DePaul University Athletics
Hall of Fame Inductee Carey Ryan: From Walk-On to All-American
1/28/2019 10:44:00 AM | ATHLETICS, TRACK AND FIELD
CHICAGO, Ill. - Around the world, many athletes dream of competing at the elite Division I level, although very few get the opportunity to let that dream run its course.
As a track and field athlete at Romeoville High School, the hunger was there for Carey Ryan, but his chances of getting recognized by a Division I program were looking slim to none.
Just when he thought any last hope of achieving his dream was starting to fade away, it suddenly began to materialize as Dave Dopek walked into his life. Sometimes all you need to reach your full potential is someone to take a chance on you. In this case, Ryan was offered that chance. Little did he know, it would one day go down in DePaul Track and Field history.
"Dave, who at the time was an assistant coach, had gone to the same high school as me and wanted to take a look at me while he was scouting at my sectional meet," Ryan said. "Afterwards, Dave was up front that he could not offer me a scholarship but encouraged me to walk on and earn one."
Knowing he had a lot to prove and that his abilities were behind those of a typical Division I athlete, Ryan accepted the challenge and began his journey at DePaul.
Struggling at first as he was stuck in the habit of comparing himself to others, Ryan allowed his own self-perception to undermine his abilities and began to let others' opinions of him weigh heavily.
"Eventually I had a big personal record that qualified me for both the NCAA Championships and the Olympic Trials," Ryan said. "At the first NCAA Championship meet that I attended, I felt outclassed and like I did not belong. At the Olympic Trials, it felt like everything was going wrong for me.
"During warmups at the Olympic Trials, an official brought my implement to me and asked if it was mine. When I replied 'yes', he said 'seriously? Throw it farther next time.' On top of that, during warmups another team's athlete threw my implement into a cage where it remained for the entire meet. I never looked it up, but I probably finished last at the Olympic Trials."
When it seemed like Ryan had every reason in the world to give up, that is when the manifestation for greatness truly began. Striving to better his numbers while also proving his worth, Ryan developed a renewed mindset.
"That was all a major turning point for me and as a result, I was able to find consistent success," Ryan said. "Because of my personal experiences, I now realize that the mental aspect in sports is more important than anything else.
"In track and field, it's easy to feel like your identity can be reduced to a number whether--- it is your time, height, distance. Realizing that almost every decision you make in life can either improve your number or set you back makes it addictive. The flip side is that you are never truly satisfied with any number because you want to evolve into something more. Regardless of what mark I passed, I just wanted to throw farther."
And that he did.
Ryan has come to be known as the only student-athlete in Conference USA history to eclipse the 60-meter mark in the hammer throw, become a two-time All-American with a third-place finish at the 2002 NCAA Championships and sixth in 2001. He became the three-time Conference USA champion in the hammer and honored with a number of other Conference USA accolades throughout his career at DePaul.
After Saturday, Feb. 2 one may also know him as Carey Ryan -- DePaul Athletics Hall of Famer.
When he heard the news that he would be one of the select athletes inducted into the Class of 2019, Ryan could only describe the feeling as incredibly humbling. He hopes to serve as an exemplary figure for other walk-ons in their respective sports.
A full 17 years after his achievements, Ryan remains grateful to DePaul for many reasons and believe it or not, his main reason has nothing to do with athletics.
"For me, the greatest thing that came from DePaul is my son Henry, as a result of meeting his mother Dana when I was a student there," Ryan said. "Because of Henry, DePaul is never far from my mind."
At the end of the day, everything that DePaul blessed Ryan with can be credited back to the man who encouraged him to take that one initial chance.
"Dave told me something back then that has always stuck with me," Ryan said. "He said 'every time you do the right thing, it is like a drop of water in a bucket. Eventually, the bucket fills up and then it starts to overflow.'"
Sometimes our own doubts restrict us from filling up our buckets. Will you allow your bucket to flow or will you sabotage yourself with negative thoughts?
Carey Ryan overcame his mental blocks and filled up his bucket to overflow--- and the rest will go down in history.
