Rex Ashley Ryan was born on December 13,1962 and is an American former football coach and analyst.
67 Facts About Rex Ryan
2.
From a young age, Rex Ryan aspired to follow in his father's footsteps and become a professional football coach.
3.
At the behest of their head coach Brian Billick, Rex Ryan joined the Baltimore Ravens in 1999 and spent ten years there.
4.
Rex Ryan later accepted a contract offer from the Jets for their vacant head coaching position for the 2009 season.
5.
Shortly after his firing from the Jets, Rex Ryan was hired to be the Bills' head coach, where he lasted two years with the team before being fired at the end of the 2016 season.
6.
Rex Ryan and his fraternal twin, Rob, were born in Ardmore, Oklahoma, on December 13,1962, to Doris and Buddy Ryan.
7.
Rex Ryan decided it was in the best interest of the brothers to send them to live with their father, who was the defensive line coach for the Minnesota Vikings at the time.
8.
Rex Ryan went on to attend Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford, Oklahoma, alongside Rob, and played for the football team as a defensive end.
9.
Rex Ryan graduated from Southwestern Oklahoma in 1986, and in 2011 was inducted into the university's Hall of Fame.
10.
The Colonels won the Ohio Valley Conference title in the two years Rex Ryan served as an assistant.
11.
At the age of 26, Rex Ryan became the assistant head coach and defensive coordinator at Division II New Mexico Highlands for a year, during which the team led the league in defensive turnovers.
12.
Rex Ryan was the Oklahoma Sooners' defensive coordinator for a year in which the defense was ranked sixth in the nation.
13.
Rex Ryan served as defensive coordinator at Kansas State for a month in 1999 under head coach Bill Snyder.
14.
Rex Ryan went on to coach at three different colleges following his tenure with the Cardinals, though by the time he joined Kansas State in 1999, he was hopeful of a return to the NFL.
15.
Rex Ryan received a call from newly named head coach Brian Billick of the Baltimore Ravens, who wanted to interview him for the defensive line coaching position.
16.
In 2006, Rex Ryan received Assistant Coach of the Year awards from Pro Football Weekly and the Pro Football Writers Association.
17.
Rex Ryan was one of the candidates interviewed by the Ravens for their head coaching vacancy; however, the Ravens chose to name John Harbaugh as the team's new head coach.
18.
Rex Ryan interviewed with Miami and Atlanta about filling their head coaching vacancies, but the offers went to Tony Sparano and Mike Smith respectively.
19.
Rex Ryan was disappointed by his failure to obtain a head coaching job, but he agreed to return to Baltimore under the direction of Harbaugh, who retained Rex Ryan as defensive coordinator and promoted him to assistant head coach.
20.
Rex Ryan planned to remove the players from distractions on and off the field and allow them get to know one another to build team chemistry.
21.
The victory allowed Rex Ryan to become the Jets' first rookie head coach to win his first three games since Al Groh did so in 2000.
22.
Rex Ryan became embroiled in controversy a few days later when he made an obscene gesture towards heckling Dolphins fans who spat on him during a Strikeforce mixed martial arts event at BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida.
23.
Rex Ryan had been asked to sign the Jets' logo on the back of the bus but included the message with his signature.
24.
Dungy and Rex Ryan later met in person to reconcile their differences.
25.
Rex Ryan, meanwhile, had begun to isolate himself from the rest of the team as he became less "hands-on" and opted to have his assistants coach the players at their respective positions.
26.
Rex Ryan attracted further attention to the team during a Sunday Night Football game against the New England Patriots when he responded to a heckling fan with an obscene remark and was fined $75,000 by the league.
27.
Rex Ryan conceded this point and announced that he would refrain from making such statements publicly in the future.
28.
Rex Ryan was criticized for his decision to keep Tebow activated during the Jets' Thanksgiving Day contest against the New England Patriots despite Tebow playing with two broken ribs, leading to questions about his job security.
29.
Rex Ryan renamed Sanchez the starting quarterback the following Wednesday after seeking out multiple opinions within the organization.
30.
Rex Ryan was widely criticized for his decision to insert Sanchez late in a preseason game against the New York Giants after Sanchez suffered a season-ending shoulder injury which led to Smith being named the starter.
31.
Rex Ryan was praised for keeping his team competitive after being eliminated from playoff contention and keeping their spirits high throughout the year despite their inconsistency.
32.
Rex Ryan was hired as the 18th head coach of the Buffalo Bills on January 12,2015, agreeing to a five-year, $27.5 million contract.
33.
Frustrated by the Bills leading the NFL in penalties heading into their Week 5 game against the Tennessee Titans, Rex Ryan gave the entire team wristbands with the message "Yes sir".
34.
Rex Ryan gave the whole team the week off during the bye, and he himself found a secluded beach to "get away and focus".
35.
Rex Ryan returned to MetLife Stadium in Week 10 for a much anticipated Thursday Night Football game against the Jets.
36.
Rex Ryan faced questions before and after the game about his decision to name IK Enemkpali, who had been released by the Jets in preseason after breaking quarterback Geno Smith's jaw in an altercation, as Buffalo's captain for the game.
37.
On January 10,2016, it was announced that Rex Ryan had hired his twin brother.
38.
Three days later, Rex Ryan hired former NFL standout Ed Reed to be an assistant defensive backs coach.
39.
Rex Ryan was replaced on a full-time basis by Sean McDermott in Buffalo, who proceeded to lead the Bills to the postseason in his first season in 2017.
40.
The one-game agreement, in which ESPN beat out game rightsholder Fox, left the possibility open for Rex Ryan to continue with ESPN through the 2017 season.
41.
In 2022, Rex Ryan competed on the thirty-fourth season of the CBS reality competition show The Amazing Race, where he was eliminated in the second leg.
42.
Rex Ryan stresses that coaches are essentially supposed to be open and communicative with the players and management, who in turn will reciprocate the same attitude.
43.
Rex Ryan has stressed that the teaching process is an important one, particularly when it comes to providing a player information and building chemistry.
44.
Rex Ryan refuted this, stating his goal is to implement a proficient running game, citing a desire to "get after" the opponent through running the ball.
45.
Rex Ryan has stated that passing the ball is important but should not be used incessantly as there should be a balance between both aspects of the offense.
46.
The Jets utilized the former of the two popular formations; however, Rex Ryan tended to employ all six formations in varying forms.
47.
When Rex Ryan accepted his position as a graduate assistant at Eastern Kentucky, he proposed to Michelle by phone; she accepted and they were married in 1987.
48.
Rex Ryan earned a Bachelor of Science and a Master's degree in physical education from Eastern Kentucky University.
49.
Rex Ryan resided in Summit, New Jersey, during his tenure with the Jets.
50.
Rex Ryan publicly announced in 2009 that he had been battling dyslexia for his entire life.
51.
Rex Ryan utilizes color-coded playbooks and game plans when coaching on the sidelines to aid his comprehension.
52.
Rex Ryan underwent lap-band surgery at NYU Medical Center in March 2010 in an effort to battle his obesity.
53.
Rex Ryan was able to return to his home that same day to recover.
54.
On September 13,2016, it was revealed that Rex Ryan underwent a procedure to remove the lap band.
55.
Rex Ryan lost a total of 120 pounds during the 6-year span since he had the surgery.
56.
Rex Ryan was involved in a three-car crash in eastern Pennsylvania on January 14,2013.
57.
Rex Ryan released Play Like You Mean It, an autobiography and a conversational about football strategy.
58.
Rex Ryan played a lawyer in Adam Sandler's film That's My Boy, which was released on June 15,2012.
59.
In September 2015, a photo of Rex Ryan surfaced showing him sitting at his desk with a framed photo of a person's feet behind him.
60.
Rex Ryan is an avid hockey fan and developed a notoriety of being a bandwagon jumper.
61.
Rex Ryan admitted to being a fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs, as a result of growing up in the city, but upon taking the Jets head coaching job, he was often seen cheering for all three of the New York metropolitan area franchises.
62.
Outside of the playoff runs, Rex Ryan performed a ceremonial puck drop at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on October 9,2010, wearing a vintage New York Islanders Billy Smith jersey.
63.
Rex Ryan was known for a notorious incident at a Carolina Hurricanes game, as he attended the matchup with the Florida Panthers wearing a throwback Philadelphia Flyers jersey.
64.
Rex Ryan had told the Associated Press he was supporting Chris Christie for the nomination, but when Christie dropped out of the race, Rex Ryan endorsed Trump.
65.
In September 2017, Rex Ryan stated on ESPN that President Trump's comments about how NFL owners should fire players who kneel during the national anthem were appalling to almost any citizen in our country, it should be.
66.
In 2022, Rex Ryan competed on the 34th season of The Amazing Race with his golf buddy, Tim Mann.
67.
Rex Ryan's team was the second to be eliminated in Innsbruck, Austria and finished in 11th place.