Ryan King (born April 21, 1988) is a former

Canadian football Canadian football () is a team sport, sport played in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposing team's sco ...

long snapper In American football, the long snapper (or deep snapper) is a center on special teams whose duty is to snap the football over a longer distance, typically around 15 yards during punts, and 7–8 yards during field goals and extra point attempt ...

who played for eight seasons for the

Edmonton Eskimos The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at the Brick Field at Commo ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

(CFL).

Early career

King played

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

for the Bev Facey Falcons from 2001 to 2003. During this time, he won a Tier I provincial title with the Falcons. From 2004 to 2007, King played for the

Edmonton Wildcats The Edmonton Wildcats (formerly the Edmonton Maple Leafs) are Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The Wildcats play in the Prairie Football Conference, which is part of the Canadian Junior Football League and competes for the league ...

of the

Canadian Junior Football League The Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL) is a national Major Junior Canadian football league consisting of 19 teams playing in five provinces across Canada. The teams compete annually for the Canadian Bowl. Many CJFL players move on to profess ...

(CJFL) as a

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

, where he earned 169 tackles and was named CJFL Linebacker of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year.

College career

From 2008 to 2010, King played

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 ...

for the

Saint Mary's Huskies The Saint Mary's Huskies are the men's and women's athletic teams that represent Saint Mary's University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Their primary home turf is Huskies Stadium located in the centre of the University's campus. In September 2 ...

as a linebacker. He was named an

Atlantic University Sport Atlantic University Sport (AUS; french: Sport universitaire de l'Atlantique) is a regional membership association for universities in Atlantic Canada which assists in co-ordinating competition between their university level athletic programs and pr ...

(AUS) football all-star in 2009 and held a team captain position for 2009 and 2010. During 2010, he set a school record for most tackles with 114. Due to a new eligibility rule put in place by the

CIS Cis or cis- may refer to: Places * Cis, Trentino, in Italy * In Poland: ** Cis, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, south-central ** Cis, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, north Math, science and biology * cis (mathematics) (cis(''θ'')), a trigonome ...

which prevented a player from spending more than seven years as a junior or college football player, King was unable to play college football during his final year at Saint Mary's and did not play during 2011.

Professional career

When Taylor Inglis retired from the Edmonton Eskimos, he requested King to be tried out as his potential replacement at the long snapper position. King and Inglis had previously been teammates on the Edmonton Wildcats of the CJFL. King was selected by the Eskimos in the fifth round of the

2012 CFL Draft The 2012 CFL Draft took place on Thursday, May 3, 2012 at 3:00 PM ET on TSN. 45 players were chosen from among eligible players from Canadian Universities across the country, as well as Canadian players playing in the NCAA. The Calgary Stampeders ...

with the 38th overall pick. After competing with several other players for the position in training camp, King was designated as the starting long snapper for the 2012 season. In his rookie season, King completed seven special teams tackles and recovered one

fumble A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful ...

in 15 games. On October 13, in the Eskimos' Week 16 game against the

Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in 1 ...

, King suffered a

separated shoulder A separated shoulder, also known as acromioclavicular joint injury, is a common injury to the acromioclavicular joint. The AC joint is located at the outer end of the clavicle where it attaches to the acromion of the scapula. Symptoms include non ...

and was placed on the nine-game

injured list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL). General guidelines ...

to end his rookie season. In 2013, he returned to his starting position and recorded eight special teams tackles and recovered a forced fumble while starting all 18 regular season games. On April 17, 2014, the Eskimos signed King to a contract extension through the end of the 2015 season. He completed nine special teams tackles and a forced fumble recovery in 2014. He also played in two

post-season The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

games. King announced his retirement from football on April 13, 2021.

Coaching

In 2014, King returned to coach the Edmonton Wildcats, where he played amateur football. He coached on the defense, primarily working with the team's linebackers.

Awards and honors

King was the 2018 recipient of the

Tom Pate Memorial Award Tom Pate Memorial Award, selected annually by the Canadian Football League Players' Association, is awarded to a player with outstanding sportsmanship and someone who has made a significant contribution to his team, his community and Association. Th ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:King, Ryan 1986 births Living people Canadian football linebackers Canadian football long snappers Canadian Junior Football League players Edmonton Elks players Players of Canadian football from Alberta Saint Mary's Huskies football players Sportspeople from Edmonton Sportspeople from Sydney