After graduating from high school, Ryan attended the
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he joined the football team. His style of play lead to him being referred to as a "daring young Irishman". Perhaps the highlight of his collegiate football career was playing in the
1952 Rose Bowl, the first nationally televised college football game, where he caught a touchdown pass. In addition to his performance on the field, Ryan became known for one significant off-field incident during his collegiate career, referred to as "The Apple Bowl." After the University of Illinois defeated the
University of Iowa 33–13 in a game held on November 8, 1952, Iowa fans began to throw apples and other fruit at Illinois players as the players exited the field. Shortly thereafter, Ryan was approached by a University of Iowa fan named Richard Wolfe, and, after an exchange between the two men, Ryan punched Wolfe in the face, breaking his jaw. The incident resulted in the two schools not playing a football game against each other for fifteen years. ==Professional career==