What are we supposed to think about Tom Ryan?

[Fletcher]

Is he the "chosen suffering" guy who also struggled back from a debilitating bike accident to be an empathetic coach? Or is he the POS who accuses Rutgers of being cowards after Rotogzke slams their kid?

Do we like Tom Ryan or is his "nice guy/Christian image purely a media product?

[Ragu]

Someone ask Dylan Ragusin what he thinks. He tells it straight 

[Boring]

3 minutes ago, Ragu said:

Someone ask Dylan Ragusin what he thinks. He tells it straight 

LOL, loved how he slammed John Smith in that one interview. Hilarious! 

There are no holy cows in wrestling. 

[Boring]

1 hour ago, Fletcher said:

Is he the "chosen suffering" guy who also struggled back from a debilitating bike accident to be an empathetic coach? Or is he the POS who accuses Rutgers of being cowards after Rotogzke slams their kid?

Do we like Tom Ryan or is his "nice guy/Christian image purely a media product?

Do you have a link to the match in question? I don't have B10 network so all I could watch was the bootlegged championship rounds. 

Also, not commenting on Ryan in particular, but I've noticed most of the "christian" images of people in sports are about a genuine as a virgin in a whorehouse. 

Edited March 14 by 666

[RawDog]

1 hour ago, 666 said:

LOL, loved how he slammed John Smith in that one interview. Hilarious! 

There are no holy cows in wrestling. 

Yess lol that was great. I would like to see Ragusin make a title run next year 

[RawDog]

I think you have to judge him by his entire body of work. Everyone gets caught up in the moment at times. Overall I think he does a really good job.

[wrestle87]

Calling ryan a POS for one outburst is beyond uncharitable.  He runs a great program and has improved the lives of hundreds of kids.  

Did you all forget that these are D1 coaches who ALL lose their sh*t at one point or another? These are the most competitive, prominent people in the sport.  T&T tell the world and everyone in it to f*ck itself every dual meet, but ryan has one outburst and you want to hang him from a lamppost?

[Boring]

10 minutes ago, wrestle87 said:

Calling ryan a POS for one outburst is beyond uncharitable.  He runs a great program and has improved the lives of hundreds of kids.  

Did you all forget that these are D1 coaches who ALL lose their sh*t at one point or another? These are the most competitive, prominent people in the sport.  T&T tell the world and everyone in it to f*ck itself every dual meet, but ryan has one outburst and you want to hang him from a lamppost?

It depends on the outburst. 

[BruceyB]

FWIW I truly believe Tom Ryan is one of the most genuine and caring coaches in our sport. I've listened to enough interviews over the past 15 or so years to know that he has always been extremely consistent in the brand he preaches and his core values. He cares about his athletes, he cares about cultivating meaningful relationships with these athletes, and he cares as much about stewarding his wrestlers towards being good men after they are done wrestling as he does about the on the mat results. Maybe I am forgetting, but I can't think of any tOSU athletes being controversial on or off the mat (other than Tessari who then was removed from the program). I do think he can get animated and throw a fit, but I think that's just more of an embarrassing heat of the moment reaction than a depiction of who he is as a coach, mentor, and man. Obviously this is from the outside looking in, but I think if I were to pick a program purely for the environment that I think would most help my son develop as both a wrestler and a young man, Ohio State would be my first choice given their track record.

[macwoodfleet]

29 minutes ago, BruceyB said:

FWIW I truly believe Tom Ryan is one of the most genuine and caring coaches in our sport. I've listened to enough interviews over the past 15 or so years to know that he has always been extremely consistent in the brand he preaches and his core values. He cares about his athletes, he cares about cultivating meaningful relationships with these athletes, and he cares as much about stewarding his wrestlers towards being good men after they are done wrestling as he does about the on the mat results. Maybe I am forgetting, but I can't think of any tOSU athletes being controversial on or off the mat (other than Tessari who then was removed from the program). I do think he can get animated and throw a fit, but I think that's just more of an embarrassing heat of the moment reaction than a depiction of who he is as a coach, mentor, and man. Obviously this is from the outside looking in, but I think if I were to pick a program purely for the environment that I think would most help my son develop as both a wrestler and a young man, Ohio State would be my first choice given their track record.

Probably won't develop as a wrestler too much, judging on recent results. Not the same program since Tervel left.

[BruceyB]

26 minutes ago, macwoodfleet said:

Probably won't develop as a wrestler too much, judging on recent results. Not the same program since Tervel left.

I'm not even going to dignify this with looking up results to refute your point. Ohio State has done as well of a job developing their recruits as anyone outside of PSU in the last 15 years.

 

 

[macwoodfleet]

3 hours ago, BruceyB said:

I'm not even going to dignify this with looking up results to refute your point. Ohio State has done as well of a job developing their recruits as anyone outside of PSU in the last 15 years.

 

 

Someone recently did a study on it and they've actually done really, really, really really, poorly. I think it was Willie. if consistently finishing below your recruiting rankings at NCAA's is good, Tom Ryan Is Michael Jordan.

Edited March 14 by macwoodfleet

[Rassling2]

Tom Ryan is a fellow LI’er and those of us from that area / era always liked and respected him. He is genuine and truly cares about his team. I’m confident OSU, his wrestlers and their parents and a major majority of wrestling fans inside and outside the facility feel the same. Referring to him as a POS is way out of line and I hope he and his team doesn’t see this thread .

Edited March 14 by Rassling2

[Rassling2]

6 hours ago, wrestle87 said:

Calling ryan a POS for one outburst is beyond uncharitable.  He runs a great program and has improved the lives of hundreds of kids.  

Did you all forget that these are D1 coaches who ALL lose their sh*t at one point or another? These are the most competitive, prominent people in the sport.  T&T tell the world and everyone in it to f*ck itself every dual meet, but ryan has one outburst and you want to hang him from a lamppost?

Well said wrestle87

[Dogbone]

10 hours ago, wrestle87 said:

Calling ryan a POS for one outburst is beyond uncharitable.  He runs a great program and has improved the lives of hundreds of kids.  

Did you all forget that these are D1 coaches who ALL lose their sh*t at one point or another? These are the most competitive, prominent people in the sport.  T&T tell the world and everyone in it to f*ck itself every dual meet, but ryan has one outburst and you want to hang him from a lamppost?

^^^ This^^^^.    We need to be more lenient on what happens between the lines so to speak.  You can be a savage on the mat but still a nice guy.  Even T&T can be maniacs when competing but it doesn't mean they are bad people. 

Look at Ray Lewis, he would kill a wide receiver coming across the middle, but off the field.... Okay bad example. 

[Gene Mills Fan]

I think it was a case of back my boy first, think later. Not saying his theatrics is a good look. But, temporary

blinders on for your guy, is common and doesn't make him a BAD guy. 

[CHROMEBIRD]

Tom Ryan's fine. His coaching at Big Tens wasn't very Positive Infinity, though.

[BruceyB]

10 hours ago, macwoodfleet said:

Someone recently did a study on it and they've actually done really, really, really really, poorly. I think it was Willie. if consistently finishing below your recruiting rankings at NCAA's is good, Tom Ryan Is Michael Jordan.

I would genuinely be curious to see this study. They are going to be a very tough team next year with homegrown talent.

[macwoodfleet]

11 minutes ago, BruceyB said:

I would genuinely be curious to see this study. They are going to be a very tough team next year with homegrown talent.

It was on MatScout Rokfin. They'll be a top five team next year, but they have, at very worst, the second-best talent

[AgaveMaria]

BruceyB wrote: " but I think that's just more of an embarrassing heat of the moment reaction than a depiction of who he is as a coach, mentor, and man"

It is those "heat of the moment" reactions and actions that define us. They show who we really are, positive and negative. That they are not usually on display - just how it is. Bottle it up & only show it under pressure.

Just like those who are drunk and do stupid stuff "That's not who I am". Sure it is - you show it - and later realize the real you came out.

That said, Ryan is a damn good coach. All who associate with him have so many positive things to say about him that this coming out as a negative is just part of a complex man. This is a small part - it is not like AJ Ferrari where the negative overrides almost all the positive, or Andrew Long where the negative was so strong it ended up with him in prison.

Knowing Ryan isn't perfect is not a surprise. Watching him through the years I would gladly send my kids to wrestle for him if they had the talent. He isn't perfect. The only perfect one - is a myth. Tom is real and a positive force in College Wrestling. (it's not like he throws chairs, is it?)

[Coastal]

19 hours ago, 666 said:

Do you have a link to the match in question? I don't have B10 network so all I could watch was the bootlegged championship rounds. 

Also, not commenting on Ryan in particular, but I've noticed most of the "christian" images of people in sports are about a genuine as a virgin in a whorehouse. 

In the future, just add the fox sports app.  Watch the hour free preview of the Big Ten Network, delete the app, add it again and watch another hour free preview.     Works great for duals as you can usually redo the app during intermission.

Also check with your mobile phone provider as they often offer free upgrades like ESPN or Fox Sports that very few people take advantage of since they don't advertise the freebies.

Edited March 14 by Coastal

[funnyfletcher]

My friend had Tom on his podcast, I think this is from October 2020. Around the 49 minute mark he starts talking about the tragic loss of his young son and he began questioning if God was real. It's a great conversation if anyone is interested in watching/listening.

 

[BruceyB]

4 hours ago, AgaveMaria said:

Just like those who are drunk and do stupid stuff "That's not who I am". Sure it is - you show it - and later realize the real you came out.

You lost me here. This is an ignorant point of view that ignores the effects of mind-altering substances and substance abuse. I also haven't seen the clip, I have been purely commenting on the person I have seen over the last 15 years. Feel free to message me a link to what happened. I can't even find anything on the internet.

[BAC]

Thought about these threads when I watched the Cannon/Fish match.  If you haven't seen the feed, Ryan threw another fit.

In fairness, I sort of get it.  Cannon got a reversal, and then 2 backs.  Ryan apparently thought there were two sets of backs (4 total), and threw a brick.  The ref's back was blocking the view, but from what I could see, it looked like a stupid brick -- especially since Cannon was on a roll.

Well, the refs in the booth upstairs went the other way, and *took away* the two backs that had already given. (I thought there was a 2-count.)  Ryan freaked out, and the refs just sort of stared at him as he yelled, as if to say "dude, it wasn't my call, it was the guys upstairs."  Finally Ryan starts demanding to know the names of the refs upstairs (I guess so he could find their address and egg their house?), and won't shut up.

Fish got a nice toss in OT to win, so Ryan throws *another* brick, but only to whine about what happened 5 minutes before, how it's the worst officiated match he's ever seen, etc.  Stieber's trying to tell the ref to please give them their brick back since Ryan's just being a wack-job.

Anyway, another bad look for Ryan.  His ill-considered brick cost Cannon the match, both by losing him 2 points and letting the lesser-conditioned Fish recharge for OT, and while perhaps his yammering was justified when the swipes were retracted, he just. wouldn't. let. it. go.  

[bnwtwg]

This may shock you all, but a person who believes his own children should not get immunized against the majority of the world's worst defensible diseases such as measles, mumps, and rubella probably doesn't have the highest level of intellect.