Ryan Thelwell
 |
|
| Date of birth: | April 6, 1973 |
| Place of birth: | Montego Bay, Jamaica[1] |
| Career information | |
|---|---|
| Status: | Retired |
| CFL status: | Non-import |
| Position(s): | WR |
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight: | 193 lb (88 kg) |
| College: | Minnesota |
| CFL Draft: | 1998 / Round: 2 / Pick: 9 |
| Drafted by: | BC Lions |
| NFL Draft: | 1998 / Round: 7 / Pick: 215 |
| Drafted by: | San Francisco 49ers |
| Organizations | |
| As player: | |
| 1998 1999 2001-2006 2007-2010 2011 |
San Diego Chargers Pittsburgh Steelers BC Lions Calgary Stampeders BC Lions |
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
|
| CFL West All-Star: | 2004, 2005 |
| Playing stats at CFL.ca | |
| Playing stats at NFL.com | |
Ryan Thelwell (born April 6, 1973 in Montego Bay, Jamaica) is a retired professional Canadian football wide receiver who finished his career with the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League. He was known to the Lions' fans as "Automatic" (because of his ability to always catch the ball). Thelwell was originally drafted 9th overall by the Lions in the 1998 CFL Draft. He was also drafted by the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League in the 1998 NFL Draft in the seventh round with the 215th overall pick.[2] Thelwell played college football with the University of Minnesota.
Contents |
[edit] Professional career
[edit] National Football League
Thelwell was drafted 215th overall by the San Francisco 49ers, but failed to stick with the team following training camp. He then signed with the San Diego Chargers and played in six games, starting three. He caught his first professional pass against the Baltimore Ravens on November 15, 1998 and scored his first professional touchdown in the last game of the season on December 27, 2011 against the Arizona Cardinals. He signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers the following season, but did not appear in any games.
[edit] Canadian Football League
Having been drafted 9th overall by the BC Lions, Thelwell signed with the defending Grey Cup champions on June 6, 2001.[3] Thelwell would go on to play the next six seasons with the Lions, accumulating 335 receptions for 4981 yards and 30 touchdowns. He was named a West Division All-Star in 2004 and 2005, while recording his first 1000-yard season in 2005. He saw a drop-off in production in 2006 with 625 receiving yards, he was a key contributor in the playoffs, recording nine catches for 83 yards, leading to a Lions' win in the 94th Grey Cup.
Following his Grey Cup win, Thelwell became a free agent and elected to sign with the Calgary Stampeders on February 16, 2007. Over four seasons in Calgary, he caught 106 passes for 1747 yards and nine touchdowns. He played in the Stampeders 96th Grey Cup victory over the Montreal Alouettes, the same team that lost to the Lions in 2006. On January 25, 2011, Thelwell announced his retirement from professional football.[4][5]
Due to an injury sustained by Akeem Foster, the Lions brought Thelwell out of retirement and signed him on October 25, 2011.[6] Thelwell was on the 46-man roster when the team won the 99th Grey Cup, earning him his third Grey Cup championship in six seasons. Almost immediately after the win, Thelwell again announced his retirement on December 1, 2011.[7]
[edit] Personal life
Thelwell moved to London, Ontario when he was four years old.
Ryan Thelwell also made an appearance at the William Aberhart Trojans 2007 football banquet in Calgary on November 16, 2007.
[edit] References
- ^ Beamish, Mike (2007-01-11). "Thelwell among big-name CFL free agents". Vancouver Sun. http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/news/sports/story.html?id=05eebbae-a190-4861-b686-5e5041b86b6b&k=70627. Retrieved 2008-04-29.
- ^ 1998 NFL Draft on databaseFootball.com
- ^ 2009 Canadian Football League Facts, Figures & Records, Canadian Football League Properties/Publications, Toronto, Ontario, ISBN 978-0-9739425-4-5, p.175
- ^ http://cfl.ca/article/canadian-thelwell-calls-it-a-career
- ^ http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=350995
- ^ http://www.bclions.com/article/lions-sign-ryan-thelwell-and-neil-mckinlay
- ^ http://www.bclions.com/article/bc-lions-thelwell-and-robertson-announce-retirements
[edit] External links
|
|||||
|
|||||
- 1973 births
- BC Lions players
- Black Canadian sportspeople
- Calgary Stampeders players
- Canadian expatriate American football people in the United States
- Canadian expatriates in the United States
- Canadian football wide receivers
- Grey Cup champions
- Jamaican emigrants to Canada
- Jamaican players of Canadian football
- Living people
- Minnesota Golden Gophers football players
- People from London, Ontario
- Players of Canadian football from Ontario
- San Francisco 49ers players
