At club level he played with Toomevara and was also a member of the Tipperary senior hurling team.
Ryan first played hurling at juvenile and underage level with the Toomevara club.
[1][2] Ryan first appeared on the inter-county scene during a two-year tenure with the Tipperary minor hurling team.
[3] Ryan was dropped from the team for the next two years but returned as part of the 1964-65 National League-winning side.
[5] His brother, Roger Ryan, won an All-Ireland medal with Tipperary in 1971.