Biography.guide
Portrait of Tommy Ryan

Tommy Ryan

1873 – 1948

Australian rules footballer

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About Tommy Ryan

Lived 1873 – 1948 (aged 75). Tommy Ryan was an australian rules football player.

Thomas Herbert Arrowsmith (12 August 1873 – 29 August 1948), also known as Tommy Ryan, as was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Melbourne Football Club and St Kilda Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL).

Family The son of William Alexander Arrowsmith (1827–1911), and Henrietta Arrowsmith (1832–1920), née Hull, Thomas Herbert Arrowsmith was born in Sydney on 12 August 1873.

Both his parents were well-regarded, experienced actors; his mother had been known professionally in the 1850s and 1860s as "Henrietta Montrose", and his father, a Shakespearian actor, had been known professionally as "William Ryan".

He married twice: to Martha Elizabeth Hollman (1878–1936) in 1897 (they were divorced in 1905), and to Blanche Stella Dolphin (1884–1952), on 15 February 1913.

Football Melbourne Football team 1900.Tommy Ryan, extreme right, front row. Ryan, a rover and forward, spent 1893, 1895 and 1896 playing in the Victorian Football Association (VFA) for both Carlton and Richmond.

Melbourne (VFL) On 3 May 1899, he was cleared from Richmond to Melbourne.

On his VFL debut, Ryan kicked five goals as Melbourne defeated St Kilda by 93 points at the MCG on 13 May 1899.

He was the club's leading goal-kicker in their premiership year of 1900 with 24 goals, one of those in the 1900 VFL Grand Final which he played from a forward pocket.

VFL He was part of the VFL team that played Interstate Football against South Australia, in Adelaide, on 26 June 1902.

St Kilda (VFL) On 4 May 1904 he was cleared from Melbourne to St Kilda.

Death He died on 29 August 1948, at Mont Park, Victoria.

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Important facts

Birth century
Also known as
Thomas Herbert Arrowsmith

People in Tommy Ryan's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Tommy Ryan's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Tommy Ryan?

Australian rules footballer (1873–1948)

When was Tommy Ryan born?

Tommy Ryan was born on 12 August 1873.

When did Tommy Ryan die?

Tommy Ryan died on 29 August 1948.

What was Tommy Ryan's occupation?

Tommy Ryan was an australian rules football player.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Tommy Ryan

· Wikidata: Q7819825

· DBpedia: Tommy Ryan (Australian footballer)

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Tommy Ryan. https://biography.guide/tommy-ryan/

MLA: "Tommy Ryan." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/tommy-ryan/.

Chicago: "Tommy Ryan." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/tommy-ryan/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-23 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Portrait: Wikimedia Commons · author & licence

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