Austin Blythe (born June 16, 1992) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a center for seven seasons in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Iowa Hawkeyes The Iowa Hawkeyes are the athletic teams that represent the University of Iowa, located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. The Hawkeyes have varsity teams in 20 sports, 7 for men and 13 for women; The teams participate in Division I of the Nati ...

, and was selected by the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...

in the seventh round of the

2016 NFL draft The 2016 NFL draft was the 81st annual draft of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. As in 2015, the draft took place at the Auditorium Theatre and Grant Park in Chicago. The draft beg ...

. He also played for the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

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 of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

, and

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...

College career

Blythe was a four-year starter at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or 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 organized int ...

, appearing in 52 games. As a senior, he aided the Hawkeyes to a 12–0 start, earning a spot in the Big Ten Championship and the 2016 Rose Bowl. He was a finalist for the Rimington Award, which is given annually to the nation's top center, in his senior season.

Professional career

Indianapolis Colts

Blythe was drafted in the seventh round (248th overall) of the

by the

. He signed his rookie contract with the Colts on May 5, 2016. As a rookie in 2016, he served as a backup center behind fellow rookie Ryan Kelly. In the 2016 season, Blythe played in eight games with one start. On May 15, 2017, Blythe was waived by the Colts.

Los Angeles Rams

On May 16, 2017, Blythe was claimed off waivers by the

. He played in all 16 games in 2017 and earned his first start of the season in Week 17 at left guard. Blythe entered the 2018 season as the starting right guard after incumbent starter Jamon Brown was suspended the first two games of the year. Upon Brown's return, Blythe maintained his starting role. On March 26, 2020, Blythe re-signed with the Rams.

Kansas City Chiefs

Blythe signed with the

on April 5, 2021.

Seattle Seahawks

Blythe signed with the

on March 21, 2022. Blythe played and started 17 games in his one season with the Seahawks. He also started in the wild card round for the Seahawks. On February 28, 2023, Blythe announced his retirement from the NFL after seven seasons.

Personal life

Blythe is a graduate of Williamsburg (Iowa) High School, where he was a two-time all-state football player at center and a three-time state champion in wrestling. He married Kiley Ritchie, daughter of his high school football coach, in 2015. The two had known each other since elementary school, but did not begin dating until college.Letistkow, Chad, "Hawkeye leftovers: Blythe is married, Greg Davis talk and more," ''Hawekeye Central'', August 3, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2018

/ref> In June 2016, he and his wife had a son. In January 2020, he and his wife had their second child, a daughter. In October 2022, the couple welcomed their third child, a daughter, into the world.

References

External links

Iowa Hawkeyes bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blythe, Austin 1992 births Living people People from Williamsburg, Iowa Players of American football from Iowa American football centers Iowa Hawkeyes football players Indianapolis Colts players Los Angeles Rams players Kansas City Chiefs players Seattle Seahawks players