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The Ryan Cup is not something related to the Gridiron Club or that the Gridiron has any voice in. However, there is no online records of the history or past winners online. This has been one of the most prestigious awards at NHS for over 90 years and its history should be recognized.
John W. “Jack” Ryan (1893-1918)
The History of The Ryan Cup
John “Jack” Ryan was born in Newburyport, February 11, 1893, son of Timothy and Julia (Lynch) Ryan. Their home was at 145 State Street and was occupied by the family until 1982 when the last child, Margaret, died at 87.
Jack attended the Immaculate Conception School and graduated with the Class of 1909. He entered Newburyport High School, then located at the corner of High and Green Streets, where he was a good scholar, keenly interested in athletics. Because he had a speech impediment and stuttered very badly, he was shy and introvertive, however, on the athletic field his enthusiasm, unusual powers and athletic ability was soon recognized, and he became a champion mile runner. While still in High School, he became a member of the crack Boston Athletic Association Team. He was soon considered one of the foremost mile runners in America.
He also played on the NHS Football Team. He desired to be captain of the track team at the High School and was nominated, but his shyness made him less popular and Ralph Foster (NHS 13’) was elected.
Instead of entering his senior year, Jack decided to overcome his stuttering, so he withdrew from NHS and attended a special school in New Hampshire for therapy. Treatment was not entirely successful, but he returned to NHS the following year, better adjusted and confident. He spent his fifth year there and graduated with the Class of 1914.
He attended Boston College while continuing with the BAA, but did not complete his studies there. He became a two mile indoor champion, but his most notable victory was in 1915 when he captured the “Baxter Mile” at the annual winter games of the New York Athletic Club in 1916 and 1917; he raced against Joe Ray “the Chicago Wonder” at the BAA Games and the newspaper reported “that the races were of sensational character”.
In 1917 he became athletic coach at Hebron Academy in Maine, and he also coached and acted as starter at Newburyport High School Games. Notwithstanding his success, Jack retained the same kindly, democratic manner that had always characterized him and he became very popular with his many friends.
In September 1918 he chose to enter the military and declared his great desire to enter upon the service of his country. His name had not been included in the list from his local draft board, but upon his request his name was substituted for another and he entrained for Fort Slocum NY on September 30, 1918 as a limited service man [25th Recruiting Company, Infantry]. Two days later after reaching Fort Slocum he was sickened by the prevailing influenza epidemic which soon developed into pneumonia and he died on October 11, 1918. He was twenty-five years old.
His father died in 1916 and at the time of his death, Jack was survived by his mother, two brothers and three sisters. His short but colorful life was memorialized when the Class of 1915, at their reunion, decided to give a cup to the graduate of NHS who best reflected this man as a scholar and as an athlete. That class also presented a plaque to the school to memorialize the winners.
The cup has been sponsored by the NHS Alumni Association since 1982. It was first given in 1923 and since then a graduate has been honored as a follower of the ideal set by Jack Ryan.
The Ryan Cup Award Winners
1923 - Frederick Carver
1924 - Edward Kelly
1925 - Charles P Kelleher
1926 - Robert Kimball
1927 - Ernest Mitchell
1928 - Bernard J Lojko
1929 - Whitefield Kimball
1930 - Charles D Whalen
1931 - Herbert W DeVeber
1932 - John Cameron Bishop
1933 - Charles Nelson Corey
1934 - John W Doyle
1935 - James Twomey
1936 - Anthony Genna
1937 - Henry Carey
1938 - Raymond Doyle
1939 - Fred Naumetz
1940 - Gordon Erskine
1941 - Peter Callejas
1942 - Joseph Fosillo
1943 - Rosario Garfi
1944 - Joesph W Zabriskie
1945 - Richard Leo Walsh Jr
1946 - Leland Dickie
1947 - Millard E Wall Jr
1948 - George J Bradbury
1949 - Andrew Lemnios
1950 - Samuel Blunt Jr
1951 - Donald Stanton
1952 - Hugh A Weir
1953 - Richard W Barker
1954 - Robert J McAniff
1955 -George A Dresser
1956 - Andrew Jackson
1957 - John J Foley Jr
1958 - Peter Gulazian
1959 -Philip M Reed Jr
1960 - Rodney Phil Poirier
1961 - Kenneth L Hawkes
1962 - Raymond B Courtemanche
1963 - William Cooper
1964 - Michael Carey
1965 - John Francis Bourgoin
1966 - Not Given
1967 - E Lawrence Russell
1968 - Richard Jones
1969 - Cornelius Reardon
1970 - William Hale
1971 - Douglas Mulica
1972 - John Cuppier
1973 - Lyle Lumsden
1974 - David Bostick
1975 - Gary Twombly
1976 - Kevin Sullivan
1977 - Brett Twombly
1978 - David Fournier
1979 - Steven Bresnahan
1980 - Peter Yates
1981 - Kevin Stehlin
1982 - Sean Flanders
1983 - Tom Salvatore
1984 - Matt Langis
1985 - Peter Arsenault
1986 - Chris Lamothe
1987 - Jim Roney
1988 - Jefferey LaFrance
1989 - Craig Waldron
1990 - Dickerson Gagnon
1991 - Michael Brennan
1992 - Jamison Gagnon
1993 - Erik Bashaw
1994 - Scott Sullivan
1995 - James Madore
1996 - Nathan Fuller
1997 - Jed Beauparlant
1998 - Steve Lapham
1999 - Elizabeth Suda
2000 - Chris Sheehan
2001 - Sean P Sullivan
2002 - Emma Horton
2003 - Kenneth Adams
2004 - Whitney Vose
2005 - Jillian Tierney
2006 - Joseph Pace
2007 - Garret Boyd
2008 - Richie Burke
2009 - Joseph Clancy
2010 - Kyle LeBlanc
2011 - Haley Mason Johnson
2012 - Brett Fontaine
2013 - Connor Wile
2014 - Dillon Guthro
2015 - Matthew Kelleher
2016 -Emily Pettigrew
2017 - Robert Shay
2018 - Molly Rose Kearney
2019 - Casey McLaren
2020 - Parker McLaren
2021 - Trevor Ward
2022 - Jack Fehlner
2023 - Deirdre McElhinney
2024 - Jack Sullivan
Presentation of Ryan Cup Levee Event
Newburyport Daily News. June 1944
One of the features of the annual Newburyport High School levee [Now Scholarship Night] to be held Friday evening in the NHS gymnasium will be the presentation of the Ryan Cup, given by the Class of 1915 in memory of John W “Jack” Ryan who died in military service during the first World War.
The award is one of the most coveted and cherished at Newburyport High School and much thought is given by the committee to decide which boy [and now girl] in the graduating class most merits it. The Ryan Cup is given for scholastic ability, character and athletics and for more than 20 years has been presented annually at the levee in memory of Ryan, who was a boy of fine character and an outstanding athlete, especially in track in which he wore the colors of the Boston Athletic Association (the BAA) as well as those of Newburyport High School.
The [person] who receives the award will be given a cup at the levee and the identity of the winner will not be known until the time for the presentation. In addition [their] name will be engraved on the plaque in the trophy room at the school.
The permanent officers of the 1915 class include Miss Gertrude C Doyle, president, Mrs. C Edward Whitley, secretary, George E Murphy, treasurer, Charles A Woods, Donald I Perry executive committee.
*The Levee: A long standing tradition that is no more. The levee was always held on graduation night and started out as a promenade when dancing was not allowed. From there it led to the awards and the presentation of the Ryan Cup. Eventually it became a dance before disappearing all together and being replaced by Senior Celebration with the awards now given on scholarship night, including the Ryan Cup.