A native of New Orleans who attended Louisiana State University, he batted and threw right-handed and was listed as 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) tall and 175 pounds (79 kg).

During his playing days, Ryan appeared in 1,184 games over 12 MLB seasons, and compiled a lifetime batting average of .248 with 988 career hits (among them 58 home runs) with the New York Giants, Boston Braves, Cincinnati Reds / Redlegs, Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago White Sox.

On April 16, 1953, Ryan (then with the Phillies) made six hits in six at bats in a 14–12 loss to Pittsburgh, tying a then-Major League record.

Ryan succeeded Clyde King as skipper of the Atlanta Braves on August 30, 1975,[2] and guided the team to a record of 9–18 over the final 27 games of the season.

During the 1960s, Ryan also spent several seasons as a scout and minor league manager with the Houston Astros and briefly worked with the Kansas City A's.