Ahtyba Rubin ( ; born July 25, 1986) is a former
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...
defensive tackle. He was drafted by the
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...
in the sixth round of the
2008 NFL Draft. He played
college football at
Iowa State.
Early years
Born in
Fort Belvoir, Virginia
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
, Rubin graduated from
Escambia High School
Escambia High School is a high school located in Escambia County, Florida, United States.
History
Escambia High School opened for the 1958–59 school year, and its first graduating class in 1959 was composed of 207 students. A large n ...
in
Pensacola, Florida in 2004, the same high school as former Cleveland Browns teammate
Trent Richardson
Trenton Jamond Richardson (born July 10, 1990) is an American football running back for the Caudillos de Chihuahua of FĂștbol Americano de MĂ©xico. He played college football for the University of Alabama, was recognized as an All-American, an ...
, and NFL Hall of Famer
Emmitt Smith. He then went on to attend
Trinity Valley Community College
Trinity Valley Community College (TVCC) is a public community college based in Athens, Texas. It has four campuses serving five counties across the southeast and eastern parts of the state.
About
TVCC operates four campuses serving the Texas co ...
in
Athens, Texas. In his freshman year, he played defensive line, but was converted into an offense lineman for his sophomore year. Rubin made the adjustment with significant success and earned all-conference and honorable mention All-America honors in 2006.
College career
Regarded as a three-star recruit out of
junior college, Rubin was recruited by a number of schools, and eventually picked Iowa State over
TCU. He was switched back to defensive line in his junior year, and started the last nine games of the 2006 season. He finished the year with 34 tackles, four tackles for loss, and a sack.
As a senior, Rubin played in all of the Cyclones' games, registering 42 tackles (with four for loss) and recording 1.5 sacks.
Professional career
2008 NFL Draft
Following his impressive senior season at Iowa State, Rubin was regarded as a "productive NFL starter" at nose tackle, and projected a mid-third round pick by ''
Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twi ...
''.
Cleveland Browns
Rubin was selected in the sixth round (190th overall) by the Cleveland Browns, and was signed on July 22, 2008.
He filled out a backup role for Browns nose tackle
Shaun Rogers in 2008 and 2009, until Rogers went down with a lower leg injury in week 12 against the
Cincinnati Bengals. Rubin has since become the Browns starting nose tackle. In the 2010 offseason the Browns traded
defensive end
Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football.
This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is ...
Corey Williams to the
Detroit Lions, moved former starting nose Tackle Shaun Rogers to defensive end and promoted Rubin to starter due to his performance in 2009. 2010 was the best season of Rubin's young career, highlighted by his 87 tackles and an interception against Kansas City's Matt Cassel. In his five years with the Browns, Rubin has played in 72 games, starting 50 of them. His career totals are 9.0 sacks, 227 total tackles, 4 passes defended, 1 interception, 3 forced fumbles, and 1 fumble recovery.
Seattle Seahawks
On March 19, 2015 Rubin signed a one-year deal with the
Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks released incumbent starting defensive tackle
Tony McDaniel
Anthony Dewayne McDaniel (born January 20, 1985) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers. McDaniel was signed ...
during training camp, giving Rubin a great opportunity at a starting job. In Week 4 against the
Cincinnati Bengals, Rubin got his first sack as a Seahawk. In Week 11 vs the
Pittsburgh Steelers, Rubin got an interception in a 39-30 victory.
On March 7, 2016, he signed a three-year contract.
On September 2, 2017, Rubin was released by the Seahawks.
Denver Broncos
On September 15, 2017, Rubin signed with the
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...
. He was released on October 17, 2017.
Atlanta Falcons
On October 19, 2017, Rubin signed with the
Atlanta Falcons.
Oakland Raiders
On June 12, 2018, Rubin signed with the
Oakland Raiders. He was placed on injured reserve on August 15, 2018 after suffering a tear in his biceps.
References
External links
Seattle Seahawks bioCleveland Browns bioIowa State Cyclones bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rubin, Ahtyba
1986 births
Living people
African-American players of American football
American football defensive tackles
Atlanta Falcons players
Cleveland Browns players
Denver Broncos players
Iowa State Cyclones football players
Oakland Raiders players
Players of American football from Virginia
Seattle Seahawks players
Sportspeople from Fairfax County, Virginia
Players of American football from Pensacola, Florida
Trinity Valley Cardinals football players
21st-century African-American sportspeople
20th-century African-American people