The Minnesota Vikings have only had two equipment managers in their 62 year history until Monday afternoon when longtime equipment manager Dennis Ryan announced his retirement. Ryan had been with the Vikings for nearly 50 years starting as a part-time assistant in 1975.
Ryan, a two-time recipient of the Whitey Zimmerman Award, which honors the NFL’s Equipment Manager of the Year (1996 and 2017), started with the Viking painting blocking sleds at Midway Stadium in 1975. He worked his way up to being the equipment manager where he worked for every head coach in franchise history outside of Norm Van Brocklin.
Numerous players and members on the Vikings organization had endless great things to say about him in this piece on the team’s website.