Ryan Fitzgerald facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ryan Fitzgerald |
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| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Ryan James Fitzgerald | ||
| Nickname(s) | Fitzy | ||
| Date of birth | 16 October 1976 | ||
| Place of birth | Adelaide, South Australia | ||
| Original team | South Adelaide (SANFL) | ||
| Draft |
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| Position(s) | Forward | ||
Ryan James Fitzgerald, born on October 16, 1976, is a well-known Australian radio host, TV presenter, and comedian. He used to be a professional Australian rules football player. After starting his football journey with the South Adelaide Football Club, he played his first game in the Australian Football League for the Sydney Swans in 2000. Later, he moved to the Adelaide Crows, playing eight games in 2002. Ryan also became famous after appearing on Big Brother Australia in 2004. This helped him start a bigger career in television, including on Channel 10's AFL show Before The Game.
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Early Life and Junior Football
Ryan Fitzgerald went to Wirreanda High School. He played junior football for the Port Noarlunga team.
AFL Career: 2000–2002
Joining the Sydney Swans
Ryan was a tall forward. The Sydney Swans picked him as the 4th player overall in the 1998 AFL Draft. He came from the South Australian National Football League club, South Adelaide.
Debut and Injuries
Ryan could not play his first Australian Football League (AFL) game until the 2000 season. This was because of a shoulder injury. When he finally played, he kicked five goals. People thought he would have a great career. He played nine more games that season.
At the start of the 2001 season, Ryan hurt his knee. He needed surgery to fix it, which meant he missed the whole season.
Moving to Adelaide and Retirement
In the 2002 season, Ryan was traded to the Adelaide Crows. However, he only played eight games for the Crows. He had to stop playing AFL football because of another serious knee injury. This injury, called an ACL injury, also needed surgery.
Television and Radio Career
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Early TV Appearances
Ryan Fitzgerald has appeared on many TV shows. These include The Project, Studio 10, Before The Game, Reality Check, All Star Family Feud, The Front Bar, and Hughesy, We Have a Problem.
Big Brother and Beyond
In 2004, Ryan was a contestant on Big Brother Australia. He finished in fourth place. After the show, he became a co-host for the breakfast show on Nova 91.9 radio in Adelaide. He also made occasional appearances on Before The Game (AFL).
In 2005, Ryan became a co-host for the new Friday night Big Brother Australia show called Friday Night Live. He hosted it with fellow Big Brother contestant Bree Amer. This show became its own program in 2006, called Friday Night Games. Later, it returned as Friday Night Download, showing internet videos. This show was cancelled early in its second season.
Fitzy and Wippa
In October 2010, Ryan announced he was leaving Nova 91.9 Breakfast. He joined Nova's drive show, Fitzy and Wippa, with co-host Michael Wipfli. This show then became the breakfast show for Nova 96.9 Sydney. In 2011, Ryan and Michael were nominated for an award. It was for the best on-air team in the metro FM category at the Australian Commercial Radio Awards.
Other Projects
Ryan Fitzgerald also regularly plays in the E. J. Whitten Legends Game. This is a charity football match.
In 2012, he started acting. He appeared in the seventh episode of the Nine Network series House Husbands.
In 2016, Ryan and Michael Wipfli co-hosted the Nine Network show 20 to 1.
Ryan also appears on The Front Bar. He fills in when regular panellists Mick Molloy or Sam Pang are not there.
