Mimi Ryan
Encyclopedia
Mimi Ryan is a former American college golf
coach. Ryan was the founder and long-time head coach
of the Florida Gators women's golf
program at the University of Florida
. She is best known for leading the Florida Gators women's golfers to two back-to-back National Collegiate Athletic Association
(NCAA) national tournament championships.
in 1936. She was the daughter of John Ryan, an electrician, and his wife Mildred Pratt Ryan, a telephone operator who worked in the New York governor's office.
Ryan graduated from Bouve College in Boston Massachusetts with a bachelor's degree
in physical education, then earned a second degree in education from Tufts University
in Medford, Massachusetts
, and a master's degree
in education from the University of North Carolina
in Greensboro, North Carolina
.
, from 1964 to 1969. In 1969, she was hired to be a physical education
instructor by dean Dennis K. Stanley
of the College of Health and Human Performance at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida
. Shortly thereafter, Ryan was also hired to be one one of the first generation of Florida Gators women's sports head coaches at the University of Florida.
University of Florida athletic director Ray Graves
and associate athletic director Ruth Alexander had made the strategic decision to embrace Title IX
, the new federal law requiring equal opportunities for women in U.S. college sports. Among the very first programs started was the new Lady Gators women's golf program, and Ryan was recruited to start it from scratch—first as an intercollegiate club team in 1969, and then to elevate it as a varsity team in Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women
(AIAW) competition in 1973. In the Lady Gators' first year as a varsity sports team, Ryan's Gators finished seventh at the AIAW national championship tournament, beginning a streak of nineteen consecutive top-ten finishes in the AIAW and NCAA national championship tournaments.
Ryan's golfers finished second in the AIAW national championship tournament in 1978 and 1978, but the Gators women's golf program peaked in the mid-1980s, when her Lady Gators won back-to-back NCAA national tournament championships in 1985 and 1986. Led by senior Deb Richard
, the 1985 Gators dominated the NCAA tournament field to win their first national championship, and Richard missed winning the NCAA individual championship by a single stroke.
For the first time in NCAA history, all five starting members of her 1986 team were recognized as All-Americans, including senior team captain Lisa Stanley, freshmen Cheryl Morley and Lisa Nedoba, junior Page Dunlap
, who won the 1986 NCAA individual championship, and sophomore Karen Davies
, who won the 1986 SEC individual championship. Following the 1986 NCAA championship, the National Golf Coaches Association
(NGCA) honored Ryan with its national coach of the year award and later inducted her into its Coaches Hall of Fame as one of its five "charter members."
Ryan's Lady Gators also won Southeastern Conference
(SEC) championships in 1981, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1987 and 1991, and four of her golfers won a total of six SEC individual championships.
In the middle of the 1994 fall season, Ryan decided to retire after twenty-five years as the Lady Gators' head coach, citing her inability to continue to give her coaching responsibilities the full attention that her athletes deserved.
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
coach. Ryan was the founder and long-time head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
of the Florida Gators women's golf
Florida Gators women's golf
The Florida Gators women's golf team represents the University of Florida in the sport of golf. The Lady Gators compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the Southeastern Conference . They play their home matches on the Mark Bostick Golf Course on the university's...
program at the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
. She is best known for leading the Florida Gators women's golfers to two back-to-back National Collegiate Athletic Association
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
(NCAA) national tournament championships.
Early life and education
Ryan was born in Troy, New YorkTroy, New York
Troy is a city in the US State of New York and the seat of Rensselaer County. Troy is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany and Schenectady, forming a region popularly called the Capital...
in 1936. She was the daughter of John Ryan, an electrician, and his wife Mildred Pratt Ryan, a telephone operator who worked in the New York governor's office.
Ryan graduated from Bouve College in Boston Massachusetts with a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in physical education, then earned a second degree in education from Tufts University
Tufts University
Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
in Medford, Massachusetts
Medford, Massachusetts
Medford is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States, on the Mystic River, five miles northwest of downtown Boston. In the 2010 U.S. Census, Medford's population was 56,173...
, and a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in education from the University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro , also known as UNC Greensboro, is a public university in Greensboro, North Carolina, United States and is a constituent institution of the University of North Carolina system. The university offers more than 100 undergraduate, 61 master's and 26...
in Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the third-largest city by population in North Carolina and the largest city in Guilford County and the surrounding Piedmont Triad metropolitan region. According to the 2010 U.S...
.
Coaching career
Ryan started her coaching career as the first head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions women's golf team at Penn State University in State College, PennsylvaniaState College, Pennsylvania
State College is the largest borough in Centre County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is the principal city of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Centre County. As of the 2010 census, the borough population was 42,034, and roughly double...
, from 1964 to 1969. In 1969, she was hired to be a physical education
Physical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
instructor by dean Dennis K. Stanley
Dennis K. Stanley
Dennis Keith "Dutch" Stanley, Sr. was an American education professor, university administrator and intercollegiate sports coach. Stanley was a native of England, but graduated from high school in Florida...
of the College of Health and Human Performance at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
. Shortly thereafter, Ryan was also hired to be one one of the first generation of Florida Gators women's sports head coaches at the University of Florida.
University of Florida athletic director Ray Graves
Ray Graves
Samuel Ray Graves is a former American college and professional football player and former college football coach. He is a native of Tennessee and an alumnus of the University of Tennessee, where he played college football...
and associate athletic director Ruth Alexander had made the strategic decision to embrace Title IX
Title IX
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is a United States law, enacted on June 23, 1972, that amended Title IX of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In 2002 it was renamed the Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act, in honor of its principal author Congresswoman Mink, but is most...
, the new federal law requiring equal opportunities for women in U.S. college sports. Among the very first programs started was the new Lady Gators women's golf program, and Ryan was recruited to start it from scratch—first as an intercollegiate club team in 1969, and then to elevate it as a varsity team in Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women
Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women
The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women was founded in 1971 to govern collegiate women's athletics in the United States and to administer national championships. It evolved out of the Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics for Women . The association was one of the biggest...
(AIAW) competition in 1973. In the Lady Gators' first year as a varsity sports team, Ryan's Gators finished seventh at the AIAW national championship tournament, beginning a streak of nineteen consecutive top-ten finishes in the AIAW and NCAA national championship tournaments.
Ryan's golfers finished second in the AIAW national championship tournament in 1978 and 1978, but the Gators women's golf program peaked in the mid-1980s, when her Lady Gators won back-to-back NCAA national tournament championships in 1985 and 1986. Led by senior Deb Richard
Deb Richard
Deb Richard is a former American professional golfer who was a member of the LPGA Tour for ten years during the 1990s and 2000s.- Amateur career :Richard was born in Abbeville, Louisiana in 1963, and raised in Manhattan, Kansas...
, the 1985 Gators dominated the NCAA tournament field to win their first national championship, and Richard missed winning the NCAA individual championship by a single stroke.
For the first time in NCAA history, all five starting members of her 1986 team were recognized as All-Americans, including senior team captain Lisa Stanley, freshmen Cheryl Morley and Lisa Nedoba, junior Page Dunlap
Page Dunlap
E. Page Dunlap-Halpin is a former American professional golfer who was a member of the LPGA Tour for six years during the 1990s. Dunlap is best known for winning the individual NCAA Division I Championship in 1986.- Early years :...
, who won the 1986 NCAA individual championship, and sophomore Karen Davies
Karen Davies
Karen Davies is a professional golfer from Wales who formerly played on the LPGA Tour.- Amateur career :Davies was born in Wrexham, Wales...
, who won the 1986 SEC individual championship. Following the 1986 NCAA championship, the National Golf Coaches Association
National Golf Coaches Association
The National Golf Coaches Association is an organization formed in 1983 to promote women's intercollegiate golf. The vision of NGCA since its inception has been "to encourage the playing of intercollegiate golf for women in correlation with a general objective of education and in accordance with...
(NGCA) honored Ryan with its national coach of the year award and later inducted her into its Coaches Hall of Fame as one of its five "charter members."
Ryan's Lady Gators also won Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
(SEC) championships in 1981, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1987 and 1991, and four of her golfers won a total of six SEC individual championships.
In the middle of the 1994 fall season, Ryan decided to retire after twenty-five years as the Lady Gators' head coach, citing her inability to continue to give her coaching responsibilities the full attention that her athletes deserved.
Life after golf
Ryan was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as an "Honorary Letter Winner" in 1996. Today, there is an endowed athletic scholarship in her name at the University of Florida. Ryan is retired, lives in Gainesville, and remains in active communication with her former players.See also
- Buster BishopBuster BishopBernays Emery "Buster" Bishop was an American college golf coach. Bishop was best known for leading the Florida Gators men's golf team of the University of Florida to National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I championships in 1968 and 1973.- Early life and education :Bishop was born in...
- Florida GatorsFlorida GatorsThe Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
- History of the University of FloridaHistory of the University of FloridaThe history of the University of Florida is firmly tied to the history of public education in the state of Florida. The University of Florida, colloquially known as "Florida" or "UF," originated as several distinct institutions that were merged to create a single state-supported university by the...
- List of Florida Gators golfers
- University Athletic AssociationUniversity of Florida Athletic AssociationThe University Athletic Association, Inc. is a non-profit corporation that is responsible for maintaining the Florida Gators intercollegiate sports program of the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida...