Ryan was born with Spina Bifida and was adopted at birth by a family of twelve (8 adopted/4 biological). As a result of his birth defect he had both of his legs amputated at the age of two. He first started playing basketball against his older siblings when he was 12 years old and quickly feel in love with the sport.
After graduating Somers High School in 1997, Ryan attended college at Southwest Minnesota State University, where he played under legendary coach Dale Erickson. During his five years, (1997-2002) Ryan was a four-year letterwinner, three-year captain and left holding multiple assist records.
He joined the 1,000 point club his senior season and currently holds every major assist record (most assists in a game, season, and career). Ryan helped lead SMSU to the NWBA National Title Game in 2001. He graduated in 2002 with a degree in Secondary Education with a minor in Sociology. He is currently working on his master's degree in Curriculum Instruction.
After graduation, Ryan joined the Phoenix Wheelchair Suns. Ryan teamed with NWBA Hall of Famer, Jimbo Miller, to help guide the Suns to the N.W.B.A Final Four in 2005 & 2006. In addition, Ryan represented Phoenix in the 2005 & 2006 N.W.B.A. All-Star games.
In 2007, Ryan joined the vastly growing professional wheelchair basketball leagues in Spain. He has played 4 season in Spain, the last three for CID Casa Murcia Getafe.
Ryan has shown an exceptional commitment to giving back to his community. In addition to establishing his foundation, Ryan is a program coordinator for the Hospital for Special Care mentorship program. He has also been a counselor at the Ivan Lendl Sports Camp.
Ryan has decided to embark on creating a foundation with a major focus on assisting students with disabilities in obtaining a college education. It is the goal of the foundation to assist students in receiving an education on and off the basketball court.