Our History

Our History

Teamsportshop.com is the online version of Mike Ryan & Sons Sporting Goods. Established in 1947, by Ben and Bob Ryan, the shop served the San Jose, CA area. The store had several locations and focused mainly on working with institutions and teams rather than retail sales.

Bob & Ben established, grew and maintained Mike Ryan & Sons Sporting Goods with integrity, honesty, and commitment to service. Their easygoing nature and involvement in the community had a lasting impact on the lives of many people, including mine. I am very grateful to have had the chance to help carry on the tradition that my uncles established and hope to honor them by the way I live and conduct business.

In 1999 I created Teamsportshop.com to reach customers 24/7.

Family photo with Mike Ryan’s 1912 Boston Marathon Champion Cup. Front row: Tom Ryan, Bill Ryan. Back row: Dan Ryan, Tom Ryan, Ben Ryan, Bob Ryan, and Brian Dresbeck.

In 2002, I relocated the business to Portland, OR to raise my family in an environment rich in outdoor recreational opportunities and to be closer to family. I coach and play basketball, play soccer, and regularly row, bicycle, hike, canoe, and swim. I am a graduate of Willamette University and Portland Community College and have studied at Ludwig Maximillian Universitat in Munich, Germany. My interest in both art and sports makes customizing uniforms, apparel, banners and awards a pursuit for which I gain a great deal of enjoyment.

Store Founders

Who was Michael J. Ryan?

Bob and Ben Ryan, circa 1992

Bob & Ben named the store after their father, Mike Ryan, my great grandfather on my mother’s side of the family. I remember visiting with Mike when I was a young kid. Mike was a world class distance runner, being hailed by newspapers as the “world’s greatest long distance runner” during his time. As a runner for the Irish-American Athletic Club, Mike was selected to run the marathon for the US Men’s team in the 1908 London Olympics. He also ran in the 1912 Stockholm Olympics. Although he did not medal in those races, Mike became famous for some of the other races he won.

Mike Ryan ran the Boston Marathon several times, but it is his record setting victory in 1912 which cemented his place in history. His time of 2:21:18 in 1912 was impressive not only because he set a course record, but also because the wet and muddy conditions of the race were not conducive to fast times. Mike’s record was broken ten years later by 7-time winner Clarence Demar. After that, no one bested either man’s time until 1953. Mike finished the Boston Marathon with the following results:1907-15th place; 1908-4th; 1910-5th; 1911-9th; and 1912-1st.

Mike also won the second annual Canadian Marathon in 1910, came in third in the 1909 Yonkers Marathon, and second in the 1911 London Marathon. He also won many 10,000 meter and other distance events in the US, Canada, & England during this time.

He was involved as an athlete-coach in the Milrose Athletic Club in New York before he turned to coaching as a profession as the Physical Training Director for the State of Maine. Mike was honored to be a coach for three Olympic games: 1920 Antwerp, 1924 Paris, and 1928 Amsterdam.

Mr great grandfather coached at Bates College, at Colby College in Maine from 1919-1934, at Idaho from 1934-46, at Wyoming from 1946-1948, and then coached the Guatemalan Pan Am & Olympic Team from 1948- about 1950. After that, he joined his sons at the shop in San Jose. He formed the Santa Clara Youth Village Athletic Club, a group that sent eight track and field athletes to three different Olympic Games. Mike was elected to the Helms Track & Field Hall of Fame.

Find out more about Mike Ryan:

• 100 year Anniversary Website
• Boston Marathon official Website
• List of Boston Marathon Winners
• Helms Athletic Foundation

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