Through 25 playoff appearances, 15 division titles, four stadiums, seven NFC Championship game appearances, and two heartbreaking missed kicks, Minnesota Vikings equipment manager Dennis Ryan has decided to hang up his own gear for the final time.
Ryan, who joined the franchise in 1975, has been with the Vikings for nearly 50 years and has seen some incredible moments, from all-time coaches and players to the greatest comebacks in NFL history — you know the ones.
Looking back at his long tenure with the Vikings, Ryan joined News Talk 830 WCCO’s Vineeta Sawkar to share his most memorable moments.
Ryan shared that over the past couple of days, he has had numerous players and coaches, both current and former, reach out.
While Ryan has left a lasting impact on many players for his professionalism and attention to detail in what can be a difficult role to fill in an organization, he says he fell into the position at first by chance.
“I never found it to be a challenge,” Ryan said. “I started at a young age. Never had any inkling that a job like this even existed in high school and kind of just stumbled across it.”
When considering all that he’s done, Ryan joked that he is fortunate he didn’t “screw up a whole lot” throughout his nearly five decades with the franchise.
Working as the team’s equipment manager hasn’t stopped him from being a fan of the Vikings, and Ryan shared that some of his favorite memories include working for the late great Bud Grant and getting to know some of the franchises players.
Having seen years of heartbreak up close and personal, Ryan said it was never anger he felt when the Vikings came up short, a unique perspective from the average Vikings fan.
“You feel bad for those guys. They’re out there, doing their best, trying, and things don’t always go right,” Ryan said. “For whatever reason, I never made it to the Superbowl. There was always something in those games that happened and was disappointing. But nobody felt worse than the players that were responsible.”
Throughout his time with the Vikings, some of the best moments and memories Ryan has are from being around the players and in the locker room, something he’ll miss in his retirement.
“Guys talk to you like you were their next-door neighbor, their buddy, and just being a part of that, I was very, very fortunate and count my blessings,” Ryan said.
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