Jon Ritchie
FB, 1995-97
Mechanicsburgh, Pennsylvania
Transferred to Stanford in January, 1995 after playing his first two seasons (1993, '94) at the University of Michigan ... After redshirting the '95 season, he played for the Cardinal his final two years of eligibility (1996, '97) ... Mainly used a blocking fullback, but very effective when given the opportunity with the ball ... Had 26 career carries at Stanford for 123 yards (4.7 ypc) and one touchdown ... He also caught 12 passes for 87 yards and three touchdowns ... Selected in the third round of the NFL draft by the Oakland Raiders.
The 1997 Season: Carried the ball 17 times for 95 yards (5.6 ypc) while also catching nine passes for 80 yards and two touchdowns ... He shared the starting fullback assignment with Greg Comella ... Scored on an 11-yard pass play from Chad Hutchinson in game #2 at North Carolina ... His other TD came on a nine-yard pass from Hutchinson vs. Oregon ... His longest run of the season was a 24-yarder vs. Arizona State ... Named First-Team Academic All-Pacific-10 Conference.
The 1996 Season: Jon began the year as an inside linebacker, but was switched back to fullback - his original position - prior to the start of the season ... Moved from fullback to inside linebacker during the spring and was expected to play a key role for the Cardinal at ILB in '96 ... But, when injuries to two fullbacks occurred during fall camp, Ritchie was moved back to fullback ... He then suffered a serious hamstring injury and was limited during fall camp and into the first few weeks of the season ... After receiving some playing time in the season opener vs. Utah, Ritchie strained the other hamstring and was lost for the next week ... He did not play at 100 percent in any game during the season ... He did, however, show flashes of his ability... For the season, he rushed nine times for 27 yards and one TD and caught four passes for 26 yards and another touchdown ... He had seven carries for 24 yards and one TD vs. Washington State in game 10 and a five-yard touchdown reception vs. Cal in the Big Game ... In the Sun Bowl, he had five receptions for 37 yards, including a eight-yard TD pass from Chad Hutchinson.
The 1995 Season: Forced to sit out the '95 season after transferring from the University of Michigan in January ... Participated in spring drills ... Made the switch from fullback to inside linebacker late in the year.
At Michigan: Played on the Wolverine football team in 1993 and 1994 ... Slated to be Michigan's starting fullback in 1995 had he remained in Ann Arbor ... During his two seasons, he gained 120 yards on 33 carries and scored two touchdowns while catching two passes for 13 yards ... Career best game was vs. Purdue in 1993 when he carried nine times for 36 yards and one TD ... Named Academic All-Big-10 in 1994.
In High School: Jon was considered one of the top prospects in the nation when he graduated from Cumberland Valley High School ... He was not only a consensus All-American, but one publication ranked him as the #1 prep fullback in the country ... First-Team All-American selection as a senior by Blue Chip, Max Emfinger, Tom Lemming, ESPN, Super Prep and Scholastic Coach ... Member of Blue Chip Illustrated Dream Team and Pennsylvania Big 33 team ... Emfinger ranked him as the #1 fullback prospect in the nation ... Super Prep tabbed him eighth best athlete and ninth best running back in the country ... USA Today Second-Team All-American ... Honored by The Sporting News and the U.S. Army R.O.T.C. for outstanding athletic and academic achievement ... Led Cumberland to the state championship with 1,925 yards on 298 carries and 29 TDs as a senior ... Averaged five tackles per game as a senior playing the "monster" position ... Accounted for 4,062 rushing yards, 700 receiving yards, 5,017 all-purpose yards and 68 touchdowns during his three-year prep career ... Cumberland posted a 38-2-1 record in his three seasons ... Member of the National Honor Society.
Personal Information: Born September 4, 1974 ... English major ... Interests include playing the guitar and writing lyric songs ... Also plays the piano and classical saxophone.
