DENNIS RYAN NAMED AS PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE RECIPIENT
The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced today that former Minnesota Vikings Equipment Manager Dennis Ryan has been selected as a 2025 Awards of Excellence recipient.
“Dennis’ commitment to the Minnesota Vikings organization has left an incredible legacy,” said Vikings Owner/President Mark Wilf, “For nearly five decades, he poured his heart into this team to set our players and staff up for success. Dennis’ impact goes far beyond the equipment room as a cornerstone of our franchise. This recognition from the Pro Football Hall of Fame is a fitting tribute to his legacy, and we are incredibly proud to celebrate this well-earned honor with him and his family.”
Ryan, who retired in April of 2023 after a 47-year tenure with the team, worked 922 NFL games, missing only one regular season game due to COVID-19 in 2021. He began with the Vikings in 1975 working part time in the summer to help the equipment staff pack up the locker room and move operations to Mankato for the team’s annual training camp. Ryan was hired as a full-time member of the equipment staff in 1977 and just four years later in 1981 he became the youngest equipment manager in the NFL at 21 years old.
“The Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, is a storied place,” said Ryan, “Even to be considered, but then to be honored is amazing and humbling. It’s a very high honor. I want to make sure the people that worked with me and supported me over the years are recognized for their contribution in making this award possible for me. I owe them my gratitude — the people behind the guy who was behind the scenes. Without their contributions, this award would have never come my way. I share this honor with my wife, Laura, who sacrificed much over the years, making my career possible.”
A two-time winner of the Whitey Zimmerman Award, which honors the NFL’s Equipment Manager of the Year (1996 and 2017), Ryan worked with nine of the Vikings 10 head coaches, 15 of Minnesota’s 16 Hall of Famers and worked in all of the Vikings home stadiums (Metropolitan Stadum, Metrodome, TCF Bank Stadium and U.S. Bank Stadium). He handled the logistics for multiple international games, training camp in Mankato and the move of the organization’s headquarters from Winter Park to TCO Performance Center in 2018.
Ryan is credited as the developer of the first eye shield to be worn by a player in an NFL game (1984), began the use of baseball mud to prep game balls for quarterbacks and developed techniques for preparing kicking balls (1999). He worked with thousands of Vikings players and coaches in his career and his dedication to the organization was recognized in November of 2023 when the Vikings unveiled the Dennis Ryan Equipment Room in honor of his steadfast commitment to the organization. Ryan was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2024 NFL Equipment Manager’s Meeting.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame established the Awards of Excellence in 2022 to recognize significant contributors to the game, including assistant coaches, athletic trainers, equipment managers, film/video directors and public relations personnel. The awards are voted on by a selection committee of their peers who set their own criteria for voting.