Ryan Nece

Ryan Clint Nece (born February 24, 1979) is a former American football linebacker who played in the National Football League. He was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in 2002. He played college football at UCLA. Nece is the son of former NFL Hall of Fame safety Ronnie Lott.

Nece is a community activist involved in many charities throughout the Tampa Bay area. He is on the board of the Tampa Bay Sports Authority and Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo. In 2006 he created his own foundation "The Ryan Nece Foundation", funding programs for youth and families.

College career

Nece graduated from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and was a four-year starter for the Bruins and finished his career with 281 career tackles (173 solo), with 22 tackles for loss and 10 sacks. He started out in his redshirt year as a safety but converted to linebacker afterwards. He was an honorable mention All-Pac-10 selection and Butkus Award semifinalist as a senior at UCLA.

Professional career

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Nece tore his ACL in his rookie year, ending his season after being a stalwart special teams tackler throughout the season. In 2003, Nece moved into the starting spot across star linebacker Derrick Brooks and finished the season with 70 tackles and one interception.

Nece was released by the Buccaneers during final cuts on August 30, 2008 after which he then retired.

Detroit Lions

On August 31, 2008, Nece was signed by the Detroit Lions. The move reunited him with Lions head coach Rod Marinelli, who was an assistant coach for the Buccaneers during Nece's first four seasons in Tampa Bay. Nece was released by the Lions in the 2009 off-season.

With Marc Isenberg, Nece is the co-author of Go Pro Like a Pro, a small booklet from 2011 created for athletes, their parents, and others who influence, advise, and work on athletes’ behalf.

Broadcasting career

The United Football league announced on September 14, 2010 that Nece would be doing sideline reporting during live games on the Versus network. He joined the Pac-12 Network as a sideline reporter and football analyst in 2012.

Marriage

Ryan is married to Willa Ford. They held an wedding ceremony on October 8, 2015.

External links

• Detroit Lions bio
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers bio