| Ryan Atkinson |
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 | Class:
Senior
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| Hometown:
Santa Barbara, CA
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| High School:
Santa Barbara
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| Height / Weight:
6-6 / 264
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| Position:
DT
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| Birthdate:
01/19/1979
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| Experience:
3V
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PERSONAL--Born 1/19/79 in England...son of David and Cathy Atkinson...his father is a CEO of Sunseeds Company and his mother is a teacher...he has three sisters, Sara, Nikki and Karie...enjoys hunting and fishing...Ryan is in the College of Liberal Arts and is a liberal studies major at OSU...his top athletic thrill as a prep was making a hit that caused a fumble on his team’s own 5-yard line during a huge game that helped Santa Barbara win 26-20...selected OSU because, "of the coaches."
OSU--(2000--Senior)--Ryan, a three-year letterman, reported to spring drills as the No. 2 right end on defense and after two weeks, he moved to right tackle where he earned the starting role after an impressive spring...Ryan has played in a total of 27 out of a possible 34 games for OSU, including one start against Oregon during his freshman season...while Ryan is not a returning starter, he does give the Beavers some experience in the middle of the defensive line...in the weight room during winter conditioning, Ryan posted bests of 390 in the back squat, 295 in the bench press and 258 in the power clean.
(1999--Junior)--Ryan was shifted to defensive end at the start of spring drills after playing at tackle his first two years...the new position appears to be a natural spot for Ryan and he played his best football as a Beaver during spring drills...Ryan played in six games--Washington, Stanford, UCLA, WSU, Arizona and Oregon....Ryan suffered a dislocated elbow in practice leading up to the Oahu Bowl and did not play as a result...Ryan produced 16 defensive points on the regular season with 2 tackles and a sack...his sack came against Arizona and it was big play in the game as it stopped a drive and forced the Wildcats to punt in the fourth quarter...Ryan’s playing time increased as the season progressed to the point he was in the regular rotation at defensive end...he reported to fall camp as the No. 2 right defensive end behind Toalei Talataina, but played as a No. 3 on the depth chart during the season...he has 62 career defensive points, including 22 tackles...Ryan dropped 30 pounds (now 6-6, 263) following his sophomore season to the start of spring drills and he was much quicker in the spring...in the weight room, Ryan has posted personal bests of 250 pounds in the hang clean; 345 in the bench press; 375 in the back squat and 280 in the incline...vertical jump best is 27.50 inches...posted 2 tackles in the final spring game for the winning White squad.
(1998--Sophomore)--Ryan did not participate in spring drills...instead, Coach Riley had Ryan spending his time studying during the spring in an effort to improve Ryan’s academic standing...obviously, OSU could have used Ryan on the playing field during the spring as he had the potential to be a starter on the Beavers’ defensive front...Ryan was the largest defensive lineman on the OSU roster in 1998...after missing spring drills, Ryan worked hard in fall camp and earned a backup role on the inside...played in 10 of 11 games, missing only the Oregon contest...produced 18 defensive points on the season...had 2 tackles in the Baylor (9/12) game for his top point contest...had one tackle vs. Arizona State (9/26) and 2 at Utah State (10/3).
(1997--Freshman)--Ryan played in all 11 games as a true freshman in 1997, plus he started the final game of the season against Oregon...playing time increased as the season went on...completed the season with 31 defensive points, based on 8 solo tackles and 7 assisted tackles...had 22 of his 31 points in the final three games of the season...he laid the groundwork for a good career with the experience he got in his rookie year.
SANTA BARBARA HIGH SCHOOL, Santa Barbara, CA (1995-96)--Ryan was a two-year starter at defensive end for the Santa Barbara High School Dons under Coach Manuel Garcia...Santa Barbara is a division 4A CIF southern section school...started at offensive tackle his junior year...was a first-team all-league (Channel League) selection as a junior on defense and was named the MVP of his team...he was a first-team all-league selection in basketball and was selected as his team’s MVP in basketball as a senior...he was the basketball team captain and was named all-county as a senior...named the Prime Time Player of the Year as a senior...according to his coach, Ryan was well on his way to earning more honors in football as a senior, only to dislocate his elbow and miss half of the season (he played in six games)...Ryan was still named first-team all-league, team captain and defensive Player of the Year in his league...was named the MVP of the California Golden Bear Football Camp during the summer between his junior and senior years...was a two-year starting forward on the basketball team, averaging double figures in scoring and rebounding...Ryan participated in the North-South Shrine All-Star football game in the summer of 1997...as a junior, Ryan recorded 60 solo tackles and 80 all told...had 14 quarterback sacks...recorded 40 solo tackles and 60 total tackles, plus 9 quarterback sacks as a senior...was recruited by California, UCLA, San Diego State, Idaho and a number of other schools, according to Garcia...Garcia said, "He is an awesome blocker on offense, but defense is where his future lies. He has a very aggressive personality and loves to hit people. I think he will do very well at Oregon State."
