Javon Ringer facts for kids

Javon Eugene Ringer (born February 2, 1987) is a former American football player. He was a running back for the Tennessee Titans in the National Football League (NFL). Javon played college football for the Michigan State Spartans. He was recognized as an All-American in 2008. The Titans picked him in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL draft.

Ringer went to Chaminade Julienne High School where he set many records. In college, he also earned many awards. In 2005, he was named an honorable mention Freshman All-America by The Sporting News. He was also on The Sporting News Big Ten All-Freshman Team. In 2006, he won the Biggie Munn Award. This award goes to the team's most inspiring player.

In 2007, he had a great season. He became Michigan State's first player to run for over 1,000 yards since 2001. He was also named Second Team All-Big Ten. In 2008, as a senior, he was one of four team captains. He was a finalist for the Doak Walker Award, which is given to the nation's top running back. He was also considered for the Heisman Trophy.

Javon had a minor knee injury at the end of the 2008 season. This needed surgery and affected his performance at the NFL Combine. However, he improved his numbers at Michigan State's Pro Days. He was one of three Spartans invited to the NFL Combine. ESPN.com ranked him as the 8th best running back in the draft. After being drafted by Tennessee, Ringer competed for a spot on the team. He won the third-string running back position in 2009. His NFL career was affected by injuries. He missed 27 games in four years. After retiring from the NFL, Ringer worked as an assistant coach for his old college team, Michigan State.

About Javon Ringer

Javon Ringer's parents, Bishop Eugene and Darlene Ringer, are both ministers. Javon is a very religious person. He also has a black belt in Karate. He studied sociology in college.

Ringer finished his degree from Michigan State University in May 2015.

Football Journey

High School Years

Ringer went to Chaminade Julienne Catholic High School. He is the all-time leading rusher there. His coach was Jim Place. In 33 games, he ran for 6,184 yards and scored 81 touchdowns. This means he averaged about 188 yards and 2.5 touchdowns per game. Ringer wore jersey number 29 in high school. He also ran track and had a best time of 10.6 seconds in the 100-meter dash.

In 2001, as a freshman, Ringer was on the football team. However, he did not record any offensive stats.

In 2002, as a sophomore, Ringer became the team's starting player. He helped his team achieve a 14–1 record. They won the Ohio D-II State Championship, which was the school's first football state title. That year, he ran for 2,038 yards and scored 30 rushing touchdowns. In the state championship game, he set new records. He scored 4 rushing touchdowns and ran for 251 yards in a D-II championship game.

In 2003, as a junior, he rushed for 2,356 yards. He also scored 30 rushing touchdowns. This included a game where he ran for 307 yards and 3 touchdowns against McNicholas.

In 2004, as a senior, he played in the Big 33 Football Classic. This game features the best high school players from Pennsylvania and Ohio. He rushed for 1,790 yards and 21 touchdowns in seven games. His best game was against Purcell Marian High School. He ran for 372 yards and scored five touchdowns. Later that year, Ringer tore his ACL (a knee ligament). This kept him out of the final six games. Also, his grades and a low ACT score meant he couldn't go to Ohio State University.

College Career

Ringer was a highly sought-after player for the Spartans. He chose Michigan State over other big schools like Tennessee and Florida. Ringer visited MSU on December 14, 2004, and committed to the school during his visit.

During his time at Michigan State, Ringer was very successful. He rushed for 4,398 yards in his college career. He averaged 4.1 yards per carry. Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis once said about Ringer, "You can hit him and hit him and hit him and he just keeps on coming."

In 2005, as a freshman, Ringer was named an honorable mention Freshman All-America. This was by The Sporting News. He was also on The Sporting News Big Ten All-Freshman Team. He finished with 122 carries for 817 yards. This was the second-best rushing total by a true freshman in MSU history.

In 2006, as a sophomore, Ringer won the Biggie Munn Award. This award is given to the team's most inspiring player. He led the Spartans in rushing with 497 yards. He did this despite missing five games due to a knee injury.

After his sophomore year, Ringer changed his jersey number from 39 to 23.

As a junior, in 2007, Ringer had a great season. He rushed for 1,447 yards on 245 carries. He averaged 5.9 yards per carry. He was Michigan State's first player to run for over 1,000 yards since 2001. He was also named Second Team All-Big Ten.

2008 Season Highlights

In 2008, as a senior, Ringer was considered for the Heisman Trophy. He was nominated for three national awards. These included the Maxwell Award (for College Football Player of the Year) and the Doak Walker Award (for the nation's top running back). He was also named one of four team captains.

Spartan Stadium, where Ringer played home games during his College football career

On August 30, against California, Ringer had 200 total yards. This included a career-best 102 yards on kickoff returns. He also ran for 81 yards and scored two touchdowns. On September 6, against Eastern Michigan, Ringer scored a career-high five touchdowns. He had 205 total yards. He rushed for 135 yards on 34 carries.

On September 13, against Florida Atlantic, Ringer rushed for 282 yards on 43 carries. He scored 2 touchdowns. His rushing yards and carries were career highs at the time. In that game, he had 309 total yards. This is the second-highest in MSU history. On September 20, against Notre Dame, Ringer had 39 carries for 201 yards and two touchdowns. This made him the first player to win the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week award three times in a row. On September 27, against Indiana, Ringer had a career-high 44 carries for 198 yards and one touchdown.

On October 11, against Northwestern, Ringer had 124 yards and 2 touchdowns. He now had 1,112 yards for the season. This made him the first Spartan with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons since 2001. On October 25, against the Michigan, Ringer had 37 carries for 194 yards and two touchdowns. This led the Spartans to their first win at Michigan since 1990.

Ringer's final game was against Georgia in the 2009 Capital One Bowl on January 1, 2009. He had 20 carries for 47 yards and 1 touchdown. Ringer's numbers that year set MSU single-season records for touchdowns and points scored. Ringer finished second all-time in MSU history for rushing yards. He is MSU's all-time leader in all-purpose yards (5,349).

Ringer was named a first-team Midseason All-American by many sports news outlets. He was also a semifinalist for the Doak Walker Award, Maxwell Award, and Walter Camp Player of the Year award. He finished third for the Doak Walker Award. He was also named an Associated Press First-Team All-American. Ringer finished his 2008 season leading the nation in rushing attempts (370). He was second in total rushing yards (1590) and first in rushing touchdowns (21). He also finished third in yards per game (132.5) and all-purpose yardage (1974). He averaged more than 30 carries a game. His 44 carries against Indiana were the most by any college football player in a single game in 2008.

He graduated in 2009 with a degree in Sociology.

College Statistics

Javon Ringer had an impressive college career. Here are some of his overall stats:

He also holds several Michigan State University (MSU) records:

And some MSU season records:

Professional Career

Before the NFL Draft

In April 2008, NFL draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. said Ringer was the best running back for the 2009 draft class. However, by February 2009, Ringer was not among Kiper's top five running backs. It was found that Ringer had been playing with a torn knee cartilage. He had surgery six days after the season ended. Ringer said he worked out at the combine with his knee at "80%." He skipped the 2009 Senior Bowl because of his injury.

Despite the injury, Ringer chose to run the 40-yard dash at the NFL combine. He finished in 4.59 seconds. He was third among running backs in the 20-yard shuttle (4.11 seconds). He was also fifth in the three-cone drill (6.87 seconds). During the combine, Ringer interviewed with 12 teams. ESPN.com ranked him as the 8th best running back in the draft. Scouts Inc. gave Ringer an "Exceptional" grade for his character. They said he had "Outstanding intangibles."

Ringer was one of three MSU players invited to the NFL Combine. The others were QB Brian Hoyer and safety Otis Wiley. Ringer took part in Michigan State's 2009 NFL Pro Day. His shuttle time was 3.89 seconds, which was faster than the best time at the NFL combine. Ringer improved his 40-yard dash time from 4.59 at the combine to 4.42 during Pro Days. Ringer's performance at Pro Day "absolutely blew NFL teams away." This was because he put up impressive numbers while not fully recovered.

Tennessee Titans

2009 Season

The Tennessee Titans picked Ringer in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He was the 173rd player chosen overall. He was the 11th running back taken. At the time, he was one of eight running backs on the Titans' team. He was the only MSU player drafted in 2009. Ringer said he wanted to prove he was as good as, or better than, other running backs drafted before him.

Ringer was expected to play on special teams and as a third-down running back. He was first assigned jersey number 3, but then switched to number 21 in August.

Ringer participated in his first team activities in May 2009. He said the plays were more complicated than in college. Ringer and the Titans agreed to a multi-year contract on July 21, 2009. His starting salary was expected to be $310,000.

Ringer participated in the Titans' training camp starting July 25. Titans head coach Jeff Fisher said Ringer had "great run skills." He also said Ringer was good at pushing the ball forward. Ringer was the favorite for the third-string running back role, which he won.

The Titans were the first NFL team to play a preseason game. This was the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on August 9, 2009. Ringer made his NFL debut there. He had four carries for 14 yards and two catches for nine yards. The Titans won 21–18. On August 15, in a preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Ringer led the team in rushing. He had seven attempts for 51 yards, including a 36-yard touchdown run. The Titans won 27–20.

Ringer finished the preseason with 24 carries for 118 yards. He had one touchdown and four catches for 15 yards.

Ringer was used to return kicks in the regular season. In the first game on September 10, he had 3 kick returns for an average of 19 yards. He also played on special teams. In week 3, Ringer was benched as the kick returner. He did not play in the game.

In a record-breaking 59–0 loss to the New England Patriots, Ringer had his first NFL carries. He had 7 carries for 47 yards. This happened during "Garbage time" when the game was already decided. On October 28, 2009, Ringer injured his back during practice. He had to be taken to the hospital. Tests showed the injury was "not considered serious." Ringer was expected to miss a few weeks. He was inactive for the rest of the season. Ringer finished the season with eight attempts for 48 yards. He played in 7 games.

2010 Season

Before the 2010 NFL draft, backup running back LenDale White was traded. Head coach Jeff Fisher confirmed that Ringer would be the new backup running back. He said, "We have a terrific running back [in Chris Johnson], and a very talented backup in Javon." When Chris Johnson held out of training camp, Ringer took the first-string role.

Ringer finished the 2010 season with 329 yards on 51 carries. He scored two touchdowns and played in all 16 games.

2011 Season

In the 2011 season, Ringer played in 12 games. He rushed for 185 yards on 59 attempts and scored one touchdown. He was mainly used to catch passes, with 28 catches for 187 yards. He also played on special teams. In week 14, Ringer broke his hand. He was placed on injured reserve after surgery.

2012 Season

In the 2012 season, Ringer missed several weeks due to ongoing injuries. This included an arm infection that doctors said could have led to amputation if not treated quickly. In week 5, Ringer tore his MCL (a knee ligament). This caused him to miss the rest of the season. He was placed on injured reserve. After playing only two games in 2012, Ringer's contract ended. He became a free agent and was not signed by another team. Ringer missed 27 games in his four seasons because of injuries.

Comeback Attempt

Ringer had knee surgery in February 2013 to fix his injury. He tried to make a comeback in 2014 after a year off to recover. He participated in the MSU Pro Day and ran a 4.61-second 40-yard dash. These results led to a workout with the Chicago Bears, but they did not sign him.

Coaching Career

In 2016, Michigan State hired Ringer as a recruiting intern for their football team.

Awards and Honors

High School Awards

• 3x All-Conference Selection (2002, 2003, 2004)
• 3x All-Ohio Selection (2002, 2003, 2004)

College Awards