'He'll be here forever': UMD football retiring Reed Ryan's jersey

DULUTH Former Minnesota Duluth football player Reed Ryan will have his No.

99 jersey officially retired in a pregame ceremony leading up to kick-off against Minnesota State-Moorhead on Saturday at Malosky Stadium.

The effort to commemorate his legacy brings comfort and pride to team members as they continue to mourn the loss of a teammate and friend.

He had a place in his heart for everybody, said offensive tackle and team captain Aiden Williams.

He knew everybody on a really deep level and just being one of his roommates, I really got to know him really well ...

I think its an awesome experience and cool feeling to know that his jerseys gonna be retired and hell always be a Bulldog forever.

ADVERTISEMENT Ryan, who passed away from cardiac arrest on Nov.

28, 2023 at the age of 22, will be the first player in program history to be honored in this way.

Ryan arrived at UMD as a senior transfer ahead of the 2023 season after spending the previous four seasons in Fargo, North Dakota as a member of North Dakota State.

During his time with the Bison he won two Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) national titles.

Before making the jump to college football, Ryan was a multi-sport star at Waunakee High School in Waunakee, Wisconsin, competing in football, wrestling and track and field.

He won a Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Division 2 state football championship in 2017 as a sophomore, and was named Wisconsin's Defensive Player of the Year in 2018 as a junior.

As a four-year wrestler for the Warriors, Ryan crossed paths with fellow standout on the mat, Drew Hennessey, who became a close friend and later a teammate of Ryan at UMD.

Its pretty special, hes probably one of my best friends, said Hennessey, a defensive captain and Highland, Wisconsin native.

I was a big reason why he transferred here, and I knew him very well in high school.

So to see his legacy live on, its awesome.

I mean, hell be here forever.

Ryan took the field in eight games for the Bulldogs, totaling eight tackles in his lone season with the program.

He recorded one sack in a Sept.

9 game against Northern State.

While his time with UMD was short, his impact was profound and still felt by the players he suited up with, including defensive captain Andrew Klopp, who looks forward to seeing Ryan's legacy celebrated with the jersey retirement next Saturday.

ADVERTISEMENT He meant so much to all of us, said Klopp, a grad student and captain at UMD.

What he did here in the short amount of time he was here was just awesome.

He was one of my best friends, and I know its tough to kind of talk about it, but he means a lot to us and all of us here at UMD and so Im honored that hes getting honored on Saturday.

UMDs Week 2 matchup and Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference opener against Minnesota State Moorhead is slated for 2 p.m..

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