Ricky Stanzi
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Richard Joseph Stanzi (born September 3, 1987) 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 ...
quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
. He was drafted by 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 ...
in the fifth round of the
2011 NFL Draft The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players. Like the 2010 draft, the 2011 draft was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York C ...
. He 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 ...
at the
University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...
.


Early years

Born and raised in
Mentor, Ohio Mentor ( ) is the largest city in Lake County, Ohio, United States. The population was 47,450 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Cleveland metropolitan area. Mentor was first settled in 1797. In 1876, James A. Garfield purchased a home in Men ...
, Stanzi went to Lake Catholic High School in Mentor and was rated a 3 star recruit. He accepted a scholarship offer from the
University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...
to play quarterback.


College career

Stanzi posted record as starting quarterback. Additionally, Stanzi also posted a 6–3 record against ranked opponents, including a 3–0 mark against top-5 opponents in his career. Notable wins include going 3–0 over
Joe Paterno Joseph Vincent Paterno (; December 21, 1926 – January 22, 2012), sometimes referred to as JoePa, was an American college football player, athletic director, and coach. He was the head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions football, Penn ...
' Penn State teams and 3–0 over
Kirk Cousins Kirk Daniel Cousins (born August 19, 1988) is an American football quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Michigan State and was drafted by the team then known as the Washingto ...
' Michigan State teams. Stanzi took over as starter at Iowa as a sophomore beginning in the 2008 season. He completed 150 passes for 1,956 yards with 14 TDs. On November 7, 2009, during his junior season, Stanzi was replaced by
James Vandenberg James Vandenberg (born November 24, 1989) is a former American football quarterback. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Minnesota Vikings in 2013. He played college football at Iowa. High school career Vandenberg went to Keokuk Hi ...
after suffering a sprained right ankle. It was later confirmed that Stanzi had surgery on his ankle. Stanzi returned at the conclusion of the season to lead Iowa to an
Orange Bowl The Orange Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Miami metropolitan area. It has been played annually since January 1, 1935, making it, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Sun Bowl, the second-oldest bowl game in th ...
victory over
Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...
. Stanzi ended up passing for 2,417 yards and 17 touchdowns in his junior season – completing 56.2 percent of his attempts. Stanzi was 14–4 in his career as Iowa's starter going into his senior season, and in July 2010, Stanzi was named to the 2010
Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award The Davey O'Brien Award, officially the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award, named after Davey O'Brien, is presented annually to the collegiate American football player judged by the Davey O'Brien Foundation to be the best of all National C ...
and
Manning Award The Manning Award has been presented annually since the 2004 football season to the collegiate American football quarterback as judged by the Sugar Bowl Committee to be the best in the United States. It is the only quarterback award that incl ...
watch lists. He was also a finalist for The 2010 Premier Player of College Football Trophy which is awarded based on fan votes. Stanzi returned to Iowa in 2010 with nine touchdowns and no interceptions through his first four games. He completed 19-of-25 passes with three passing touchdowns on September 24, 2010. One of Stanzi's most memorable moments of the 2010 season occurred on November 6 in a game against
Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
, in which he connected with
Marvin McNutt Marvin McNutt, Jr. (born July 4, 1989) is a former American football wide receiver. After playing college football for Iowa, where he became the all-time leader in receiving touchdowns and yardage (single season & career), he was drafted by the ...
for a 52-yard touchdown which put Iowa up 18–13 with 2:56 remaining in the game. Stanzi put up big numbers in the 2010 season with a 167.2 quarterback rating along with 22 touchdowns. Stanzi ranked third in the nation in passing efficiency. Stanzi graduated from Iowa in December 2010 with a
B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...
in interdepartmental studies from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.


College statistics


Professional career


Kansas City Chiefs

Stanzi was selected in the fifth round with the 135th pick in the
2011 NFL Draft The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players. Like the 2010 draft, the 2011 draft was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York C ...
by 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 ...
. Stanzi was activated for the first time in his NFL career for the Chiefs against the New England Patriots on November 21, 2011. At the end of the 2011 NFL season, Stanzi was second-string behind
Kyle Orton Kyle Raymond Orton (born November 14, 1982) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football for Purdue, where he started four straight bowl games. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Dr ...
. Stanzi was expected to be the backup to
Matt Cassel Matthew Brennan Cassel (born May 17, 1982) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. A member of seven NFL teams, Cassel's most notable stints were with the New England Patriots ...
, and competed in the 2012 preseason with
Brady Quinn Brayden Tyler "Brady" Quinn (born October 27, 1984) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football at Notre Dame, where he won the Maxwell Award, and w ...
, who was signed by the Chiefs on March 17, 2012. However, Quinn eventually won the number two spot. Stanzi was released by the Chiefs on August 25, 2013.


Jacksonville Jaguars

The
Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...
claimed Stanzi off waivers on August 27, 2013. He was released on September 28 and re-signed on September 30. The Jaguars released Stanzi on August 29, 2014.


Others

The
Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...
signed Stanzi to their practice squad on December 16, 2014. The
New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
signed Stanzi off the Texans practice squad to a Reserve/Future contract on January 8, 2015. On September 5, 2015, he was waived by the Giants. 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 ...
signed Stanzi to their practice squad on September 8, 2015. Stanzi participated in rookie minicamp on a tryout basis with 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 ( ...
in 2016. However, he went unsigned, and spent 2016 out of football. In April 2017, Stanzi participated in
The Spring League The Spring League was an American football developmental league and scouting event (pro showcase) that played from 2017 to 2021 and was founded by Brian Woods. Aimed at professional athletes but not paying a salary or expenses, the league's go ...
, a developmental football league intended to provide a platform for free agents to be seen by scouts.


Calgary Stampeders

Following the Spring League games, Stanzi signed with the
Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium and are the third-old ...
of the CFL on May 16, where he competed to be the backup quarterback to
Bo Levi Mitchell Bo Levi Mitchell (born March 3, 1990)Official Eastern Washingto ...
, a role which was held by fellow Iowa alumnus
Drew Tate Drew Tate (born October 8, 1984) is an American gridiron football coach and former player. He is the tight ends coach at the University of Northern Iowa, a position he had held since 2022. He played college football as a quarterback at the Univer ...
the previous season. During the two-game CFL preseason, Stanzi completed 13 of 18 passes for 129 yards and a touchdown, and added one rush for 14 yards. Stanzi officially was named to the regular season active roster for the Stampeders on June 17. On July 29, 2017, against the
Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Tim Hortons Fiel ...
, Stanzi made his professional regular season debut when he entered during
garbage time In sports, garbage time is the period toward the end of a timed sports competition that has become a blowout when the outcome of the game has effectively already been decided, and the coaches of one or both teams will decide to replace their best ...
of Calgary's 60–1 victory. Stanzi's first CFL pass attempt was a completion to receiver Anthony Parker. Stanzi finished the game with one completion on two attempts, for five yards. Stanzi finished the year with 4 completions on 8 attempts for 53 yards, no touchdowns, and two interceptions, all of his playing time coming during garbage time. The Stampeders advanced to the
105th Grey Cup The 105th Grey Cup was played on November 26, 2017, between the Calgary Stampeders and the Toronto Argonauts at TD Place Stadium in Ottawa, Ontario. In a re-match of the 100th Grey Cup, the Argonauts won the game 27–24, winning their 17th cham ...
, but were defeated by the
Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...
. Stanzi's opposing quarterback during the Spring League,
McLeod Bethel-Thompson McLeod John Baltazar Bethel-Thompson (born July 3, 1988) is an American professional football quarterback for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at UCLA and Sacramento State. He is the gran ...
, who likewise spent 2017 as a CFL backup, was a member of the victorious Argonauts roster. The Stampeders would win the Grey Cup the following year, but Stanzi missed out, having been released after the first game of the 2018 regular season.


References


External links


Calgary Stampeders bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stanzi, Ricky Living people 1987 births American football quarterbacks Canadian football quarterbacks American players of Canadian football Iowa Hawkeyes football players Kansas City Chiefs players Jacksonville Jaguars players New York Giants players People from Kirtland, Ohio People from Mentor, Ohio Players of American football from Ohio Sportspeople from Greater Cleveland Detroit Lions players Houston Texans players Calgary Stampeders players The Spring League players