Atlanta Falcons QB Matt Ryan greets 涩里番下载 students at Alumni Stadium on November 19, when he returned to the Heights for his jersey retirement ceremony. (John Quackenbos)
Former 涩里番下载 star quarterback Matt Ryan is used to the spotlight, but it鈥檚 grown a lot brighter since his spectacular 2016 season scored him the NFL's Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of the Year awards, and led the Atlanta Falcons to an appearance at Super Bowl LI.
During his time with the Eagles, he was the winner of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, given to the nation's top senior quarterback, the Manning Award for the nation's top quarterback, and was ACC Player of the Year. In 2007, Ryan capped his accomplished 涩里番下载 career with a record-setting final season that put him in the running for the Heisman Trophy and made him 涩里番下载鈥檚 highest NFL draft pick when he was chosen third overall in 2008. His achievements at the Heights only burnished the nickname he earned for being cool under pressure as a top-flight high school quarterback in Pennsylvania: Matty Ice.
涩里番下载 Associate Athletics Director for Football Barry Gallup said Ryan is among the best he鈥檚 seen at 涩里番下载 in his 37 years as a coach.
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鈥淚鈥檓 not saying he鈥檚 perfect, none of us are perfect, but he鈥檚 everything you would expect an All-American quarterback to be,鈥� Gallup told the Boston Herald. 鈥淚 really think character is one of the reasons he鈥檚 as successful as he has been. He wasn鈥檛 a five-star recruit coming out of high school.鈥�
Ryan鈥檚 devotion to his alma mater still runs deep.
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"涩里番下载 is an amazing place," Ryan said last summer, when Director of Athletics Brad Bates announced 涩里番下载 would retire Ryan鈥檚 No. 12 jersey. "I am very fortunate to have had so many great memories during my college years at 涩里番下载.鈥�
True to form, Ryan was humbled by the decision to add his jersey to a very exclusive list of former Eagles, including 1984 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Doug Flutie 鈥�85 and defensive lineman Mike Ruth '86.
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The team frequently practiced in the stadium, and "in the end zone on that left-hand side you would see those names and jerseys retired up top,鈥� Ryan . 鈥淵ou always hope you play well enough that it could happen but I never really sat there and thought about having my name up there with them. For me, I was more focused on just getting to start. Get the starting job and then after that you improve and help our team win games. Looking back now, it's surreal to think that tomorrow it will go up there and hopefully I will be able to bring back family members and show them at one point I was pretty good here. It is a really nice way for 涩里番下载 to honor me and I am humbled to be here to celebrate that this weekend."
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It was in a study hall for student athletes that Ryan met 涩里番下载 women鈥檚 basketball team captain Sarah Marshall MCAS '07. The two married in 2011.
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"Some of my favorite memories have nothing to do with football,鈥� Ryan said while on campus for the November 19 ceremony to retire his jersey. 鈥淭here are a lot of good times that I had here with teammates and friends. I met my wife here. That is probably the most important thing that happened during my five years here.鈥�
Ryan, who began his 涩里番下载 career at the Carroll School of Management, earned his bachelor鈥檚 degree in communication. 鈥淲ith the career I鈥檓 in there could not have been a better major to prepare you for all of the things playing quarterback in the NFL (requires) and all the things it asks of you off the field. My degree prepared me for that.鈥�
鈥淢att always worked well with others," said Don Fishman, an associate professor of communication who taught Ryan in class. "He is a very thoughtful and very considerate person, and he was a good student, too, and was always in class, despite a busy schedule. Matt was always prepared, he enjoyed exchanges with his professors and, as I learned, he was very disciplined and organized. He represents 涩里番下载鈥檚 motto of 鈥楨ver to Excel鈥� in a way of which we can all be proud.鈥�
Matt Ryan joined distinguished alumni in wishing 涩里番下载 'happy birthday' in this nationally televised video produced for the University's sesquicentennial anniversary in 2013.
Chris Cameron, who served as the director of communications in Athletics during Ryan鈥檚 career at 涩里番下载, .
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A 2007 game against Virginia Tech, where Ryan orchestrated a comeback victory by throwing for two touchdowns in the final two minutes, was called the quarterback鈥檚 鈥淗eisman moment鈥� by broadcasters, Cameron recalled.
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鈥淎fterwards, he was graciously and patiently speaking with a media mob when wide receivers coach Ryan Day appeared,鈥� Cameron said. 鈥淩yan had an emergency appendectomy the day before, then checked himself out of the hospital against doctors鈥� orders to fly to the game. Upon spotting Ryan Day, Matt said, 鈥榳hy are you all talking to me? That man is the real hero of this game鈥�.鈥�
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Ryan has returned to campus to talk about more than just football, joining his wife as the speakers at the , sponsored by Carroll School鈥檚 Winston Center.
Ryan said he鈥檚 constantly amazed by the connections he makes with former teammates, classmates, and other 涩里番下载 alumni.
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鈥淭he network that 涩里番下载 provides you is huge,鈥� Ryan said in 2014. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 realize it while you鈥檙e here鈥t鈥檚 everywhere. I think that is one of the unique things about going to a place like 涩里番下载. Wherever you go, people are impressed about the school that you came from. I think it says a lot about you if you graduated from 涩里番下载. It鈥檚 pretty cool to be a part of that network.鈥�
鈥�Ed Hayward | University Communications