DeMeco Ryans

DeMeco Ryans

Ryans during training camp, 2010
No. 59     Houston Texans
Linebacker
Personal information
Date of birth: July 28, 1984 (1984-07-28) (age 27)
Place of birth: Bessemer, Alabama
Height: 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	Weight: 247 lb (112 kg)
Career information
College: Alabama
NFL Draft: 2006 / Round: 2 / Pick: 33
Debuted in 2006 for the Houston Texans
Career history
Houston Texans (2006–present)
Career highlights and awards
AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year (2006) PFWA Defensive Rookie of the Year (2006) 2× Pro Bowl selection (2007, 2009) 1× All-Pro selection (2007) College awards and honors
Career NFL statistics as of 2010
Tackles	572
Sacks	8.5
INTs	2
Stats at NFL.com

DeMeco Ryans (pronounced /dɨˈmiːkoʊ/; born July 28, 1984 in Bessemer, Alabama) is an American football linebacker in the NFL for the Houston Texans. He played college football at the University of Alabama.

High school career

Ryans attended Jess Lanier High School in Bessemer, Alabama, where he was coached by Willie T. Ford. In his senior season, he had over 135 tackles, 11 sacks, two caused fumbles and two interceptions.

Considered a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, Ryans was listed as the No. 39 inside linebacker prospect in the nation from the class of 2002.^[1] He picked Alabama over Mississippi State.

College career

Ryans played outside linebacker at the University of Alabama. Ryans started out his career by earning a role on special teams and back up linebacker in his first season. By making great improvements every year in his college career, Ryans went on to become the SEC's Defensive Player of the Year for his performance in 2005. Later on, Ryans attributed much of his college success to his defensive coordinator at Alabama, Joe Kines. He was named the 2006 Cotton Bowl Classic defensive MVP in their 13-10 win over Texas Tech. Ryans also received the 2005 Lott Trophy for his combination of athletic excellence and off-the-field achievements.

College awards and honors

• 2006 NCAA Top Eight Award (Class of 2006)
• 2006 Cotton Bowl Classic – Defensive MVP
• 2005 Consensus All-America
• 2005 SEC – Defensive Player of the Year
• 2005 First Team All-SEC
• 2005 Lott Trophy
• 2005 Bednarik Trophy Semifinalist
• 2005 Butkus Award Finalist
• 2005 Draddy Award Finalist
• 2005 Nagurski Award Finalist
• 2005 Lombardi Award Semifinalist

Professional career

2006 NFL Draft

Ryans was selected with the first pick of the 2nd round (33rd overall) in the 2006 NFL Draft by the Texans.

Pre-draft measureables
Ht	Wt	40-yard dash	10-yd split	20-yd split	20 ss	3-cone	Vert	Broad	BP	Wonderlic
6-1¼ *	236 lb *	4.65 *	1.64 *	2.74 *	4.18 *	7.19 *	39 in *	10′9″ *	23 *

(* represents NFL Combine)

Houston Texans

Ryans began his NFL career in 2006 with the Houston Texans. Though he had been an outside linebacker in college, he earned the starting middle linebacker position due to his excellent performance in the preseason. In his first game he recorded a league-high 12 solo tackles. Ryans had an overwhelming impact as a rookie linebacker for the Texans, leading the team in tackles in the first half of the 2006 season. Many Texans fans began nicknaming him “D-Wreck” for his toughness and hard hits; another popular nickname is D-ROY, intended to promote Ryans for the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year award. Today, most fans refer to him affectionately as "Cap'n Meco," due to his status as a Texans team Captain and in reverence of his tremendous professionalism and leadership both on and off the field.

On January 3, 2007, Ryans was awarded the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award after finishing second in the league with 155 total tackles (Zach Thomas 165), 31 more tackles than the next rookie (Detroit Lions linebacker Ernie Sims). He received 36 of 50 votes by a nationwide panel of sports writers and broadcasters. Chicago Bears defensive end Mark Anderson, who was Ryan's teammate at Alabama, finished second with five votes. On December 18, 2007 DeMeco Ryans was selected to the Pro Bowl for the first time. Ryans wore the Texans' defensive transmitter to relay plays from the sideline into the huddle. This meant he was an every down player.^[2] On March 30, 2010, Ryans signed a 6 year $48 million extension, including $21.75 million guaranteed.

Career statistics

Season	Team	GP–GS	Tackles					Interceptions						Fumbles
			Total	Solo	Ast	Sack	Safety	Pass Def.	Int	Yards	Avg	Long	TD	Forced
2006^	Houston Texans	16–16	156	126	30	3.5	0	5	1	16	16.0	16	0	1
2007†‡		16–16	128	99	29	2.0	0	7	1	1	1.0	1	0	1
2008		16–16	112	86	26	1.0	0	4	0	0	0.0	0	0	2
2009†		16–16	123	93	30	1.0	0	2	0	0	0.0	0	0	1
Career Total			519	404	115	7.5	0	18	2	17	8.5	16	0	5
^ Named Rookie of the Year. † Named to the Pro Bowl. ‡ Named to the All-Pro team.

References

1. ^ "Inside linebackers", Rivals100, February 5, 2002, http://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/viewrank.asp?ra_key=41 
2. ^ Texans to send defensive signals through helmet of linebacker Ryans

External links

• Official Houston Texans bio
• Official bio at Alabama
• DeMecoRyans.net

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Shawne Merriman	AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year 2006	Succeeded by Patrick Willis

Persondata
Name	Ryans, DeMeco
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	July 28, 1985
Place of birth	Bessemer, Alabama
Date of death
Place of death