Ryan Clark (American football) facts for kids
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Clark with Washington in 2014
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| Position: | Safety | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | October 12, 1979 Marrero, Louisiana, U.S. |
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| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 205 lb (93 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Archbishop Shaw (Marrero, Louisiana) | ||||||||
| College: | LSU (1997–2001) | ||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2002 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||
Ryan Terry Clark (born October 12, 1979) is a former American football player. He played as a safety in the National Football League (NFL). Ryan Clark played college football for the LSU Tigers. He later joined the New York Giants in 2002. Clark also played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Washington Redskins. He won a Super Bowl ring with the Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII. He was also chosen for the Pro Bowl in 2011.
Clark has a sickle cell trait condition. This condition made it risky for him to play in places with high altitudes, like Denver, Colorado.
Contents
Early Life and College Football
Growing Up in Louisiana
Ryan Clark was born in Marrero, Louisiana. He finished high school at Archbishop Shaw High School in 1997.
Playing for LSU Tigers
At Louisiana State University, Clark started 36 games in a row for the LSU Tigers football team. In 2000, he was named to the All-SEC second team. This was a special honor chosen by the league's coaches.
In 2001, Clark was third on the Tigers team with 88 tackles. He also caught three passes from opposing teams. He made five tackles in the Sugar Bowl game. In 1998, he was named LSU's Special Teams Player of the Year.
Ryan Clark's NFL Journey
Starting with the New York Giants
Ryan Clark was not chosen in the 2002 NFL draft. However, the New York Giants signed him in April 2002. He joined the team as a player who was not drafted.
In his first season, Clark played as a backup safety. He also played on the special teams unit. He made his first professional tackle against the St. Louis Rams. He later joined the Giants' practice squad for the rest of 2002.
In 2003, Clark became a primary backup safety. He got his first start in Week 7 against the Philadelphia Eagles. In Week 17, he made his first career sack against the Carolina Panthers. Clark finished 2003 with 21 tackles and one sack. He played in all 16 games that season.
Time with the Washington Redskins
In 2004, the Washington Redskins signed Ryan Clark. He started as a backup safety. After some injuries to other players, Clark became the starting free safety. He played alongside Sean Taylor. Clark ended the 2004 season with 81 tackles.
In 2005, Clark became the starting strong safety. He missed some games due to injuries. On October 30, 2005, he made his first career interception. He caught a pass from Eli Manning. The next week, he intercepted a pass from Donovan McNabb. Clark finished 2005 with 57 tackles and three interceptions. His strong play helped the Redskins reach the playoffs.
Winning a Super Bowl with the Pittsburgh Steelers
In 2006, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Clark. He became the starting free safety, playing with Troy Polamalu. In Week 5, he made his first interception as a Steeler. He caught a pass from Philip Rivers. Clark played 13 games in 2006, making 72 tackles.
Health Challenge in Denver
In 2007, during a game against the Denver Broncos, Clark felt severe pain. He was rushed to the hospital. Doctors found that he had a problem with his spleen. This was due to his sickle cell trait condition. Playing at high altitudes, like in Denver, can be dangerous for people with this condition. Clark had his spleen and gallbladder removed. He lost 30 pounds and missed the rest of the season.
Clark returned to play in 2008. Even though he was cleared to play, the Steelers did not let him play in Denver for the rest of his career with them. This was a safety measure.
Super Bowl Success
Clark received the Ed Block Courage Award in 2008. After the 2008 season, he started in Super Bowl XLIII. The Steelers won the Super Bowl against the Arizona Cardinals. Clark made five tackles in that game.
After the 2010 season, he also played in Super Bowl XLV against the Green Bay Packers. The Steelers lost that game, but Clark made eight tackles.
Clark played for the Steelers until 2013. The Steelers decided not to re-sign him in 2014.
Returning to the Washington Redskins
On March 31, 2014, Ryan Clark signed a one-year contract to return to the Washington Redskins. He was named the team's defensive captain for part of the season. He made two interceptions that year.
Retirement from Football
On February 18, 2015, Ryan Clark announced he was retiring from the NFL. He retired as a Steeler.
NFL Career Statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Won the Super Bowl | |
| Bold | Career high |
Regular season
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | TFL | Int | Yds | TD | Lng | PD | FF | FR | Yds | TD | ||
| 2002 | NYG | 6 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 | NYG | 16 | 4 | 28 | 25 | 3 | 1.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2004 | WAS | 15 | 11 | 81 | 65 | 16 | 0.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005 | WAS | 13 | 13 | 59 | 44 | 15 | 0.5 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2006 | PIT | 13 | 12 | 72 | 48 | 24 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 0 | -1 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 0 |
| 2007 | PIT | 6 | 6 | 22 | 17 | 5 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 | PIT | 14 | 14 | 88 | 52 | 36 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 | PIT | 15 | 15 | 89 | 68 | 21 | 0.0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010 | PIT | 16 | 15 | 90 | 57 | 33 | 0.0 | 0 | 2 | 34 | 0 | 23 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| 2011 | PIT | 16 | 16 | 100 | 71 | 29 | 1.0 | 5 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 | PIT | 15 | 15 | 102 | 74 | 28 | 0.0 | 4 | 2 | 26 | 0 | 26 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 2013 | PIT | 16 | 16 | 104 | 61 | 43 | 0.0 | 1 | 2 | 50 | 0 | 37 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | WAS | 16 | 15 | 101 | 68 | 33 | 0.5 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 177 | 152 | 938 | 651 | 287 | 4.0 | 19 | 16 | 137 | 0 | 37 | 55 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 0 | ||
Playoffs
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | TFL | Int | Yds | TD | Lng | PD | FF | FR | Yds | TD | ||
| 2005 | WAS | 2 | 2 | 12 | 11 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 | PIT | 3 | 3 | 15 | 12 | 3 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010 | PIT | 3 | 3 | 17 | 12 | 5 | 0.0 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 0 | 17 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | 8 | 44 | 35 | 9 | 0.0 | 3 | 1 | 17 | 0 | 17 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
Life After Football
Working in Broadcasting
In March 2015, Ryan Clark joined ESPN as an NFL analyst. He appears on shows like NFL Live and SportsCenter. He also hosts Inside the NFL. In 2023, Clark won an award for "Outstanding Personality/Studio Analyst" at the 44th Sports Emmy Awards.
Podcasting Ventures
In July 2021, Clark started hosting a weekly podcast called DC & RC with Daniel Cormier. This podcast is about MMA (mixed martial arts).
In 2022, Ryan Clark also started The Pivot Podcast. He hosts it with his friends and former NFL players Fred Taylor and Channing Crowder.
Personal Life and Community Work
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Ryan Clark is married to Yonka Clark. They have three children: Jaden, Jordan, and Loghan. His son, Jordan, played college football and signed with the New York Jets in 2025.
Clark has always been active in his community. While with the Giants, he helped with a football clinic for kids. He also worked with students to create paintings of hope for hospitals.
Clark is very involved in raising awareness about sickle cell disease. In 2012, he started Ryan Clark's Cure League. This group works to teach people about sickle cell trait and find a cure.
