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Ryan Mathews (American football)

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Ryan Mathews
San Diego Chargers
Career information
College:Fresno State
NFL draft:2010 / Round: 1 / Pick: 12
Career history
Roster status:Unsigned draft pick
Career highlights and awards
  • 2009 First Team All-WAC
  • 2009 CBS Sports Second Team All-American
  • 2009 Sports Illustrated Second Team All-American
  • 2009 AP All-American

Ryan J. Mathews (born October 10, 1987)[1] is an American football running back for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League. In 2009, the Associated Press named him a second team All-American. He was one of the top running back prospects for the 2010 NFL Draft.[2]

Early years

Mathews was born in Bakersfield, California to Tricia Mathews when she was just 16. His father left before he was born and has only seen him a few times in his life.

As a child, Ryan and his mother moved to Tehachapi, a small city 35 miles southeast of Bakersfield, to be closer to family. Once there, she took on several jobs to provide a good life for her son.

Ryan began playing football at age five,[3] and Tricia never missed a game.[4] After junior high, he moved back to Bakersfield to face tougher athletic competition.[5]

High school

Mathews attended West High School in Bakersfield, California. He played running back, quarterback, and linebacker.

As a junior, Mathews led West High to a CIF championship while rushing for 1,104 yards and 18 touchdowns on offense and totaling 97 tackles and 16 sacks on defense. Following his junior season, he was an All-State underclass selection.[6]

As a senior, Mathews led the nation with 3,396 rushing yards (9.97 yards per attempt) and 44 touchdowns as a running back, along with 851 passing yards and 11 touchdowns as a quarterback.[7] After his senior season, he was named first team All-State and a second team All-American.[2]

Despite being recruited by several Pac-10 and Big 12 schools at the end of his prep career, Mathews decided to stay close to home and attend Fresno State.[7]

College career

As a freshman in 2007, Mathews rushed for 866 yards on 145 carries and scored 14 touchdowns. His rushing yard average and touchdowns led all NCAA freshman.

As a sophomore in 2008, Mathews ranked in the top 10 in the NCAA in rushing yards and touchdowns after four games. In the fourth game against UCLA, he ran for 166 yards and scored two touchdowns before leaving with a knee injury. After the injury, he missed most of the next three games and sat out the final five. He finished the season with 606 yards on 113 carries and 8 touchdowns.[8]

As a junior in 2009, Mathews led college football in rushing with an average of 150.67 yards per game in 12 games.[7] He totaled 1,808 yards on 276 carries and 19 touchdowns. He missed one game due to a concussion.[9]

Following the regular season, he was given numerous individual awards, including being named first team all-WAC[10] and a second team All-American by CBS Sports, Sports Illustrated, and the Associated Press.[11][12][13]

In December, Mathews decided to forgo his senior season and enter the 2010 NFL Draft.[14] His 1,808 yards rushing ranks him behind only LaDainian Tomlinson and George Jones in the WAC season record books.[2]

Professional career

2010 NFL Draft

Mathews was drafted by the San Diego Chargers with the 12th overall pick — obtained from the Miami Dolphins — in the 2010 NFL draft. He is the third highest Fresno State Bulldog to be drafted since David Carr went 1st overall in the 2002 NFL Draft and Trent Dilfer went 6th overall in the 1994 NFL Draft.

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press Wonderlic
6 ft 0 in
(1.83 m) 		218 lb
(99 kg) 		31 in
(0.79 m) 		9+1⁄4 in
(0.23 m)		 4.45 s 4.33 s 6.75 s 36 in
(0.91 m)		 10 ft 1 in
(3.07 m)		 19 reps 16[15]
All values from NFL Combine[16]

[17]

Personal

Ryan's mother is Tricia Mathews and he has three brothers: Dante Cross, Tim Bruzzessi, and Tim Tillman. He has followed the Chargers since childhood and is a fan of LaDainian Tomlinson, particularly because of his running style. He wore No. 21 at Fresno State in honor of Tomlinson.[8] A Brother of Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity.

References

  1. ^ Oz, Mike (October 9, 2008). "Ryan Mathews: Partying, but not playing this weekend". fresnobeehive.com. Retrieved 2010-05-23. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  2. ^ a b c CBSSports.com Draft Profile
  3. ^ Countdown to kickoff: 4 days
  4. ^ For Mathews and mother, a long, arduous journey
  5. ^ Scout.com: Ryan Mathews College Profile
  6. ^ Scout.com: Ryan Mathews High School Profile
  7. ^ a b c Overlooked Mathews ready to claim respect he deserves
  8. ^ a b "Ryan Mathews - Fresno State Official Athletic Site". gobulldogs.com. Retrieved April 22, 2010.
  9. ^ Mathews out vs. Louisiana Tech
  10. ^ Boise State leads All-WAC team selections
  11. ^ CBSSports.com 2009 All-America Team
  12. ^ SI.com's 2009 All-Americans
  13. ^ 2009 Associated Press All-America Team
  14. ^ Sources: Fresno State tailback to go pro
  15. ^ http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/Gerhart-posts-top-RB-Wonderlic-score.html
  16. ^ "Ryan Mathews Combine Profile", NFL.com, retrieved April 22, 2010.
  17. ^ "Ryan Mathews 2010 NFL Combine Results", ESPN.com, retrieved April 22, 2010.
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