Bob Ryan

Bob Ryan was born on February 21, 1946 in Trenton, New Jersey. He is a 1968 graduate of Boston College with a major in history. Ryan began writing for the Boston Globe in 1969 as their Celtics beat writer. He remained there until 1982 when he left to pursue an interest at WCVB. More interested in print journalism than broadcast, he returned in 1984 to his previous job and was promoted to General Sports Columnist in 1989.

Over the course of Ryan’s career he has covered 20 NBA Finals, 29 Final Fours, 11 Olympics and various other championships including the World Series and Super Bowl. On June 26, 2007, Ryan added Television host to his already extensive resume when Globe 10.0 premiered. Ryan announced in early 2012, at the conclusion of the 2012 Olympic Games, his retirement from sports writing after 44 years. His final column in The Boston Globe was published August 12, 2012. Since retiring from the Globe he has been a regular radio and television guest as well as writing a book. Ryan has been described as a basketball guru and according to Bill Simmons of ESPN, is “the best basketball writer ever.” He is a member of both the New England Basketball Hall of Fame and the College Basketball Writers Hall of Fame.

He currently lives in Hingham, Massachusetts with his wife, Ellaine of 38 years. Ryan has two children and triplet grandchildren. Ryan regularly gives back to the community through humanitarian fundraisers to benefit inner-city teenagers with their education.