Robert P. Ryan (born February 21, 1946) is an American sportswriter formerly for The Boston Globe. He has been described as "the quintessential American sportswriter" and a basketball guru and is well known for his coverage of the sport including his famous stories covering the Boston Celtics in the 1970s. After graduating from Boston College, Ryan started as a sports intern for the Globe on the same day as Peter Gammons, and later worked with other Globe sports writing legends Will McDonough and Leigh Montville. Ryan announced in early 2012 his retirement from sports writing after 44 years once the 2012 Olympic Games concluded. His final column in The Boston Globe was published August 12, 2012.