Myron Pryor
Encyclopedia
Myron Pryor is an American football
nose tackle for the New England Patriots
of the National Football League
(NFL). He was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2009 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at Kentucky
.
. He attended Eastern High School in Middletown, Kentucky
, where he was voted a Second Team All-State player by the Associated Press
. He was also a two-year letterman
in wrestling
and track and field
, where he competed in the discus
and shot put
.
, where he started the last two games of his freshman season in 2005. In his sophomore season, he started ten games, recording ten forced fumbles, ranking him among the nation's best in that statistic. He recorded 27 tackles in his junior season in 2007, starting 11 of his team's 12 games. In his 2008 senior season, Pryor was named second-team All-Southeastern Conference
. He started 10 games on the season, picking up four and a half sack
s, and a touchdown on a 72-yard fumble
return.
. On July 23, 2009, he signed a four-year contract. He was active for 13 games for the Patriots in 2009
, recording 20 tackles. He missed Week 1 with a calf injury and Weeks 14 and 15 with a chest injury.
In 2010
, Pryor played in nine games (two starts), missing seven of the final eight games with a back injury. He finished the season with 12 tackles and 0.5 sacks.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
nose tackle for the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
(NFL). He was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2009 NFL Draft
2009 NFL Draft
The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 25 and 26, 2009. The draft consisted of two rounds on the first day starting at 4:00...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Kentucky
Kentucky Wildcats football
The Kentucky Wildcats football team is a college football program that competes in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the East Division of the Southeastern Conference.-History:Paul "Bear" Bryant Era...
.
Early years
Pryor was born in Louisville, KentuckyLouisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
. He attended Eastern High School in Middletown, Kentucky
Middletown, Kentucky
The median income for a household in the city was $53,608, and the median income for a family was $61,667. Males had a median income of $45,417 versus $33,135 for females. The per capita income for the city was $26,660...
, where he was voted a Second Team All-State player by the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
. He was also a two-year letterman
Varsity letter
A varsity letter is an award earned in the United States for excellence in school activities. A varsity letter signifies that its winner was a qualified varsity team member, awarded after a certain standard was met.- Description :...
in wrestling
Wrestling
Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
and track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
, where he competed in the discus
Discus
Discus, "disk" in Latin, may refer to:* Discus , a progressive rock band from Indonesia* Discus , a fictional character from the Marvel Comics Universe and enemy of Luke Cage* Discus , a freshwater fish popular with aquarium keepers...
and shot put
Shot put
The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" a heavy metal ball—the shot—as far as possible. It is common to use the term "shot put" to refer to both the shot itself and to the putting action....
.
College career
After graduating from high school in 2005, Pryor attended the University of KentuckyUniversity of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
, where he started the last two games of his freshman season in 2005. In his sophomore season, he started ten games, recording ten forced fumbles, ranking him among the nation's best in that statistic. He recorded 27 tackles in his junior season in 2007, starting 11 of his team's 12 games. In his 2008 senior season, Pryor was named second-team All-Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
. He started 10 games on the season, picking up four and a half sack
Quarterback sack
In American football and Canadian football, a sack occurs when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before he can throw a forward pass, or when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in the "pocket" and the intent of what he was going to do is unclear...
s, and a touchdown on a 72-yard fumble
Fumble
A fumble in American and Canadian football occurs when a player, who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed or scoring. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking or successful handing that results in loss of player possession...
return.
New England Patriots
Pryor was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round (207th overall) of the 2009 NFL Draft2009 NFL Draft
The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 25 and 26, 2009. The draft consisted of two rounds on the first day starting at 4:00...
. On July 23, 2009, he signed a four-year contract. He was active for 13 games for the Patriots in 2009
2009 New England Patriots season
The 2009 New England Patriots season was the 40th season for the team in the National Football League and 50th season overall. They finished with a 10–6 record and a division title before losing to the Baltimore Ravens in the playoffs....
, recording 20 tackles. He missed Week 1 with a calf injury and Weeks 14 and 15 with a chest injury.
In 2010
2010 New England Patriots season
The 2010 New England Patriots season was the 41st season for the team in the National Football League and 51st season overall. The Patriots improved on their 10–6 record from 2009 by finishing with a league-best 14–2 record and clinching the top seed in the AFC, before losing to the New York Jets...
, Pryor played in nine games (two starts), missing seven of the final eight games with a back injury. He finished the season with 12 tackles and 0.5 sacks.