A corporate controller from Richmond, California...

John Ryan

Date of first appearance:
March 1987

Total winnings:
$61,800 on five regular shows (this was before the dollar amounts doubled) + $5,000 on the 1988 Tournament of Champions

Records held:
5-time champ

Favorite anecdote associated with being on the show:
After my shows aired, an amazing number of people came up to me in the street and said, "You look so familiar--did I go to high school with you?" When I asked, "Do you watch Jeopardy!?" they'd answer, "Of course! That's where I saw you!" This died down after a while, but I could tell when my shows were re-run, because there would be a sudden upsurge.

Did being on Jeopardy! have any affect on your life?
I used my winnings (the part I didn't lose in the stock market) to get an M.B.A., which had a major impact on my career. Also, putting my Jeopardy! experience on my résumé has gotten me a lot of job interviews over the years. I don't think it convinced anybody to hire me all by itself, but it sure made my résumé stand out from the crowd.

Did you do anything crazy with your winnings?
I invested all of it in the stock market, which seemed like a sane idea at the time. It promptly crashed, wiping out about a third of my winnings.

Is there anything else you would like viewers to know about you?
I'm the proud father of the world's most adorable one-year-old, Sophie Tran-Ryan.

"As a college student, he was the top winner of the 1986-87 season. Today he's a corporate controller. From Richmond, California..."

2005 Ultimate Tournament of Champions Round 1 player: $5,000.
1987 Tournament of Champions semifinalist: $5,000.
Season 3 5-time champion: $61,800.

John appeared in the following archived game:
#4736, aired 2005-03-21 Lynne Wexler vs. John Ryan vs. Shane Whitlock 2005 Ultimate Tournament of Champions Round 1, game 29.
John previously appeared on Jeopardy! as John Ryan in the following 2 archived games:
#738, aired 1987-11-18 John Ryan vs. Bob Verini vs. Eric Berman 1987 Tournament of Champions semifinal game 3.
#735, aired 1987-11-13 John Ryan vs. Doug Molitor vs. Roger Storm 1987 Tournament of Champions quarterfinal game 5. All Jeopardy! Round...

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