Dean Ryan, who managed the 36-lane bowling center at Fort Meade from 1996 to 2011, was responsible for his center hosting five PBA East Regional and six PBA Senior East Regional tournaments in our association. For this in part, he received the PBA Pat Patterson Award for Service to the PBA for the 2008-2009 season, specifically recognizing his contributions to the East Regional program.
Dean embraced the “Sport Bowling” concept in 2000 by hosting the first sanctioned “Sport Certified” league in our association. This league continues today and is the area’s largest scratch and “Sport Certified” league.
Dean always looked to support youth bowling. He hosted the Maryland State Youth Tournament and ran the first Youth “Sport Certified” league in the area. His support of youth bowling has resulted in the youth program at The Lanes Fort Meade being one of the larger youth leagues in the region.
Dean has a deep commitment to skill enhancement. You would often find him out on the lanes coaching players of all ages and skill levels. He achieved USBC Silver Level and Ritger Level 3 Coaching status and became an IBPSIA (International Bowling Pro Shops and Instructors Association) Certified Pro Shop Technician.
He coached the All-Army Bowling Team for nine years and was named “Coach of the Year” in 2009. In addition, he served as a trainer and mentor for the Army’s Bowling Manager Intern Program.
Dean operated the Fort Meade Pro Shop for 15 years. As a business manager, he received many awards, including being a two-time Excellence in Management Recipient (1998 and 2000), and he was cited by the Disney Institute for Excellence in producing Gross Dollars Per Square Foot for the year 2000.
He hosted the NSA Civilian Welfare Tournament for 11 years as well as a BVL Kickoff Tournament. He is a co-founder of the Fort Meade Lanes to Links Tournament and hosted the bowling portion for nine years.
Dean served on many boards, including the Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America (BPAA) Military Liaison Committee (12 years) and the Maryland Tenpin Bowling Council (five years) in addition to being vice president of the Maryland State BPAA for four years.
A bowler for over a half century and a PBA member for 13 years, he has recorded two perfect games and has an 800 series to his credit.
No manager in this area has demonstrated the support for the PBA and Sport Bowling as has Dean Ryan. He is a superb addition to the NCAUSBCA Hall of Fame.