Biography

Sean Cryan joins the Attleboro Area Football Hall of Fame because he was smart, athletic and tough, three qualities considered to be trademarks of the NAHS football program.  During the course of three seasons (1992-1994), Sean established himself as one of the most versatile athletes to wear the red and white.

Few possessed Sean’s combination of skills.  This versatility allowed coaches to use him to meet many of his team’s needs.  Whether he was asked to play at end or linebacker on defense, or running back, split end and tight end on offense, Sean accepted these multiple challenges in a manner that marked him as a true team player and made him an invaluable asset.  

The “Georgia” defense often employed by North Attleboro during this period was geared toward stopping the strong side attacks of rivals.  This defense could not be employed without a defensive presence away from strength to handle the multiple schemes offenses would devise to attack the seemingly vulnerable “weak side”.  That presence was Sean Cryan.

During North’s undefeated championship 1993 season, Sean accounted for 35 tackles, 12 assists and one fumble recovery in addition to returning an interception 81 yards for a TD.  Included in this total was an impressive 8 tackles, 2 assists and one sack performance versus a tough Attleboro squad on Thanksgiving Day.  Sean remembers defensive ends coach Paul Sullivan’s strategy to have him crash down hard to the mesh point in order to disrupt the rhythm of Attleboro’s explosive ground attack.  Sean executed the game plan to perfection and remembers this performance as the one he is most proud of overall.

As a senior, Cryan employed his variety of skills in all three phases of the game.  Before the final whistle blew to end the season, Sean had caught four passes and intercepted one, punted 20 times, returned four kickoffs, kicked 5 PATs and one FG, and completed one pass for an extra point.  He accomplished all this while securing 22 tackles and 7 assists from his weak side defensive end position.  North’s talented defense surrendered just 125 total points all season.

Coach Sullivan recalls that Sean “was under-appreciated for his versatility.”  However, although the average fan might not comprehend the difficulty of Cryan’s responsibility to take on aggressive kick-out blocks while simultaneously containing a scrambling quarterback, loyal fans in the north end zone understood his value to the defense and awarded him the North End Zone Unsung Player of the Year Award for his senior season. 

After high school, Sean earned his degree in Broadcast Journalism from Northeastern University in 2000.  He is currently the sports director at station WVII ABC 7, Bangor, ME.