Logan Ryan has had a wildly successful NFL career, winning two Super Bowls and appearing in three during his 11 seasons in the league. The veteran defensive back's success can partially be traced back to his time playing youth football, where one of his coaches used a play Ryan drew up in the game, sparking a belief in himself that led to over a decade in the NFL.
During NBC Sports Bay Area's Gamechanger Awards, Ryan revealed how his special relationship with youth football coach Mike McGough during his childhood in New Jersey played a pivotal role in his football journey.
"I first met coach Mike at 10 or 11 years old," Ryan shared. "I was joining a team called the Jersey Pine Wildcats, and he was the coach. I'm so happy I met him; I don't think my career would have gone the same without having a great, positive coach at that important age."
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McGough provided some background on his coaching history, citing that it's a responsibility he believes people are destined for.
"I started coaching when I was 20 years old, and personally, I believe you're born to be a coach, I mean that," McGough explained. "My whole family coaches and teaches."
Ryan revealed how McGough's belief in him helped instill a level of confidence that propelled him to become the leader he is today.
Mike has a ton of strengths," Ryan said. "First and foremost, he's positive. I think he's been coaching for going on 37 years now; his whole adult life, he's been a coach, and he's a believer. He believed in me; he put the ball in my hands when I was a kid. My dad was somebody who had me switching positions every year. My dad was a coach as well, but my dad was always like, 'You're going to switch positions. You're going to learn the game.' Mike was like, "Nah. This kid's a quarterback. I want to put the ball in your son's hands and let him be a leader.'
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"I believe Mike is the reason some of my leadership qualities in the NFL are what they are because he believed in me at that young age to be one."
Ryan shared an incredible story about drawing up a play he presented to McGough, with his coach believing in him so much, he actually used the play in a game, with it resulting in a touchdown.
"I was a kid drawing up plays in my off-time. I ripped up a play, gave it to coach Mike, and he ran it in a game. It was a back-to-back, a double-reverse."
McGough noted how impressed he was with Ryan's selflessness, explaining how rare it is for a kid that age to draw up a play where they aren't the focal point.
"So Logan shows up one night, and he's got a couple of plays, and there were two things that were unique about them," McGough said. "One, they weren't about him, which was kind of cool. Most kids, if they're a quarterback, it's going to be a passing play. It wasn't; it was a reverse, double-reverse, or something like that. But also, it played in our offense."
Ryan explained that having a coach willing to take a chance on a play he drew up inspired him to take his football mind to the next level.
"I remember it like it was yesterday," Ryan said. "He [McGough] was like, 'Logan, this is a great play. We're going to run it.' We ran that play, and it went for a touchdown. To have your coach not only believe in you and give you the ball and put it in your hands but also believe in your plays and put it in the game, and it worked; I think that took my football mind to a different level."
Ryan signed with the 49ers midway through the 2023 NFL season, playing a key role down the stretch as the team made their way to Super Bowl LVIII.
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