Martin Ryan

Martin Ryan (28 August 1923 – 13 January 2003) was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s and 1950s. He played at representative level for and , and at club level for Wigan (Heritage № 437), primarily at , or . He also made five guest appearances for St Helens (Heritage № 583) in 1943, plus one appearance for Leigh (Heritage № 643) in 1955. Ryan is credited with redefining the role of fullback from being a purely defensive role to one requiring counter-attacking skills. Playing career Club career Almost a one club man Ryan made his début for Wigan at and scored a try in the 21–0 victory over Oldham at Watersheddings, Oldham on Saturday 21 September 1940. His last try for Wigan was scored during the 13–6 victory over Bradford Northern in the Championship Final during the 1951–52 season at Leeds Road, Huddersfield on Saturday 10 May 1952. His 300th and last match was the 2–15 defeat by Workington Town at Borough Park, Workington on Saturday 20 September 1952.