Ryan Kalil hails from a family that has a strong bond with the gridiron. You’d stop wondering about the secret behind his emergence as one of the most phenomenal offensive players in the NFL the moment you learn his dad is Frank Kalil. Like Ryan, the man was an offensive lineman, he played professionally for the Buffalo Bills, Arizona Wranglers, and the Houston Gamblers.
Ryan and his brother, Matt Kalil play for the Carolina Panthers. Records have it that the brothers are the third set of siblings to play on the same offensive line in the history of the National Football League. They have a sister named Danielle and their mom Cheryl was Miss California in 1981.
From his NFL profile and career to his wife, kids, and body stats, the following are the things you should know about this Carolina Panthers centerman.
NFL Profile and Career
The genesis of Ryan Kalil’s career as a footballer has been traced to his days in high school. Although he was born in Tucson, Arizona (on 29th March 1985), Ryan was brought up in Corona, California. He was a student of the all-male Servite High School located in Anaheim. As this chap hails from a family that’s headed by a professional footballer, it was only natural he joined the Servite football team where he played alongside the New England Patriots’ special teamer cum wide receiver, Matthew Slater.
But it was his college stint with the Trojans of USC that earned him significant attention. While Ryan majored in Sociology at the University of Southern California, he played 45 games for the Trojans. Starting as a freshman in 2003, he won the team’s Courage Award in his sophomore season. Ryan only got better as a junior and this saw him receive the Bob Chandler Award in addition to earning the First-team All-Pac 10 recognition. As a senior, he earned more prestigious honors which hinted at his intent to dominate in the NFL.
Among other coveted accolades, he bagged the Morris Trophy, got named in First-team All-Pac 10 and Associated Press’ Second-team All-America. Ryan was equally honored as the Most Inspirational Player in Southern California. Considering these attainments, it was anticipated that he will be picked in the first or second round of the 2007 NFL Draft. This came to pass when the Carolina Panthers drafted him in the second round with the 59th pick.
Ryan Kalil has been blazing for the team in the center position since then. He was named to his first Pro Bowl in 2009 and has thus far, participated in the all-star game 5 times (2009-2011, 2013, and 2015).
Ryan Kalil’s Wife and Kids
The wives and girlfriends of athletes have always made news stories for one or two reasons and it is not a different case for Ryan Kalil’s wife, Natalie Nelson. For instance, people picked up more interest in knowing more about the woman when her husband joked about not getting enough kisses from his wife because of his beard.
Although we are yet to authenticate where the two first met and how they became lovers, there are reasons to believe their affair started while they were college students at the USC where Natalie was a cheerleader and Ryan was playing football for the Trojans. Natalie was quite popular as a song girl, but her popularity soared after she cheered for the wrong team when the USC faced Texas for the BCS National Championship.
The footballer got married to the love of his life in 2008 and their union thus far has been blessed with two kids – Kenadi and Chandler. According to the Panthers’ star, being a dad has made him a better man as it has helped him focus on the important things. In his own words: “…Kids have a funny way of making sure you know what the important things are.”
Height, Weight, and Body Stats
Hardly is there a sport that requires a great deal of physical fitness like American football, to a large extent, it determines the performance of a player and can’t be sacrificed for anything. In view of this, NFL stars are expected to maintain a decent body composition that’s sturdy and flexible. The ideal footballer should have the right weight, a good height, muscle strength, and cardiorespiratory endurance.
Thankfully, Ryan Kalil has little to worry about in this regard. He has the physical attributes you’d expect from a footballer who has been named as one of the NFL’s finest offensive players. Even as he is far from being one of the tallest guys in the NFL, Kalil is a man many would describe as very tall. He is 5 feet 2 inches tall and the height is perfect for his 300 lb body weight. We are yet to confirm other details of his body measurements of the time of this writing.
