Ryan Winterswyk

Last updated

Ryan Winterswyk
No. 86
Position: Tight end
Personal information
Born:February 10, 1987 (1987-02-10) (age 37)
La Habra, California, U.S.
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:269 lb (122 kg)
Career information
College: Boise State
Undrafted: 2011
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
  • All-WAC, 2008, 2009, 2010

Ryan Winterswyk (born February 10, 1987) is a former American football tight end. He was signed by the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2011. He played college football at Boise State. Despite beginning his college football careers as a walk on, he was selected as a first-team All-WAC player three consecutive years and was selected as the Most Valuable Defensive Player for the 2008 and 2009 Boise State teams that were undefeated in the regular season.

Contents

Boise State

From walk on to All-Decade Team

Winterswyk attended high school in La Habra, California. Despite having 150 tackles as a senior at La Habra High School, Winterswyk "got little love from recruiters." [1] He considered playing in junior college when the secondary coach from Boise State University suggested he enroll there, but as a walk on with no scholarship. [1] He followed that suggestion and enrolled at Boise State in 2007. He was a walk on at the safety position in January 2007. He was a four-year starter on defense for the Boise State Broncos football team from 2007 to 2010. He was selected as a first-team All-WAC player three consecutive years (2008, 2009, and 2010) and was a key defensive player for Boise State teams that compiled an overall record of 38–2 from 2008 to 2010, including an undefeated 14–0 record in 2009. He was a defensive starter in 43 games for Boise State from 2007 to 2010. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Despite his original walk-on status, Winterswyk is acknowledged as "one of the best defensive ends in school history." [7]

2007 season

As a red-shirt freshman in 2007, he led the team with nine tackles for loss and was selected as an honorable mention Freshman All-American by The Sporting News . [2] [8] [9] [10]

2008 season

As a sophomore in 2008, he was selected as a first-team All-WAC player and was named the Co-Most Valuable Defensive Player on a Boise State team that compiled a 12-0 record in the regular season and was ranked third in the country in scoring defense (allowing only 12.6 points per game). [2] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18]

2009 season

As a junior in 2009, Winterswyk was placed on both the Lott and Lombardi Award watch lists. [19] [20] He received his second consecutive first-team All-WAC honor and was named the Most Valuable Defensive Player on a Boise State team that compiled a perfect 14-0 record. [2] [21] [22] In January 2011, he was named to the WAC All-Decade Team for the 2000s. [23]

Cover of Sports Illustrated

After its 14-0 finish in 2009, Sports Illustrated picked Boise State as a contender for the national championship. In the August 2010 issue announcing its pre-season picks, a photograph of Winterswyk and two other players appeared on the magazine's cover. [24] [25] [26] In its feature story on the rise of Boise State, Sports Illustrated devoted four paragraphs to Winterswyk. The article noted:

Winterswyk has gone from walk-on to four-year starter. His 19 career sacks include a clutch fourth-quarter takedown of Dalton in the Fiesta Bowl. Once a clueless freshman who struggled to master a three-point stance, he's now the star of a defense returning 10 starters. His rapid ascent embodies the Boise State program, which in 15 seasons has risen from I-AA to serial BCS buster. [1]

The Orange County Register took note of Winterswyk's fame: "Ryan Winterswyk, a 2005 La Habra High School grad, graces the cover of the Aug. 16 Sports Illustrated, and is also featured in an article on the inside pages." [27] In an interview with the Los Angeles Times , Winterswyk credited the players who laid the foundation for Boise State's development and noted his desire to meet expectations: "You don't want to be on the cover of SI and then go blow it all." [28] In an on-line edition in October 2010, SI.com again published a photograph of Winterswyk with the caption: "Ryan Winterswyk and Boise State rank No. 1 nationally in total defense, rushing defense and pass-efficiency defense." [29]

2010 season

As a senior in 2010, Winterswyk was slowed early in the season by a knee injury that required him to undergo surgery. [30] [31] However, he remained such a dominant defensive player that opposing coaches regularly assigned two players to block him. [3] [32] He started all 12 games at defensive end for Boise State and received his third consecutive first-team All-WAC honor. Winterswyk was also a finalist for the Burlsworth Trophy, given to outstanding college football players who began their careers as a walk-on. [33] He was also invited to play in the annual East-West Shrine Game in January 2011 in Orlando, Florida. [34]

Professional career

Winterswyk was signed by the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent following the 2011 NFL Draft on July 27, 2011. [35] The Falcons converted him to tight end after playing defensive end at Boise State. [36] He was released during final cuts on September 3, 2011. He spent the final five weeks of the season on the team's practice squad before being re-signed to the active roster following the season. He announced his retirement from the NFL on April 30, 2012. [37]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Petersen</span> American football player and coach (born 1964)

Christopher Scott Petersen is an American former college football coach. He was the head coach for eight seasons at Boise State University; Petersen guided the Broncos to two BCS bowl wins in the 2007 and 2010 Fiesta Bowls. He is the first two-time winner of the Paul "Bear" Bryant Award, which he won in 2006 and 2009. Petersen also won the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award in 2010. At the University of Washington, Petersen led the Huskies to the College Football Playoff in 2016, but fell to Alabama in the Peach Bowl. Petersen announced his resignation on December 2, 2019, effective after the team's bowl game.

Jared Zabransky is an American former professional football quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) and the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was signed by the Houston Texans of the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2007 though he was never on an active roster in the NFL. He did play two seasons for the Edmonton Eskimos of the CFL in 2009 and 2010. He played college football at Boise State and was named Offensive Player of the Game in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boise State Broncos football</span> Boise State Broncos football

The Boise State Broncos football program represents Boise State University in college football and competes in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) as a member of the Mountain West Conference. The Broncos play their home games on campus at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho, and their head coach is Spencer Danielson. The program is 13–8 in bowl games since 1999, has the longest current streak of winning seasons in college football with 26. It also held a 3–0 record in the Fiesta Bowl between 2007 & 2014. As of the end of the 2023 season, the Broncos' all-time winning percentage of .725 is the sixth highest among NCAA FBS football teams, while their 491 total wins ranks 105th.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ian Johnson (American football)</span> American football player (born 1985)

Ian Blake Johnson is an American former football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Boise State.

Randall Ray Trautman was a professional football player, a defensive lineman in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for the Calgary Stampeders.

The 2007 Sheraton Hawaii Bowl was a post-season college football bowl game between the Boise State University Broncos from the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) and the East Carolina University Pirates from Conference USA (C-USA). This sixth edition of the Hawaii Bowl, sponsored by Sheraton Hotels and Resorts, was played at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu on December 23, 2007. The game was the final competition of the 2007 football season for each team and resulted in a 41–38 East Carolina victory, even though sportsbooks favored Boise State to win by 10+1⁄2 points. Many experts believed East Carolina to be big underdogs to Boise State, which had defeated the Oklahoma Sooners in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl. The 2007 Hawaiʻi Bowl paid $750,000 to each team's conference in exchange for their participation.

Jeremy Childs is a former American football wide receiver. He was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2009. He played college football at Boise State.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyle Wilson (cornerback)</span> American football player (born 1987)

Kyle Wilson is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Boise State. He was selected by the New York Jets in the first round of the 2010 NFL draft, remaining with the Jets for five seasons. He then played with the New Orleans Saints for two seasons beginning in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 Boise State Broncos football team</span> American college football season

The 2009 Boise State Broncos football team represented Boise State University in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Broncos played their home games at Bronco Stadium, most famous for its blue artificial turf surface, often referred to as the "smurf-turf". They completed the regular season undefeated (13–0), their second consecutive unbeaten regular season and fourth in the last six years, and won the WAC title for the seventh time in the last eight years. The Broncos capped their season with a showdown against fellow unbeaten TCU in the 2010 Fiesta Bowl, which marked the Broncos' return to the site of the game that put the program on the national sports map, the 2007 Fiesta Bowl. With their 17–10 win, the Broncos avenged a loss to the Horned Frogs in the previous season's Poinsettia Bowl, and became only the second team in Division I FBS history to finish a season 14–0, after Ohio State in 2002. The Broncos finished ranked #4 in the Associated Press and USA Today coaches poll for their highest ranking in school history to finish a season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boise State–Idaho football rivalry</span> American college football rivalry

The Boise State–Idaho football rivalry is an intrastate college football rivalry in Idaho between the Broncos of Boise State University and Vandals of the University of Idaho in Moscow. The game was played annually 1971–2010, and with the exception of the 2001–2004 games, the rivalry was a conference game. Boise State moved from the WAC to the Mountain West Conference in 2011 and the rivalry went on hiatus, with no future games currently scheduled.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 Boise State Broncos football team</span> American college football season

The 2010 Boise State Broncos football team represented Boise State University in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Broncos were led by fifth-year head coach Chris Petersen and played their home games at Bronco Stadium. They entered the 2010 season with winning streaks of 14 games overall and 25 games in regular-season play. This was the Broncos' final season as a member of the Western Athletic Conference, as the school announced on June 11, 2010, that it would leave the WAC for the Mountain West Conference effective July 1, 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1981 Boise State Broncos football team</span> American college football season

The 1981 Boise State Broncos football team represented Boise State University in the 1981 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Broncos competed in the Big Sky Conference and played their home games at Bronco Stadium, an outdoor facility on campus in Boise, Idaho. The Broncos were led by sixth-year head coach Jim Criner and were the defending champions of Division I-AA.

Nate Potter is an American football coach and former player who is currently the co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach for the Boise State Broncos. He played college football as an offensive tackle also for the Broncos, where he was recognized as a consensus All-American. He was selected in the seventh round of the 2012 NFL draft by the Arizona Cardinals. Potter appeared in 21 games over two seasons before the Cardinals released him at the end of the 2014 preseason, after which he began his college coaching career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 Boise State Broncos football team</span> American college football season

The 2011 Boise State Broncos football team represented Boise State University in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Broncos were led by head coach Chris Petersen, winner of the 2010 Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award, and played their home games at Bronco Stadium. This season was Boise State's first in the Mountain West Conference after spending the previous ten years in the Western Athletic Conference. They finished the season 12–1, 6–1 Mountain West play to finish in second place. They were invited the Maaco Bowl Las Vegas for the second consecutive year where they defeated Arizona State 56–24.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Boise State Broncos football team</span> American college football season

The 2012 Boise State Broncos football team represented Boise State University in the 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Broncos were led by head coach Chris Petersen and played their home games at Bronco Stadium. This season was Boise State's second in the Mountain West Conference. They finished the season 11–2, 7–1 in Mountain West play to share the conference championship with Fresno State and San Diego State. They were invited to and were champions of the Maaco Bowl Las Vegas for the third consecutive year, this year defeating Washington 28–26.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albertsons Stadium</span> American football stadium at Boise State University

Albertsons Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium in the western United States, located on the campus of Boise State University in Boise, Idaho. It is the home field of the Boise State Broncos of the Mountain West Conference. Known as Bronco Stadium for its first 44 seasons, it was renamed in May 2014 when Albertsons, a chain of grocery stores founded by Boise area resident Joe Albertson, purchased the naming rights.

Ricky Tjong-a-Tjoe is a Dutch former gridiron football defensive end that played for the San Diego Chargers. He played college football at Boise State.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brett Rypien</span> American football player (born 1996)

Brett Robert Rypien is a Canadian-American football quarterback for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Boise State Broncos and signed with the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2019, and has also been a member of the Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks and New York Jets. He is the nephew of Super Bowl XXVI MVP quarterback Mark Rypien.

Andrew Avalos is an American college football coach and former player. He is the defensive coordinator for Texas Christian University. He previously worked as an assistant at schools including Boise State University and Oregon before returning to Boise State as head coach.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Austin Murphy (August 16, 2010). "Offense Takes A Hit: From Austin to Boise to Columbus To Tuscaloosa, Defense Now Rules the Game". Sports Illustrated.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Ryan Winterswyk Bio". Boise State University.
  3. 1 2 Chadd Cripe (December 20, 2010). "Boise State lineman Ryan Winterswyk reflects on season, career". Deseret News (Salt Lake City, Utah).
  4. ↑ D. Orlando Ledbetter (August 8, 2011). "MEET THE ROOKIES: TE Ryan Winterswyk". Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
  5. ↑ "Boise State lineman reflects on season, career". Standard-Examiner (Ogden, UT). December 21, 2010.
  6. ↑ "Top Boise State defender finishes career vs. Utah at MAACO Bowl". Idaho State Journal (Pocatello, ID). December 21, 2010.
  7. ↑ Wyatt Martin (February 17, 2011). "Former BSU defensive end chases dreams at NFL Combine". The Arbiter.
  8. ↑ "Winterswyk among top spring performers". The Idaho Statesman News. April 13, 2008.
  9. ↑ "Winterswyk, Gingg, Acrey key to Boise State's defense". The Idaho Statesman News. August 24, 2008.
  10. ↑ "Young defensive lineman making his mark early: Redshirt freshman Ryan Winterswyk led Boise State in tackles against Weber State". The Idaho Statesman. September 6, 2007.
  11. ↑ "Winterswyk lands spot on Lombardi Award watch list". The Idaho Statesman News. March 3, 2009.
  12. ↑ "Winterswyk coming on strong". The Idaho Statesman. October 30, 2008.
  13. ↑ "Winterswyk makes some adjustments". Idaho Press-Tribune. August 8, 2009.
  14. ↑ Chadd Cripe (August 8, 2009). "Winterswyk finds room to improve; Huff likes O-line's commitment". The Idaho Statesman.
  15. ↑ "Winterswyk, Gingg, Acrey key to Boise State's defense". The Idaho Statesman (Boise, ID). August 24, 2008.
  16. ↑ "A star safety in high school, Winterswyk grows into standout defensive lineman at BSU". The Idaho Statesman. January 1, 2009.
  17. ↑ "Who is Boise State's defensive MVP?". The Idaho Statesman. October 17, 2008.
  18. ↑ Chadd Cripe (December 6, 2009). "Moore, Winterswyk named Broncos' MVPs". The Idaho Statesman.
  19. ↑ "Winterswyk on Lott watch list". Idaho Press-Tribune. April 11, 2009.
  20. ↑ "Winterswyk lands spot on Lombardi Award watch list". The Idaho Statesman. March 3, 2009.
  21. ↑ "Entrenched: Winterswyk, Winn lead experienced defensive front for BSU". Times-News. August 17, 2010.
  22. ↑ "The ends of Boise State football, Bronco quartet of DEs lead by All-WAC selection Winterswyk". The News-Times (Twin Falls, Idaho). August 11, 2009.
  23. ↑ "A Decade of Dominance: Boise State's All-Decade team from the WAC years Part IV". Boise Examiner (ID). January 29, 2011.
  24. ↑ "Former La Habra player makes cover of Sports Illustrated". The Orange County Register. August 10, 2010.
  25. ↑ "La Habra graduate makes Sports Illustrated cover". Star-Progress (Brea-La Habra, CA). September 2, 2010.
  26. ↑ "Cover of Sports Illustrated featuring Winterswyk". Sports Illustrated. August 16, 2010.
  27. ↑ "La Habra grad makes Sports Illustrated". August 31, 2010.
  28. ↑ Chris Dufresne (September 2, 2010). "How Boise State adds up to No. 1 in the nation". Los Angeles Times.
  29. ↑ Stewart Mandell. "In a season of chaos, it's time to put our trust in the steady hand". SI.com.
  30. ↑ "Winterswyk sprained MCL, partially tore meniscus". The Idaho Press-Tribune. September 14, 2010.
  31. ↑ "Winterswyk battling back after recent knee surgery". The Idaho Press-Tribune. September 15, 2010.
  32. ↑ "Boise State defensive end Winterswyk nears end of stellar career". The Idaho Statesman. December 19, 2010.
  33. ↑ "Winterswyk named finalist for Burlsworth Trophy". The Idaho Statesman. December 3, 2010.
  34. ↑ More non-AQ players to Shrine game
  35. ↑ "Ex-La Habra player signs with NFL Atlanta Falcons". The Orange County Register. July 26, 2011.
  36. ↑ Ledbetter, D. Orlando (July 26, 2011). "Tech's Cox, UGA's Tripp among 22 rookie FAs". Atlanta Journal-Constitution . Retrieved July 28, 2011.
  37. ↑ "Former Boise State player Winterswyk retires from NFL". Idaho Statesman . May 1, 2012. Retrieved July 28, 2012.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.