Ryan Pontbriand

Ryan Pontbriand
Position: Long snapper / Center
Personal information
Date of birth: October 1, 1979
Place of birth: Houston, Texas
Height: 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight: 255 lb (116 kg)
Career information
College: Rice
NFL draft: 2003 / Round: 5 / Pick: 142
Career history
*Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2010
Games played: 123
Stats at NFL.com

Ryan David Pontbriand (born October 1, 1979) is a former American football long snapper and center. He played college football for Rice University, and was drafted in the fifth round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns. He has the distinction of being the highest-drafted long snapper in the history of the NFL Draft.[1]

Early years

Pontbriand attended Clements High School in Sugar Land, Texas, where he was a three-year letterman and a full-time starter on the football team's offensive line. He was a first-team all-district selection as a senior after receiving an honorable mention as a junior. Pontbriand was named his team's offensive lineman of the year during his senior year and was his team's co-captain.[2]

College career

Ryan graduated high school and attended Rice University, redshirting his first year of eligibility in 1998. While at Rice, Pontbriand was the team's long snapper, and graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering.[2]

Professional career

Cleveland Browns

After finishing his fifth year at Rice, Pontbriand was eligible for the NFL Draft. In the fifth round of the 2003 NFL Draft, Ryan was selected by the Cleveland Browns with the 142nd overall pick.[3] Pontbriand is one of only twelve long snappers drafted since 1982.[4] Since being drafted, Pontbriand has missed only five games, which occurred during the 2005 season due to a back injury.[2] Pontbriand was named to the Pro Bowl as the "need" player in 2007, 2008.

On November 29, 2011, he was waived by the Browns, and shortly thereafter he retired from the NFL.

San Francisco 49ers

Pontbriand signed with the San Francisco 49ers on February 21, 2012. He was released on June 15.

References

  1. "Player Bio – Steve Kidd – Football". Retrieved 2007-04-30.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Cleveland Browns – Players – Ryan Pontbriand". Archived from the original on 2007-10-10. Retrieved 2007-04-30.
  3. "Draft History – 2003". Archived from the original on 2007-04-20. Retrieved 2007-04-30.
  4. Camille Powell (April 28, 2007). "Sometimes the Best Can be Overlooked". Washington Post (The Washington Post Company). Retrieved 2007-04-30.