Sean M. Ryan was born on May 1, 1972, the youngest of Frank and Marilyn Ryan’s six children. He graduated from Hudson Falls High School in 1990. Ryan is a graduate of Hamilton College, where he received a B.A. in American studies. He then attended the University of Albany, where he earned an M.S. in Higher Education Administration in 1999.
Ryan played defensive back and outside linebacker at Hamilton College. He began his coaching career in 1997 as the Quarterbacks’ Coach at Siena College. Ryan coached the wide receivers at Albany in 1998 and 1999 and the running backs at Colgate in 2000.
Ryan then spent two seasons as a graduate assistant at Boston College, where he worked primarily with the wide receivers. The Eagles won bowl games in each of those seasons, beating Georgia in the 2001 Music City Bowl and Toledo in the 2002 Motor City Bowl.
In 2003, Ryan moved to Columbia University, where he spent two seasons as the Running Backs’ Coach and Special Teams’ Coordinator. Ryan was Columbia’s Quarterbacks’ Coach in 2005.
Ryan spent the 2006 season as Recruiting Coordinator, Running Backs’ Coach and Head Coach of the junior varsity at Harvard University.
In 2007, Ryan joined the NFL as the New York Giants’ Offensive Quality Control Coach. That season, he helped guide the Giants to an NFL record for consecutive single-season road victories culminating with a victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.
Ryan is now the Quarterbacks’ Coach for the Carolina Panthers.