Pat Ryan (American football)


Patrick Lee Ryan is a former professional American football quarterback. He played 14 seasons in the National Football League for the New York Jets and the Philadelphia Eagles.

Biography

Ryan was born in Hutchinson, Kansas and attended Putnam High School in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He played college football at the University of Tennessee.
Ryan was drafted in the eleventh round of the 1978 NFL Draft by the New York Jets. He played professionally for thirteen seasons, twelve seasons with the New York Jets and one season with the Philadelphia Eagles.
During the 1986-87 NFL playoffs Ryan lead the Jets to a 35-15 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Wildcard Weekend, throwing three touchdown passes in the game. The following week during the Divisional round against the Cleveland Browns Ryan threw a 42 yard touchdown on a flea-flicker to give the Jets a 7-0 1st quarter lead. He would end up getting injured in the 2nd quarter however, and the Jets would ultimately lose this game 23-20 in double overtime, which ended up being the 3rd longest playoff game in NFL history at that time.

Life after the NFL

Ryan was employed for several years as a color analyst on Tennessee Titans radio broadcasts. He is now a home builder in Knoxville, Tennessee. He also works as a football analyst for the University of Tennessee's Vol Radio Network, cohosting the weekly "Big Orange Hotline," and joining Bob Kesling, Tim Priest, and John Wilkerson on the "Kickoff Call-In Show" prior to UT football games.