Frank J. Ryan Sports Training Collection
name: label: Creator
content: Ryan, Frank J.
place: label: Place
content: Biafra
topic: label: Topic
content: Coaches (Athletics)
label: Topic
content: Physical education and training
label: Topic
content: Athletics
label: Topic
content: Sports -- 20th century
label: Topic
content: Football
label: Topic
content: Basketball
label: Topic
content: Basketball coaches
label: Topic
content: Exercises
label: Topic
content: Soccer
label: Topic
content: Swimming
label: Topic
content: Tennis
label: Topic
content: Track and field
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content: Weight lifters
label: Topic
content: Wrestling
label: Topic
content: School sports
label: Topic
content: advertising -- Banks
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content: African American athletes
label: Topic
content: College sports -- 1940-1950
label: Topic
content: College sports
label: Topic
content: High school sports
label: Topic
content: Copyright
label: Topic
content: Audio tapes
label: Topic
content: Shot-putters
label: Topic
content: Pole vault
label: Topic
content: United States Navy -- 20th century
label: Topic
content: Olympics
label: Topic
content: Public Education
label: Topic
content: Mental health
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Donated to the Archives Center in 2004 by Neil Ryan (Frank Ryan's son) and Fran Ryan.
creator: label: Creator
content: Ryan, Frank J.
setName: label: See more items in
content: Frank J. Ryan Sports Training Collection
abstract: label: Summary
content: Personal papers, photographs, scrapbooks, 16mm films, correspondence, newspaper clippings, business records, reprints of journal articles, audio tapes, and books documenting the athletic career and work of Dr. Francis Joseph Ryan, Yale University track and field coach, author, and producer of training materials for American coaches and athletes. Provides some insight into the role psychology played in sports activities and how commercial businesses used Ryan's materials as publicity tools to connect to the local communities.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Dr. Francis Joseph Ryan was born May 23, 1917, to John Joseph Ryan (June 8, 1881-January 29, 1950) and Catherine C. Davis Ryan (February 2, 1887-April 5, 1967) in New York City.  Ryan attended Columbia College as his father had excelling in sports and was a shot putter on the United States Olympic track and field team during the 1938 Olympics in Germany. He graduated in 1939 with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree and went on to receive a Master of Arts degree in 1943 and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1951 from Columbia University.  

In 1941 Ryan began a twenty-three-year career with Yale University as its track and field coach and worked as a research psychologist in the mental health department.  On November 22, 1941, he married Vivian Marie Caccaviello (August 21, 1916-September 8, 2005) in New York.  To the union one son, Neil Francis Ryan (January 11, 1947-), was born. A three-year break in his employment with Yale University was spent in the United States Naval Reserve. Upon his discharge from military service, he went back to work for Yale University until 1964.

Dr. Ryan wrote papers relating to sports for several technical journals and contracted with major publishing companies including Viking Penguin Press, Charles Scribner's Sons, Simon & Schuster, Prentice-Hall, and Macmillan Incorporated to write books providing training for coaches and athletes.  He also created Ryan Films Incorporated to produce and distribute films throughout the country as another tool for providing training.  Dr. Ryan used his films to develop a commercial and educational relations program for the local community.

Dr. Francis Joseph Ryan died from cardiopulmonary arrest and liver disease on November 3, 1983, in West Haven, Connecticut at the age of sixty-six.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 16 Cubic feet (12 boxes, 172 reels of film, 30 audio cassette tapes, 10 audio reel to reel tapes)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1909-1989, undated
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives Center, National Museum of American History
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NMAH.AC.0871
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Photographs
label: Type
content: Brochures
label: Type
content: Books
label: Type
content: Motion pictures (visual works)
label: Type
content: Advertisements
label: Type
content: Scrapbooks
label: Type
content: Patents
label: Type
content: 16mm films
label: Type
content: Educational films
label: Type
content: Audio cassettes
label: Type
content: Newspaper clippings
label: Type
content: Reprints
label: Type
content: Artwork
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: Collection arranged in seven series:


Series 1: Personal Papers, 1937-1989, undated 

Series 2: Photographic Materials, 1909-1964, undated

Series 3: Professional Work, 1954-1987, undated

Series 4: Writings and Publications, 1954-1981, undated

Subseries 4.1: Papers and Journal Article Reprints, 1954-1964, undated

Subseries 4.2: Books, 1970-1981

Subseries 4.3: Viking Library of Sports Skills Series, 1969-1974

Series 5: Scrapbooks, 1937-1940

Series 6: Audio Tapes, undated

Subseries 6.1: Reel to Reel Audio Tapes, undated

Subseries 6.2: Audio Cassette Tapes, undated

Series 7: Films, 1959-1970s, undated

Subseries 7.1: Sports Training Films, circa 1960s-1970s

Subseries 7.2: Bank Promotional Films, circa 1964-1965, undated

Subseries 7.3: Home Movies, 1959-1968
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: Collection processed by Annaliese Oetting, film contractor, 2025 and Vanessa Broussard Simmons, archivist, 2025.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Photographs -- 20th century
label: Genre/Form
content: Brochures
label: Genre/Form
content: Books
label: Genre/Form
content: Motion pictures (visual works) -- 20th century
label: Genre/Form
content: Advertisements -- 20th century
label: Genre/Form
content: Scrapbooks
label: Genre/Form
content: Patents
label: Genre/Form
content: 16mm films
label: Genre/Form
content: Educational films
label: Genre/Form
content: Audio cassettes
label: Genre/Form
content: Newspaper clippings
label: Genre/Form
content: Reprints
label: Genre/Form
content: Artwork
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: Collection documents the life, writings, and business activities of sports coach Dr. Francis Joseph Ryan who became known for his knowledge relating to sports training. Personal papers, photographs, scrapbooks, 16mm films, correspondence, newspaper clippings, business records, reprints of journal articles, audio tapes, and books document Ryan's career as an athlete, a sports coach at Yale University, an author and producer of sports training films for American coaches and athletes. He traveled outside of the States sharing his knowledge on the subject to countries such as Australia.  

Materials provide insight into Ryan's combined interest in psychology and sports.  These materials document the role psychology played in sports activities through his technical writings and films.  Advances in the study of sports training, essential attitude of both squads and the individual, skills and techniques, and exercises for maximum performance are all subjects covered in his work.  Many of Dr. Ryan's books used materials directly from the films produced by his company Ryan Films Incorporated.

Ryan's use of commercial businesses as partners for encouraging students to participant in sports activities is also documented in the collection.  Commercial businesses such as banks purchased his training materials and donated them to schools as a means of publicity and connecting to the local community.   

Throughout the collection preservation measures were performed to ensure long term use of the materials. Newspaper clippings were photocopied, and the originals were discarded. Audio tapes and films will be reformatted, and the digital copies will soon be available for research use.

Collection is arranged in seven series. Series one contains Dr. Ryan's personal papers. Series two consists of black and white and color photographic prints and slides.  Series three documents Dr. Ryan's professional work and business activities relating to sports training.  Series four includes his writings and publications. Series five are scrapbooks. Series six comprise of audio tapes, both cassette and reel to reel, created by Dr. Ryan and series seven contains one hundred and seventy-two reels of sport training films produced by Ryan Films Incorporated.

Series 1, Personal Papers, 1937-1989, undated 

Primarily documents Dr. Ryan's academic accomplishments and athletic activities as a student while attending Columbia College.  Newspaper clippings, a dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Doctor of Philosophy degree, diplomas, United States documents relating to military service during World War II in the Navy Reserve, papers recording cremation, and materials relating to Dr. Ryan's estate are included among the materials.   Materials are arranged in chronological order.

Series 2, Photographic Materials, 1909-1964, undated

Includes one of the earliest documents in the collection, a black and white photograph of John Joseph Ryan, the father of Dr.  Ryan, who graduated from Columbia College with the class of 1909.  As an undergraduate, Mr. Joseph Ryan starred in basketball, football, rowing, track, and wrestling and was the president of Columbia's Varsity "C" Club.  He was the recipient of the second annual citation to an alumnus for outstanding contribution to Columbia athletics according to a newspaper article in the collection.  Mr. Joseph Ryan became an engineer with the Consolidated Edison Company. 

Other images, black and white and color photographic prints, document Dr. Ryan as a college athlete, as coach for Yale University, training groups of athletes, and service with the United States Navy Reserve. There are a few photographs of Ryan's immediate family during graduation and his wife while a student at Columbia College. Ryan's participation in the 1938 Olympics in Germany, a trip to Australia, and an event with the National Society of Cartoonists can also be found among the materials. Materials are arranged in chronological order followed by unidentified and undated photographs and color slides. 

Series 3, Professional Work, 1954-1987, undated 

Contains Ryan Films, Incorporated business records documenting the production and distribution of sports training films.  Legal documents include agreements and contracts with publishers such as Charles Scribner's Sons, Viking Penguin Press, Simon & Schuster, Prentice-Hall, and Macmillan Incorporated.  Financial records, primarily royalty statements, document money earned from publications and films. In addition, correspondence relating to business matters and copyright documents are also found among the materials.  Materials are arranged in chronological order.

Series 4, Writings and Publications, 1954-1981, undated 

Comprises of Dr. Ryan's work primarily relating to psychology and sports. Includes papers, journal articles, and books exploring subjects such as motivation and athletic performance, mental health, personality traits that determine who will excel, psychological limitations of athletes, relationships between coaches and athletes, role playing, and psychological barriers on performance. 

Series is arranged in three subseries.  Subseries 4.1 are papers and reprints of journal articles.  Subseries 4.2 are books relating to sports and subseries 4.3 is the Viking Library of Sports Skills series. 


Subseries 4.1, Papers and Reprints of Journal Articles, 1954-1964, undated

Contain technical papers presented at conferences and published in journals relating to academic behavior, mental health and academic achievement, psychological problems of college men, trait ratings of public high school students, other subjects.   Materials are arranged in chronological order.

Subseries 4.2, Books, 1970-1981 

Published studies providing historical and background training relating to track and field, swimming, and gymnastics. His published exploration of the role psychology plays in sports is also found among the materials.  Materials are arranged in chronological order.

Subseries 4.3, Viking Library of Sports Skills Series, 1969-1974 

An illustrated series of ten volumes written by Dr. Ryan and published by Viking Press, Incorporated intended to provide the most current and scientific information relating to sports.  The books are arranged in alphabetical order by the name of the sport. 

Series 5, Scrapbooks, 1937-1940 

Contain two scrapbooks documenting Dr. Ryan's athletic career as a student attending Columbia College. It is unknown who created the scrapbooks. Most of the material in the volumes are newspaper clippings attached to extremely brittle paper. Artwork for newspapers created by artists working for the Associated Press provide images of Dr. Ryan as an athlete.  The original artwork is included in Ryan's personal papers.  The first scrapbook is detached from the covers.  The second scrapbook's covers, though still attached, are creating stress on the pages of the volume.  Both scrapbooks must be handled with extreme care.    

Series 6, Audio Tapes, undated 

Include tapes created by Dr. Ryan.  Most of the tapes are not labelled and have no dates requiring reformatting for preservation and access measures and to identify subject content. Series is arranged in two subseries.  Subseries 6.1 contains reel to reel audio tapes and subseries 6.2 are audio cassette tapes.

Series 7, Films, 1960s-1970s, undated

Comprises the largest portion of the collection and includes one hundred and seventy-two black and white and color 16mm reels of film.  The films were produced by Ryan Films Incorporated, a company created by Dr. Ryan and distributed as training tools for various sports. The sports included basketball, football, gymnastics, soccer, swimming, tennis, track and field, weight training, and wrestling. The series is arranged in three subseries. Subseries 7.1 contains sports training films and is the largest portion of the series. Subseries 7.2 includes films purchased by banks and donated to local schools.  Subseries 7.3 is films relating to Ireland and the Republic of Biafra. 

Subseries 7.1: Sports Training Films, circa 1960s-1970s

Consists of athletic instructional motion picture films made and distributed by Frank Ryan starting
in the 1960s and into the early 1970s. The films, which run between ten and twenty minutes,
detail the technique of a wide range of sports and were intended for use in schools to supplement
coaching or to encourage young people to participate in athletic events.

Most of the reels within this series are original pre-print elements and in most cases the Archives
Center does not hold the completed print. These films do not reflect the entirety of Frank J. Ryan's sports training film series.

Subseries 7.2: Bank Promotional Films, circa 1964-1965, undated

Contains training films created by Ryan and donated to local schools by banks including
Connecticut Bank and Trust, The People's Bank, Selma National Bank, National Bank of Evanston,
and First New Haven National Bank in exchange for publicity

Subseries 7.3: Home Movies, 1959-1968

Documents scenes of Ireland and Biafra a partially recognized state in West Africa that declared its independence from Nigeria and only existing  from 1967 to 1970.
relatedmaterial: label: Related Materials
content: Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution

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Mille Gade Corson Collection, NMAH.AC.0063

Randolph Winslow Collection, NMAH.AC.0150

United Shoe Machinery Corporation Records, NMAH.AC.0277

Sam DeVincent Collection of Illustrated American Sheet Music, Series 7: Sports, NMAH.AC.0300.S07

Archives Center Business Americana Collection, NMAH.AC.0404

Louis S. Nixdorff 1928 Olympic Games Collection, NMAH.AC.0443

Ronald S. Korda Collection of Sports and Trading Cards, NMAH.AC.0545

Scurlock Studio Records, 4.1: Black-and-White Silver Gelatin Negatives, NMAH.AC.0618.S04.01

Glen Fishback Papers and Photographs, NMAH.AC.0714

Lloyd A. Strickland Collection of 1936 Olympics Souvenir Cards, NMAH.AC.0743

Frank and Lillian Gilbreth Collection, NMAH.AC.0803

Arthur Ehrat Papers, NMAH.AC.0907

Bob Wobbrock Gardena High School Papers, NMAH.AC.0932

Ernest Edwin Coffin Collection, NMAH.AC.1152

Archives Center 1968 Olympic Games Collection, NMAH.AC.1402

Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution

Brad Richman Photograph Collection, ACMA.06-124.12

National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution

Haskell Institute Photograph Album, NMAI.AC.105


Ellison "Tarzan" Myers Brown Scrapbook and Clippings, NMAI.AC.446