Ryan Leaf facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Ryan Leaf

Leaf in 2018
No. 16
Position:	Quarterback
Personal information
Born:	(1976-05-15) May 15, 1976 (age 49) Great Falls, Montana, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:	235 lb (107 kg)
Career information
High school:	Charles M. Russell (Great Falls, Montana)
College:	Washington State (1995–1997)
NFL Draft:	1998 / Round: 1 / Pick: 2
Career history
As player:
San Diego Chargers (1998) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2001)* Dallas Cowboys (2001) Seattle Seahawks (2002)*
As coach:
West Texas A&M (2006–2008) Quarterbacks coach
Career highlights and awards
First-team All-American (1997) Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year (1997) First-team All-Pac-10 (1997) Sammy Baugh Trophy (1997)
Career NFL statistics
Pass attempts: 655 Pass completions: 317 Completion percentage: 48.4% TD–INT: 14–36 Passing yards: 3,666 Passer rating: 50.0
Player stats at PFR

Ryan David Leaf (born May 15, 1976) is a former professional football player. He played as a quarterback for four seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was with the San Diego Chargers and the Dallas Cowboys from 1998 to 2001. He also spent time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Seattle Seahawks.

Ryan Leaf played college football for the Washington State Cougars. After his junior year, he was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. He was chosen as the second overall pick by the San Diego Chargers in the 1998 NFL draft. This was right after Peyton Manning was picked first. His NFL career was shorter than expected due to injuries and challenges with his focus.

After his NFL career, Leaf finished his college degree. He later worked as a Program Ambassador for Transcend Recovery Community. This group helps people in recovery. He also hosts a radio show and works as a college football analyst on television.

College Football Career

Ryan Leaf went to Charles M. Russell High School in Great Falls, Montana. He led his high school team to a state title in 1992. He chose to play quarterback for the Washington State Cougars. Their coach, Mike Price, had also coached Drew Bledsoe.

Leaf played in 32 games for Washington State, starting 24 of them. In his junior year, he threw for a lot of yards. He also set a Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) record with 33 touchdowns. He helped the Cougars win their first Pac-10 championship ever. They played in the 1998 Rose Bowl but lost to the Michigan Wolverines.

Leaf was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy that year. This award goes to the best college football player. He finished third in the voting. He was also named Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year. He was part of the All-Conference team. Leaf decided to leave college early to enter the 1998 NFL draft.

College Statistics

Professional Football Career

1998 NFL Draft

Ryan Leaf and Peyton Manning were seen as the top two players in the 1998 NFL draft. Many experts debated who should be picked first. Some liked Leaf's strong arm, while others preferred Manning's maturity.

The Indianapolis Colts had the first pick. They chose Peyton Manning. The San Diego Chargers had the third pick. They traded with the Arizona Cardinals to get the second pick. This meant they could draft whichever quarterback the Colts didn't take. The Chargers then drafted Ryan Leaf second overall. They signed him to a big contract. Leaf said he looked forward to a long career and Super Bowl trips.

San Diego Chargers

1998 Season with the Chargers

The Chargers had high hopes for Leaf. He did well in the preseason and the first two regular season games. However, his rookie season had some challenges. In a game against the Kansas City Chiefs, he struggled. He completed only one pass for four yards and had several turnovers.

After this, Leaf had a tough time with a reporter. He later apologized for his actions. He was benched in favor of another quarterback, Craig Whelihan. Leaf finished the season with low passing yards and many interceptions. He had a low quarterback rating.

Leaf had trouble getting along with the media and his teammates. He often blamed others for his mistakes. Teammates like Junior Seau and Rodney Harrison spoke to management about his behavior. Harrison called the season "a nightmare."

1999 Season with the Chargers

Leaf hurt his throwing shoulder in July 1999. He missed the entire 1999 season due to surgery. He was placed on injured reserve. During his recovery, he had a disagreement with the team's general manager. This led to a fine and a suspension.

2000 Season with the Chargers

Leaf returned for the 2000 season. He appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated, which called his return a "comeback." He started the first two games but struggled again. He threw many interceptions.

He later suffered a sprained wrist and missed more games. There were reports that he had lied about his injury. Leaf played in some games later in the season. He had a good game against the Denver Broncos, throwing for 311 yards and three touchdowns. The Chargers got their first win of the season with Leaf at quarterback against the Kansas City Chiefs.

However, he continued to have inconsistent play. He finished the 2000 season with 1,883 passing yards, 11 touchdowns, and 18 interceptions. The Chargers had a very bad record of 1–15. They released Leaf on February 28, 2001. In his three seasons with the Chargers, he won only four of 18 games as a starter.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Two days after being released by the Chargers, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers picked up Leaf. They hoped to help him develop his skills. However, his wrist was still injured and needed surgery. After some preseason games, he was asked to take a lower role on the team and a smaller salary. He refused and was released on September 3, 2001.

Dallas Cowboys

Leaf then joined the Dallas Cowboys. He failed his first physical exam and was released. The Cowboys signed him again later in the 2001 season when their starting quarterback was injured. He played in four games, all losses. He threw for 494 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions. The Cowboys released him in May 2002.

Retirement and Legacy

The Seattle Seahawks signed Leaf to a one-year contract. They also planned to help him develop slowly. He seemed positive about his new team. However, he suddenly retired at age 26 just before the 2002 training camp. He did not give a reason at first.

During his short NFL career, Leaf played in 25 games and started 21. He completed 317 of 655 passes for 3,666 yards. He had 14 touchdowns and 36 interceptions. His career quarterback rating was 50.0.

Many sports commentators have called Ryan Leaf one of the biggest "draft busts" in sports history. A "draft bust" is a player who was chosen very high in the draft but did not perform well. ESPN ranked him first on a list of biggest sports flops. NFL Network called him the number one NFL quarterback bust of all time.

In 2016, Leaf compared his own challenges to those of another quarterback, Johnny Manziel. He said it was like "looking in the mirror." Leaf has taken responsibility for his past actions and play.

NFL Career Statistics

Life After Football

After retiring from football, Ryan Leaf moved back to San Diego. He worked as a financial consultant. In 2004, he went back to Washington State University. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in humanities in May 2005.

In 2006, he became a volunteer quarterbacks coach at West Texas A&M University. He said he wanted to get back to college football. He also admitted he wasn't ready for the NFL when he was drafted. In 2008, he said he was happy out of the spotlight. However, he later resigned from his coaching job.

In 2009, he worked for a travel company in Vancouver, British Columbia. In 2010, he started writing a column about Washington State University football. He also signed a contract to write books. His first book, 596 Switch: The Improbable Journey from The Palouse to Pasadena, was released in 2011. It was about the 1997 Washington State football team.

As of April 2018, he was a Program Ambassador for Transcend Recovery Community. This group helps people in recovery in different cities. He also started a foundation called the Focus Intensity Foundation. It raises money for scholarships for mental health treatment. In April 2018, he wrote an article for The Players' Tribune about his NFL career and life afterward.

Leaf also hosts a radio show. He works as a college football analyst on television for the Pac-12 Network. On July 14, 2019, ESPN hired him as an analyst for college football games. He has also worked as an analyst for Westwood One's Sunday night Football and as a Sideline Reporter for the NFL Playoffs. He appeared on Sky Sports in the UK during the 2021 season.

Leaf joined The CW broadcast team in 2024. He calls Pac-12 games.

Personal Life

In 2001, Leaf married Nicole Lucia, who was a cheerleader for the Chargers. They later divorced in 2003. In 2017, he became engaged to Anna Kleinsorge. They have two children, a daughter and a son.

His younger brother, Brady Leaf, also played quarterback for the Oregon Ducks football team from 2003 to 2006. In September 2010, it was reported that Leaf was spending time with his family in Montana. In June 2011, he had a non-cancerous tumor removed from his brainstem.

Images for kids

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  Leaf in 2018

See also

In Spanish: Ryan Leaf para niños

• List of college football yearly passing leaders
• JaMarcus Russell