defensive coordinators. Common ...

for the

, where he spent the next four seasons. In 2003, the Patriots ranked first in the NFL in points allowed with 238, while ranking seventh overall in the NFL in total defense. Ryan's unit also contributed to one of the best scoring defenses in franchise history in

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a multi-national coalition in an invasion of Afghanistan ...

, as the Patriots allowed just 17 points-per-game and produced Pro Bowlers Willie McGinest and Tedy Bruschi. During his tenure the Patriots won

over the St. Louis Rams and

over the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...

Oakland Raiders

Ryan was hired as the defensive coordinator for the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Ra ...

prior to the 2004 season. In his first season, the Raiders defense ranked 31st in the league, averaging 27.6 points allowed per game. The defense improved in his second season, averaging 23.9 points a game, and moving to 25th in the league. In 2006, the Raiders ranked third in yards-per-game but 18th in points-per-game. In 2007, the Raiders defense ranked 22nd in yards- and 26th in points-per game. In 2008, Ryan's defense ranked 24th with 388 points allowed.

Cleveland Browns

Eric Mangini Eric Anthony Mangini (born January 19, 1971) is a former American football coach and current television sports analyst. Mangini had been with the San Francisco 49ers since 2013 and served as the team's tight ends coach for two seasons befor ...

named Ryan as defensive coordinator of 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 ( ...

on January 14, 2009. In his first season in Cleveland, Ryan's defense ranked 21st in the league, with 375 points against, as teams averaged 23.4 points per game against them. In 2010, the Browns were 13th in the league with 332 points allowed.

Dallas Cowboys

Ryan was officially named the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divis ...

defensive coordinator on January 19, 2011. In his first season, the Cowboys were ranked 14th in yards-per-game and 16th in points-per-game. In 2012 Dallas was ranked 19th in yards-per-game and 24th in points-per-game while only ranking 16th in sacks. On January 8, 2013, the Cowboys ended Ryan's employment with the franchise.

New Orleans Saints

In January 2013, Ryan agreed to become the defensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams, but resigned less than five days later. In February 2013, Ryan was hired as the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

defensive coordinator, implementing a 3–4 defense to the team and scrapping their previous

4–3 defense In American football, a 4–3 defense is a defensive alignment consisting of four down linemen and three linebackers. It is called a "base defense" because it is the default defensive alignment used on "base downs" (1st and 2nd downs). However, ...

. Ryan's defense finished well statistically in

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment ...

, including fourth in fewest points-per-game and second for fewest passing yards allowed. The following year,

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, New Orleans was near the bottom of the league in most defensive categories. On November 16, 2015, the day after a 47–14 loss to the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) ...

, and with New Orleans' defense ranked last in the NFL, Ryan was fired. New Orleans defensive assistant coach Dennis Allen was appointed defensive coordinator following Ryan's dismissal.

Buffalo Bills

On January 10, 2016, the Bills announced that Ryan would be joining his brother's staff with the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division ...

as assistant head coach. Under Ryan, the Bills started out 0-2, then won four straight games, including a 16-0 shutout of the

, the first time that the Bills kept the Patriots scoreless at

Gillette Stadium Gillette Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts, which is southwest of downtown Boston. It serves as the home stadium and administrative offices for both the New England Patriots of the National Footb ...

. The Bills entered the bye week at 4-5, then beat the Bengals and Jaguars to climb to 6-5 through week 12. They ranked 12th in the league as of week 13. On December 27, 2016, the Bills announced they had fired Rob Ryan along with his brother Rex.

Washington Redskins

On January 30, 2019, Ryan was hired by the

as their inside linebackers coach. On January 5, 2020, the team announced that incoming head coach Ron Rivera had replaced Ryan with Steve Russ.

Baltimore Ravens

On January 22, 2021, Ryan was hired by the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...

as their inside linebackers coach under defensive coordinator

Don Martindale Don "Wink" Martindale (born May 19, 1963) is an American football coach who is the defensive coordinator for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). From 2018 to 2021, he held the same position for the Baltimore Ravens aft ...

and head coach

John Harbaugh John William Harbaugh (born September 23, 1962) is an American football coach who is the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). Previously, he coached the defensive backs for the Philadelphia Eagles and s ...

. On February 3, 2022, after only one season, Ryan and the Ravens parted ways.

Las Vegas Raiders

On February 12, 2022, Ryan was hired by the Raiders for a second time, this time as a senior defensive assistant under new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham and under new head coach

Josh McDaniels Joshua Thomas McDaniels (born April 22, 1976) is an American football head coach for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He began his NFL career in 2001 with the New England Patriots, where he served as the offensive c ...

. Ryan and McDaniels previously served as assistant coaches for the

under head coach

from 2001 to 2003.

Broadcasting

In September 2017, Ryan was hired by

Fox Sports Fox Sports is the brand name for a number of sports channels, broadcast divisions, programming, and other media around the world. The ''Fox Sports'' name has since been used for other sports media assets. These assets are held mainly by the F ...

to host a radio show with Mark Willard. In 2018, Ryan became a weekly analyst of

Sky Sports Sky Sports is a group of British subscription sports channels operated by the satellite pay television company Sky Group (a division of Comcast), and is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It h ...

' NFL coverage in the UK and Ireland.

Personal life

Ryan is married to Kristen Ryan and the couple have three children. In 2012, following in the footsteps of his brother, Ryan had lap band surgery in an attempt to lose weight. The procedure failed.

References

External links

Washington Redskins profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ryan, Rob 1962 births Living people American football defensive ends Arizona Cardinals coaches Buffalo Bills coaches Cleveland Browns coaches Dallas Cowboys coaches Hutchinson Blue Dragons football coaches National Football League defensive coordinators New England Patriots coaches Oakland Raiders coaches Ohio State Buckeyes football coaches Oklahoma State Cowboys football coaches Southwestern Oklahoma State Bulldogs football players Tennessee State Tigers football coaches Washington Redskins coaches Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football coaches People from Ardmore, Oklahoma People from Lincolnshire, Illinois Players of American football from Illinois Sportspeople from Toronto Twin sportspeople American twins Baltimore Ravens coaches Las Vegas Raiders coaches