Ryan Cook (born May 8, 1983) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...

center who spent eight seasons in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ma ...

(NFL). He played college football at the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; es, Universidad de Nuevo México) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1889, it is the state's flagship academic institution and the largest by enrollment, with over 25, ...

and was selected in the 2nd round of the

2006 NFL draft The 2006 National Football League Draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City, New York, at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with ad ...

by the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansio ...

. He also played for the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pl ...

and

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divis ...

Early years

Cook played offensive tackle for Cibola High School under head coach Ben Shultz. He was a three-year letterman, and earned First Team All-City and Second Team All-State honors as a senior and Second Team All-City as a sophomore. He also accepted an invitation to play in the New Mexico North-South All-Star game.

College career

Cook played for the

for the 2002-2005 seasons. Originally a walk-on, he received a scholarship in his second season. He earned All-Mountain West first team honors at center for three consecutive years, being the first center to do so in New Mexico's history. In his career, he had 416 knockdown blocks, averaging 8.7 per game in 46 games. As a senior, he was also invited to play in the

East-West Shrine Game East West (or East and West) may refer to: *East–West dichotomy, the contrast between Eastern and Western society or culture Arts and entertainment Books, journals and magazines *'' East, West'', an anthology of short stories written by Salm ...

and the

Senior Bowl The Senior Bowl is a post-season college football all-star game played annually in late January or early February in Mobile, Alabama, which showcases the best NFL Draft prospects of those players who have completed their college eligibility. ...

, accepting the invitation of the latter.

Professional career

Minnesota Vikings (first stint)

Cook was selected by the

in the second round (51st overall) of the

2006 NFL Draft The 2006 National Football League Draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City, New York, at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with ad ...

. He signed a four-year contract. In the 2007 and 2008 seasons, he was a regular starter at

right tackle Tackle is a playing position in gridiron football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a tackle played on both offense and defense. In the modern system of specialized units, ...

. He lost his starting position in the 2009 season to rookie

Phil Loadholt Philip Loadholt Jr. (born January 21, 1986) is a former American football offensive tackle. He played college football at Oklahoma, and played for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL) from 2009 until his retirement in 20 ...

. On April 12, 2010, he signed a one-year contract as a

restricted free agent A restricted free agent (RFA) is a type of free agent in the National Football League (NFL), National Hockey League (NHL), or National Basketball Association (NBA). Such players have special restrictions on the terms under which they can retain ...

and became a starter at

right guard Right Guard is an American brand of deodorant and shower gel that is manufactured and sold by Thriving Brands LLC. It is the second largest brand in the male deodorant category in the United States. Right Guard was introduced in 1960 by The Gi ...

. On August 4, 2011, Cook was re-signed to a two-year contract. On September 3, he was released in the final cuts before the start of the 2011 season.

Miami Dolphins

Cook signed with the

as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

on September 5, 2011. During the season, he played as a backup center and guard. The next year, he was beaten out by rookie Josh Samuda for the backup center role. On August 31, 2012, he was traded to the

, in exchange for a seventh round draft pick (#224- Kevin Dorsey).

Dallas Cowboys

After being with the team less than a week, he was forced to assume the starting center role when Phil Costa aggravated a back injury after the first series of the season opener. He became the starter for the rest of the season, after Costa suffered a partially dislocated ankle in the fifth game against the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...

. In the 2013 training camp, he was placed on the

injured reserve list The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

after suffering a back injury.

Personal life

Cook is the older brother of Erik Cook, a center who played for the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) ...

. Ryan also has a young daughter who lives in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.

References

External links

Miami Dolphins bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cook, Ryan 1983 births Living people Players of American football from Albuquerque, New Mexico American football centers American football offensive tackles American football offensive guards New Mexico Lobos football players Minnesota Vikings players Miami Dolphins players Dallas Cowboys players