| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 1, 1936 Troy, New York |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1973–1994 | University of Florida |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| NCAA (1985, 1986) SEC (1981, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1991) | |
| Awards | |
| SEC Coach of the Year (1985, 1986) NGCA National Coach of the Year (1986) NGCA National Coaches Hall of Fame University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame | |
Mimi Ryan (born April 1, 1936) is a former American college golf coach. Ryan was the founder and long-time head coach of the Florida Gators women's golf program at the University of Florida. She is best known for leading the Florida Gators women's golfers to two back-to-back National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) national tournament championships.
Ryan was born in Troy, New York in 1936. [1] She was the daughter of John Ryan, an electrician, and his wife Mildred Pratt Ryan, a telephone operator who worked in the New York governor's office. [1]
Ryan graduated from Bouve College in Boston Massachusetts with a bachelor's degree in physical education, then earned a second degree in education from Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, and a master's degree in education from the University of North Carolina in Greensboro, North Carolina. [2]
Ryan started her coaching career as the first head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions women's golf team at Penn State University in State College, Pennsylvania, from 1964 to 1969. [3] In 1969, she was hired to be a physical education instructor by dean Dennis K. Stanley of the College of Health and Human Performance at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. [3] Shortly thereafter, Ryan was also hired to be one of the first generation of Florida Gators women's sports head coaches at the University of Florida. [2]
University of Florida athletic director Ray Graves and associate athletic director Ruth H. Alexander had made the strategic decision to embrace Title IX, the new federal law requiring equal opportunities for women in U.S. college sports. [4] Among the first programs started was the new Lady Gators women's golf program, and Ryan was recruited to start it from scratch—first as an intercollegiate club team in 1969, and then to elevate it as a varsity team in Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) competition in 1973. [5] In the Lady Gators' first year as a varsity sports team, Ryan's Gators finished seventh at the AIAW national championship tournament, beginning a streak of nineteen consecutive top-ten finishes in the AIAW and NCAA national championship tournaments.
Ryan's golfers finished second in the AIAW national championship tournament in 1978 and 1979, but the Gators women's golf program peaked in the mid-1980s, when her Lady Gators won back-to-back NCAA national tournament championships in 1985 and 1986. [6] [7] Led by senior Deb Richard, the 1985 Gators dominated the NCAA tournament field to win their first national championship, and Richard missed winning the NCAA individual championship by a single stroke. [2]
For the first time in NCAA history, all five starting members of her 1986 team were recognized as All-Americans, [8] including senior team captain Lisa Stanley, freshmen Cheryl Morley and Lisa Nedoba, junior Page Dunlap, who won the 1986 NCAA individual championship, and sophomore Karen Davies, who won the 1986 SEC individual championship. [9] Following the 1986 NCAA championship, the National Golf Coaches Association (NGCA) honored Ryan with its national coach of the year award and later inducted her into its Coaches Hall of Fame as one of its five "charter members." [10] [11]
Ryan's Lady Gators also won Southeastern Conference (SEC) championships in 1981, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1987 and 1991, and four of her golfers won a total of six SEC individual championships. [12]
In the middle of the 1994 fall season, Ryan decided to retire after twenty-five years as the Lady Gators' head coach, citing her inability to continue to give her coaching responsibilities the full attention that her athletes deserved. [8]
Ryan was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as an "Honorary Letter Winner" in 1996. [13] [14] Today, there is an endowed athletic scholarship in her name at the University of Florida. [15] Ryan is retired, lives in Gainesville, and remains in active communication with her former players. [3]
The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni and its sports fans are often collectively referred to as the "Gator Nation." The Gators compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and are consistently ranked among the top college sports programs in the United States. The University of Florida currently fields teams in nine men's sports and twelve women's sports.
Deb Richard is an American former professional golfer who was a member of the LPGA Tour for twenty years during the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.
Stewart Murray Alexander, nicknamed Buddy Alexander, is an American former college golf coach and amateur golfer. Alexander is the former head coach of the Florida Gators men's golf team. He is best known for coaching the Gators to National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I tournament championships in 1993 and 2001.
Karen Davies is a professional golfer from Wales who formerly played on the LPGA Tour.
Beverley S. Davis is an American former professional golfer who is currently an instructor with LPGA International.
The Florida Gators women's gymnastics team represents the University of Florida in the sport of gymnastics. The team competes in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Gators host their home matches in the O'Connell Center on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus, and are currently led by head coach Jenny Rowland. The Gators women's gymnastics program has won nine SEC championships, and four national championships: the 1982 AIAW national tournament and the 2013, 2014, and 2015 NCAA championships.
The Florida Gators women's tennis team represents the University of Florida in the sport of tennis. The Gators compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They play their home matches in Linder Stadium on the university's Gainesville, Florida, campus, and are currently led by head coach Roland Thornqvist. In the thirty-nine-year history of the Gators women's tennis program, the team has won twenty-five SEC championships and seven NCAA national tournament championships.
The Florida Gators women's lacrosse team represents the University of Florida in the sport of college lacrosse. The Gators compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) and are single-sport members of the American Athletic Conference, which they joined in 2018 after four seasons in the Big East Conference. Before joining Big East women's lacrosse, the Gators were members of the American Lacrosse Conference (ALC), which folded after the 2014 season due to aftereffects of conference realignment. They play their home games in Donald R. Dizney Stadium on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus, and are currently led by head coach Amanda O'Leary. The Gators have won regular-season conference titles in 11 of the 12 completed seasons of the women's lacrosse program's existence, with four each in the ALC and Big East plus two in The American. Additionally, they have won eight conference tournament titles and advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament six times, with their best NCAA finish being a semifinal berth in 2012.
The Florida Gators men's golf team represents the University of Florida in the sport of golf. The Gators compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They play their home matches on the Mark Bostick Golf Course on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus, and are currently led by head coach J. C. Deacon. In the eighty-nine-year history of the Gators' men's golf program, they have won fifteen SEC championships and five NCAA national tournament championships. They are the current defending national champions.
The Florida Gators track and field program represents the University of Florida in the sport of track and field. The program includes separate men's and women's teams, both of which compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Gators host their home indoor meets in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center and their home outdoor meets at Percy Beard Track, both located on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus. The Gators track teams are currently led by head coach Mike Holloway.
Randy Reese is an American college and Olympic swimming coach. Reese is best known for coaching the Florida Gators swimming and diving teams of the University of Florida to four national championships, and coaching the winners of eighteen Olympic gold, eight silver and eight bronze medals. Reese is a member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
The Florida Gators women's golf team represents the University of Florida in the sport of golf. The Lady Gators compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They play their home matches on the Mark Bostick Golf Course on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus, and will be led by third-year coach Emily Glaser in 2014–15. In the forty-five-year history of the Gators women's golf program, the Lady Gators have won nine SEC championships and two NCAA national tournament championships.
E. Page Halpin, née E. Page Dunlap, is an American former professional golfer who was a member of the LPGA Tour for six years during the 1990s. Dunlap is best known for winning the individual NCAA Division I Championship in 1986.
Shaun Stafford Beckish, née Shaun Stafford, is an American former college and professional tennis player who played on the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) tour from 1989 to 1996. As a collegiate tennis player, Stafford won the 1988 NCAA national singles championship while playing for the University of Florida. She won two WTA tournaments in her professional career, one in singles and the other in doubles.
Thomas George Bartlett was an American college basketball and tennis player, as well as a college basketball and tennis head coach. After graduating from the University of Tennessee, Bartlett served as the men's basketball head coach for Carson-Newman College, the University of Chattanooga, and the University of Florida, and also as the men's tennis head coach at the University of Tennessee and UT-Chattanooga.
Andres V. Brandi is an American college and professional tennis coach. He is currently co-head coach of the LSU Tigers tennis team with his son, Chris Brandi.
Bernays Emery "Buster" Bishop was an American college golf coach. Bishop was best known for leading the Florida Gators men's golf team of the University of Florida to National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I championships in 1968 and 1973.
The University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame includes over 300 former Florida Gators athletes who represented the University of Florida in one or more intercollegiate sports and were recognized as "Gator Greats" for their athletic excellence during their college sports careers. The University of Florida, located in Gainesville, Florida, is a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), and fields twenty-one intercollegiate sports teams, all of which compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
Dawn Alexis Buth is an American former college and professional tennis player. As a collegiate player, she played for the University of Florida and won two national doubles championships. As a professional, she played on the ITF Women's Circuit (ITF) and WTA Tour (WTA) from 1998 to 2001. She served as head coach of the women's tennis team at George Washington University (GWU) from 2004 to 2013. She is currently the Director for Government Relations at the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA).
Emily Bastel Glaser, née Emily Bastel, is an American college golf coach and a former professional golfer. She played on the Futures Tour and LPGA Tour and is currently the head coach of the Florida Gators women's golf team of the University of Florida.
