 In 1956, while attending high school, Ryan got his start in radio at CFRB in Toronto.Ryan graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1960 and took a job with newly formed Toronto TV station CFTO as an assistant sports director, where he called some games for the Toronto Maple Leafs Triple A minor league baseball club and the Toronto Marlboros junior hockey team as well as hosting late night repeats of Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Toronto Argonauts home games.In 1966, Ryan was hired as the director of public relations for the expansion Oakland Seals of the NHL.