Ryan Kalil
Encyclopedia
Ryan Kalil is an American football
offensive lineman for the Carolina Panthers
of the National Football League
. Drafted by Carolina in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft
, Kalil played college football
at the University of Southern California
. He is currently the highest paid center in NFL history.
. He was a 2005 Sports Illustrated
All-American
, and won the USC Trojans' Bob Chandler Award in 2005 and Courage Award in 2004 and on the watch list for the Lombardi Award
.
Kalil was on the official watch list for the Rimington Trophy for the top college football
center and the Outland Trophy
watch list for the best lineman. He was named to the 2005 and 2006 Pac-10 coaches and Rivals.com
All Pac-10 team First Team. He was a Pro Football Weekly All-American
choice and a Rivals.com
second-team All American and SI.com honorable mention All-American.
Kalil was voted "lineman of the year" by his eighth ranked Trojans teammates and won the 2006 Morris Trophy. Kalil was invited to play in the Senior Bowl prior to the 2007 NFL Draft.
at the 2007 NFL Combine
and bench press
ed 225 pounds 34 times. His performances at the combine and the Senior Bowl
impressed scout and led many analysts to project he would be selected in the first or second round of the 2007 NFL Draft
.
. He was the first center
to be selected in the 2007 draft and joined his teammate from the USC Trojans
, Dwayne Jarrett
, who the Panthers also selected in the 2nd round.
In 2007, Kalil started 3 games.
In 2008 Kalil was named the full-time starter at Center. He started in all 12 games that he appeared, missing 4 due to injury.
In 2009, Kalil was voted second-alternate to the 2010 Pro Bowl
. He later was given a spot due to an injury by the first alternate.
In 2010, Kalil was named a first alternate, but was added to the roster after Giants center Shaun O'Hara
pulled out.
In 2011, Kalil received a franchise tag
from the Carolina Panthers
.
On August 19, 2011 the Carolina Panthers
signed Kalil to a 6-year $49 million deal, making him the highest paid center in NFL history.
played football for the University of Arkansas
and the University of Arizona
. He was drafted by the National Football League
Buffalo Bills
in 1982
and later played in the United States Football League
until 1984. His mother, Cheryl (Van Cleave), was Miss California
in 1981. He is of Lebanese
and Mexican
heritage, and has two siblings: brother Matt
, is a starting offensive tackle at USC, and a top propsect in the 2012 NFL Draft
. His sister Danielle, a model and aspiring singer.
Kalil married Natalie Nelson, a classmate and USC Song Girl, having proposed to her in an elaborate trick staging a fake photo shoot at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
.
Kalil has interests in the film industry, having made claymation films as a child and worked with fellow USC-alumnus Will Ferrell
on a football training spoof for the NFL Network
.
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...
offensive lineman for the Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
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...
. Drafted by Carolina in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft
2007 NFL Draft
The 2007 National Football League Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 28 and April 29, 2007. The draft was televised for the 28th consecutive year on ESPN and ESPN2. The NFL Network also broadcast coverage of the event, its second year doing so...
, Kalil 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 the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
. He is currently the highest paid center in NFL history.
College career
Kalil played for the University of Southern CaliforniaUniversity of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
. He was a 2005 Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
All-American
2005 College Football All-America Team
The 2005 College Football All-America Team is composed of the following All-American Teams: Associated Press, Football Writers Association of America, American Football Coaches Association, Walter Camp Foundation, The Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Pro Football Weekly, ESPN, CBS Sports, College...
, and won the USC Trojans' Bob Chandler Award in 2005 and Courage Award in 2004 and on the watch list for the Lombardi Award
Lombardi Award
The Rotary Lombardi Award is awarded annually to the best college football lineman or linebacker. The Lombardi Award program was approved by the Rotary Club in Houston in 1970 shortly after the death of Vince Lombardi. The committee outlined the criteria for eligibility for the award, which...
.
Kalil was on the official watch list for the Rimington Trophy for the top 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...
center and the Outland Trophy
Outland Trophy
The Outland Trophy is awarded to the best United States college football interior lineman by the Football Writers Association of America. It is named after John H. Outland. One of only a few players ever to be named All-America at two positions, Outland garnered consensus All-America honors in...
watch list for the best lineman. He was named to the 2005 and 2006 Pac-10 coaches and Rivals.com
Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting. The network was started in 1996 and currently employs more than 300 personnel.-Schools:The individual collegiate sites can be found...
All Pac-10 team First Team. He was a Pro Football Weekly All-American
2006 College Football All-America Team
The 2006 College Football All-America Team is composed of the following All-American Teams: Associated Press, Football Writers Association of America, American Football Coaches Association, Walter Camp Foundation, The Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Pro Football Weekly, CBS Sports, ESPN, College...
choice and a Rivals.com
Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting. The network was started in 1996 and currently employs more than 300 personnel.-Schools:The individual collegiate sites can be found...
second-team All American and SI.com honorable mention All-American.
Kalil was voted "lineman of the year" by his eighth ranked Trojans teammates and won the 2006 Morris Trophy. Kalil was invited to play in the Senior Bowl prior to the 2007 NFL Draft.
Pro career
He ran a 4.94 40 yard dash40 yard dash
The 40-yard dash is a sprint covering . It is primarily run to evaluate the speed of American football players by scouts, particularly for the NFL Draft but also for collegiate recruiting. A player's recorded time in the 40 can have a heavy impact on his prospects in college or professional football...
at the 2007 NFL Combine
NFL Combine
The National Invitational Camp or NFL Scouting Combine, as it is more widely known, is a week-long showcase, occurring every February in Indianapolis, Indiana's Lucas Oil Stadium , where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Football League coaches, general...
and bench press
Bench press
The bench press is an exercise of the upper body. For bodybuilding purposes, it is used to stimulate the pectorals, deltoids, and triceps. While on his or her back, the person performing the bench press lowers a weight to the level of the chest, then pushes it back up until the arm is straight...
ed 225 pounds 34 times. His performances at the combine and the Senior Bowl
Senior Bowl
The Senior Bowl is a post-season college football exhibition game played in Mobile, Alabama which showcases the best NFL Draft prospects of those collegiate players who have completed their eligibility. First played in 1950 in Jacksonville, Florida, the game moved to Mobile's Ladd Peebles Stadium...
impressed scout and led many analysts to project he would be selected in the first or second round of the 2007 NFL Draft
2007 NFL Draft
The 2007 National Football League Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 28 and April 29, 2007. The draft was televised for the 28th consecutive year on ESPN and ESPN2. The NFL Network also broadcast coverage of the event, its second year doing so...
.
Carolina Panthers
Pre-draft predictions turned out to be correct, as Kalil was selected in the second round of the draft with the 59th pick by the Carolina PanthersCarolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
. He was the first center
Center (American football)
Center is a position in American football and Canadian football . The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team's offense...
to be selected in the 2007 draft and joined his teammate from the USC Trojans
USC Trojans
The USC Trojans are the athletic teams representing the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California. While the men's teams are nicknamed the Trojans, the women's athletic teams are referred to as either the Trojans or Women of Troy...
, Dwayne Jarrett
Dwayne Jarrett
Dwayne Jarrett is an American football wide receiver formerly of the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Panthers in the second round the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Southern California.-Early years:Jarrett attended New Brunswick...
, who the Panthers also selected in the 2nd round.
In 2007, Kalil started 3 games.
In 2008 Kalil was named the full-time starter at Center. He started in all 12 games that he appeared, missing 4 due to injury.
In 2009, Kalil was voted second-alternate to the 2010 Pro Bowl
2010 Pro Bowl
The 2010 AFC–NFC Pro Bowl was the NFL's all-star game for the 2009 season. It took place at 8:00 PM EST on Sunday, January 31, 2010, at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, the home stadium of the Miami Dolphins and host site of Super Bowl XLIV...
. He later was given a spot due to an injury by the first alternate.
In 2010, Kalil was named a first alternate, but was added to the roster after Giants center Shaun O'Hara
Shaun O'Hara
Shaun O'Hara is an American football center in the National Football League who is currently a free agent. He played college football at Rutgers University, and has been in the NFL since 2000, having begun his pro career as a free agent with the Cleveland Browns...
pulled out.
In 2011, Kalil received a franchise tag
Franchise Tag
In the National Football League, the franchise tag is a designation a team may apply to a player scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent. The tag binds the player to the team for one year if certain conditions are met. Each team has access each year to only one franchise tag and one...
from the Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
.
On August 19, 2011 the Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
signed Kalil to a 6-year $49 million deal, making him the highest paid center in NFL history.
Personal
Kalil's father Frank KalilFrank Kalil
-Pro career:Kalil was drafted in the 11th round with the 298th pick in the 1982 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills as an offensive guard. Kalil played professionally in the USFL.-College career:...
played football for the University of Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
and the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
. He was drafted by 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...
Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in 1982
1982 NFL Draft
The 1982 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 27–28, 1982...
and later played in the United States Football League
United States Football League
The United States Football League was an American football league which was in active operation from 1983 to 1987. It played a spring/summer schedule in its first three seasons and a traditional autumn/winter schedule was set to commence before league operations ceased.The USFL was conceived in...
until 1984. His mother, Cheryl (Van Cleave), was Miss California
Miss California
For the state pageant affiliated with Miss USA, see Miss California USAThe Miss California competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of California in the Miss America pageant. Delegates from the states of California, Ohio and Oklahoma have each won the title of Miss...
in 1981. He is of Lebanese
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
and Mexican
Mexican people
Mexican people refers to all persons from Mexico, a multiethnic country in North America, and/or who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity....
heritage, and has two siblings: brother Matt
Matt Kalil
Matt Kalil is an American football offensive tackle for the University of Southern California. He is regarded as one of the top prospects for the 2012 NFL Draft by analysts.-High school career:...
, is a starting offensive tackle at USC, and a top propsect in the 2012 NFL Draft
2012 NFL Draft
The 2012 NFL Draft will be the 77th annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible football players.-Trades:...
. His sister Danielle, a model and aspiring singer.
Kalil married Natalie Nelson, a classmate and USC Song Girl, having proposed to her in an elaborate trick staging a fake photo shoot at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is a large outdoor sports stadium in the University Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, at Exposition Park, that is home to the Pacific-12 Conference's University of Southern California Trojans football team...
.
Kalil has interests in the film industry, having made claymation films as a child and worked with fellow USC-alumnus Will Ferrell
Will Ferrell
John William "Will" Ferrell is an American comedian, impressionist, actor, and writer. Ferrell first established himself in the late 1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, and has subsequently starred in the comedy films Old School, Elf, Anchorman, Talladega...
on a football training spoof for the NFL Network
NFL Network
NFL Network is an American television specialty channel owned and operated by the National Football League . It was launched November 4, 2003, only eight months after the league's 32 team owners voted unanimously to approve its formation...
.