The late Frank Ryan’s net worth grew significantly as a result of his profession as an NFL player and a professor. Ryan died on January 1, 2024, at the age of 87, as a result of Alzheimer’s disease complications at a nursing facility. Before his family relocated him to the Waterford, Connecticut, healthcare facility, the former quarterback resided on 78 acres of highly wooded property with his wife, Joan Ryan. Frank Beall Ryan was a late American football quarterback who played in the National Football League from 1958 to 1970. He was the Los Angeles Rams’ fifth-round NFL draft choice in 1958 and played until 1961.
He then played for the Cleveland Browns (1962-1968) and the Washington Redskins (1969-1970). Frank won the 1964 NFL Championship with the Browns, which has been referred to as the “Super Bowl” since 1966. He finished his NFL career with an 81.43 passing rating, ranking fifth behind Milt Plum, Baker Mayfield, Otto Graham, and Bernie Kosar. He was a mathematician and professor at Case Institute of Technology (now Case Western Reserve University) in addition to being a competent football quarterback. He also held managerial positions at Yale University and Rice University, his alma mater.
Frank Ryan Net Worth Before Death: QB Earnings & Income Throughout His Career
Frank Ryan died on January 1, 2024, with an estimated net worth of $1 million. His NFL career was his first big source of revenue. Then, after retiring from sports, he made a good living as a professor and athletic director. While the specifics of his NFL contract or career earnings are unknown, they were reportedly in the six-figure range. Given his 13 seasons with clubs such as the Browns, Rams, and Redskins (now Commanders), his earning potential seems to be legitimate. Ryan earned $12,000 a season with the Los Angeles Rams in the late 1950s (equivalent to $131.5K now).
He was then transferred to the Cleveland Browns after the 1961-62 season. He was named to three Pro Bowls and won the NFL Championship with the club in 1964. According to reports, each player of the victorious NFL Championship team (the Browns) earned $8,000 apiece. In contrast, the Colts players who lost earned roughly $5,000 apiece.
Frank was previously making $18,000 every season, which is now comparable to $200K. Following the triumph, Arthur Bertram Modell, the then-owner of the Cleveland Browns, increased his compensation by 38% to $25,000 per year. In 2024, the sum has the same buying power as $275,000. Then, in 1969, he joined the Washington Redskins, where he appeared in just two games in 1969-70 and 1970-71. He retired from the NFL on April 13, 1971, with 1,090 completions in 2,133 attempts for 16,044 yards, 149 touchdowns, and 111 interceptions.
Frank Ryan Post-NFL Career and Achievements
Ryan has a bachelor’s degree in physics and a post-graduate degree in mathematics from Rice University. Then, in 1965, he received his Ph.D. from the aforementioned institution. He continued his studies while playing football. After leaving the NFL in 1970, he spent six years as the House of Representatives’ director of information systems.
During that period, he was instrumental in building the body’s first computerized voting system. Frank later became the athletic director at Yale University on March 7, 1977, a post he maintained for ten years. From 1990 until 1995, the 1965 Golden Plate Awardee worked as a Vice President for Institutional Planning at his alma school, Rice University. He was also a computational and applied mathematics professor at Rice at the time.
Following that, Frank Ryan had a variety of administrative positions, including CEO of Contex Electronics and director of America West Airlines, Sequoia Voting Systems, and Danielson Holding Corporation. There is no information on how much money he made from these academic and managerial positions. However, it is also true that it resulted in a substantial cash flow into his bank accounts.
