William Richard Ryan Jr. (April 21, 1887 – December 20, 1951) was an American football player from Cleveland, Ohio, and a starting quarterback for the University of Notre Dame. Ryan began his career as the starting quarterback, placekicker and punt returner for the Notre Dame football squad in 1907, leading the team to an undefeated season of 6-0-1 in his freshman year. In addition to Ryan's skills on the gridiron, he was a pitcher for the baseball team, a basso in the campus Glee Club, and a lead actor in the university's theater productions.