Ross John Travis (born January 9, 1993) 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 with ...
tight end
The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like ...
. He played
college basketball
In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...
at
Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campu ...
and did not play
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
. After going undrafted in the
2015 NFL draft
The 2015 NFL Draft was the 80th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. It took place in Chicago at the Auditorium Theatre and in Grant Park, from April 30 to May 2. The previous ...
, he signed with the
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division.
The tea ...
as an undrafted free agent.
College basketball career
Travis was rated as a three-star recruit by
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
and
Rivals
A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant o ...
and was considered one of the top college prospects in
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
. As a freshman, he played all 32 games starting 16, he averaged 4.4 points and 4.7 rebounds per game in his first year. He won the team's ''Scrappiest Player Award'' which is voted by teammates and coaches. In his final three years at
Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campu ...
, Travis averaged 7.0, 8.3, and 5.5 points per game as a sophomore, junior and senior. He finished his career with the
Nittany Lions
The Penn State Nittany Lions are the athletic teams of Pennsylvania State University, except for the women's basketball team, known as the Lady Lions. The school colors are navy blue and white. The school mascot is the Nittany Lion. The interc ...
as a four-year
letterman
Letterman may refer to:
* Letterman (sports), a classification of high school or college athlete in the United States
People
* David Letterman (born 1947), American television talk show host
** ''Late Night with David Letterman'', talk show that ...
and played a career total of 133 games and started 98.
Professional career
Kansas City Chiefs
Having not played football since freshman year of high school eight years prior, Travis was signed to the
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division.
The tea ...
' practice squad as an undrafted free agent on September 7, 2015. He was released by the Chiefs on September 14, 2015, but was re-signed on November 17, 2015. He re-signed with the Chiefs on January 18, 2016.
On November 27, 2017, Travis was waived by the Chiefs.
Indianapolis Colts
On November 28, 2017, Travis was claimed off waivers by the
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
. In his Colts debut, Travis had two catches for 33 yards.
On August 30, 2018, in the last preseason game against the
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...
, Travis suffered a torn ACL injury after catching a pass from quarterback
P. J. Walker
Phillip "P. J." Walker (born February 26, 1995) is an American football quarterback for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Temple, and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Indian ...
for a first down on 4th & 6, prematurely ending his 2018 season. On September 1, 2018, Travis was placed on injured reserve.
On February 26, 2019, Travis was re-signed by the Colts. He was released on August 31, 2019. He was re-signed on November 25, 2019. He was waived on December 27, 2019.
New York Jets
On December 28, 2019, Travis was claimed off waivers by the
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...
.
On September 5, 2020, Travis was released by the Jets and signed to the practice squad the next day. He was elevated to the active roster on November 9 for the team's week 9 game against the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
, and reverted to the practice squad after the game. He was placed on the practice squad/
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
list by the team on November 12, and restored to the practice squad on November 23. He was promoted to the active roster on November 24, 2020.
Arizona Cardinals
On May 25, 2021, Travis signed with the
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...
. He was released on August 31, 2021, and re-signed to the practice squad the next day. He was released on November 2.
Cleveland Browns
On December 7, 2021, Travis was signed to 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 ( ...
practice squad. He was released on December 24.
Detroit Lions
On December 28, 2021, Travis was signed to the
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
practice squad.
References
External links
Penn State Nittany Lions bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Travis, Ross
1993 births
Living people
Players of American football from Minnesota
Sportspeople from the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area
People from Chaska, Minnesota
Basketball players from Minnesota
American football tight ends
American men's basketball players
Penn State Nittany Lions basketball players
Kansas City Chiefs players
Indianapolis Colts players
New York Jets players
Arizona Cardinals players
Cleveland Browns players
Detroit Lions players