A Special Senior Day For Matt Ryan At Narragansett High

NARRAGANSETT, RI — On senior day for the lacrosse squad, Abby Hummel, the assistant athletics director at Narragansett High, wanted someone there to represent Matt Ryan's dad. Matt, who's going to continue his education at the University of Rhode Island next fall, lettered in football, basketball and lacrosse, Hummel said. She had watched as his mother Mag and sister Sara stood by at his senior days for the football and basketball teams. Lacrosse was the last senior day Matt would experience. And it would have been nice if his father could be represented, even though he couldn't actually be there. Richard Ryan died of cancer when his son was 13. But he had stayed involved with his son's sports teams, even when he was undergoing medical treatment.

"During his treatment, he never missed a game," Matt remembers. He even went in a wheelchair not to miss Matt's first middle school basketball game. The action started right after his father had finished a chemotherapy session, but his mother pushed the wheelchair along, and they made it to the gym.

His father had been a Rhode Island State Police Trooper. Hummel turned to the state police for help.

They obliged.

"No, it wasn't going to be a surprise," Hummel said, for Matt and his family. "We wanted to make sure, emotion wise, they would be ok with it. But it seems to be a surprise to us the actual number of troopers coming to be by his side."

"Many of the troopers knew and loved Matt's dad," said Laura Meade Kirk, state police spokeswoman. "So this will be a special time for them as well."

Hummel said she has known Matt since he was in middle school.

"He's not just an athlete," she said. "He's a great all-around kid." And it was tough to deal with losing his father and "at such a meaningful point in his life," she said.

Matt hopes to follow in his father's footsteps and become a state trooper after college. He plans to major in criminology.

"That's the plan," he said. His father was a lieutenant in the state police, where he served 22 years. Matt has wanted to go into law enforcement "ever since I was little," he said. He remembers one time when he was "really little," he went to the Wickford Barracks, and his father gave him the tour.

"I thought it was the coolest thing," he said. His mother went with him and got fingerprinted, and he saw the jail cells. He reconnected with the Wickford Barracks this year when he did his senior project. The police let him help train a puppy as a future K-9 officer; and although that little dog is going to stay a civilian, Matt had a lot of fun working with the police on the project.

"I respect the police more than any" other professionals, he said. He believes the officers are honorable and are standing up for people's rights. He's sorry some people view the police negatively but hopes he will make a difference.

"I plan to be friendly," he said.

His father was diagnosed when Matt was 7, he said. His parents tried to explain it to him. They sat him down and tried to tell him what was going on.

"I didn't really understand" at first, he said. His father died when he was 13.

Matt is an honor student at Narragansett High. He shared in two state championships on the basketball team, one this year and one two years ago. At 6'3", he played power forward. His favorite games were one against Shea and a championship game when Narragansett defeated East Greenwich.

His best football memory was senior day against North Smithfield, he said. It happened to be his birthday, too. He played right tackle on the offensive team and linebacker on defense.

The lacrosse team has struggled, he said. His first year they had a hard time winning, but they're going to the playoffs this year.

Courtesy Photo: Abby Hummell