 Pontbriand with the Cleveland Browns in 2009 | |||||||
| No. 64 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Long snapper, Center | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | (1979-10-01)October 1, 1979 (age 45) Houston, Texas, U.S. | ||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 255 lb (116 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Clements(Sugar Land, Texas) | ||||||
| College: | Rice (1998–2002) | ||||||
| NFL draft: | 2003: 5th round, 142nd pick | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
| |||||||
Ryan David Pontbriand (born October 1, 1979) is an American former professionalfootball player who was along snapper andcenter in theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theRice Owls and was selected in the fifth round of the2003 NFL draft by theCleveland Browns. He has the distinction of being the highest-drafted pure long snapper in the history of theNFL draft.[1]
Pontbriand attendedClements High School inSugar Land, Texas, where he was a three-year letterman and a full-time starter on the football team's offensive line. He was a first-team all-district selection as a senior after receiving an honorable mention as a junior. Pontbriand was named his team's offensive lineman of the year during his senior year and was his team's co-captain.[2]
Ryan graduated high school and attendedRice University,redshirting his first year of eligibility in 1998. While at Rice, Pontbriand was the team's long snapper, and graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering.[2]
| Height | Weight | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft2+1⁄4 in (1.89 m) | 245 lb (111 kg) | |||||||||||
| Values fromPro Day[3] | ||||||||||||
After finishing his fifth year at Rice, Pontbriand was eligible for theNFL draft. In the fifth round of the2003 NFL draft, Ryan was selected by theCleveland Browns with the 142nd overall pick.[4] Pontbriand is one of only thirteen long snappers drafted since 1982.[5] Pontbriand missed only five games with the Browns, which occurred during the2005 season due to a back injury.[2] Pontbriand was named to the Pro Bowl as the "need" player in 2007, 2008.
On November 29, 2011, he was released by the Browns due to an injury that was believed to be career-ending.[6]
Pontbriand signed with theSan Francisco 49ers on February 21, 2012. He was brought in to provide competition toBrian Jennings at the position. He was released on June 15, 2012.[7]