was to make us more mentally tough than anyone else we would compete against. It didn’t matter if it was a downpour or a blizzard, we practiced. Coach galvanized the grit and determination that I had been brought up with but took it to the next level. He ran me as a freshman at Denver so during the spring semester of my sophomore year he allowed me to help him coach my peers since I was out of eligibility. That pre-senior college coaching experience helped set the stage for my coaching success later in time.” After junior college, Ryan attended Texas A&M University where he judged in 2001. “As my father-in- law always says, you are
only as good as those you choose to surround yourself with. Our starting five at Louisville, consisted of two eventual lawyers, two PhDs, and a commodity broker. I earned some of my closest friends on that team and I was fortunate enough to have Dr. Chris Skaggs mentor me on how to be a professional. Thereafter, Dr. Skaggs gave me the privilege of coaching three teams at Texas A&M while I achieved a Masters in Beef Cattle Reproduction under Dr. David Forrest.” All three teams Ryan coached were National Champions (2002-2004). Some students on those teams included Shellie Collins, Jason Lackey, David Groschke, Jacob and Ingrid Tusa, Kelton Mason,
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