Ryan Clark (American football)

Ryan Clark (born October 12, 1979) is an American football safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Louisiana State University (LSU), and was signed by the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2002. Clark has also played for the Washington Redskins.

On January 25, 2012, he was named to his first career Pro Bowl, replacing the injured Ed Reed. He also appeared as one of the players for the fictional Gotham Rogues team in The Dark Knight Rises.

Early years
Clark was born in Marrero, Louisiana. From 1993 to 1997, Clark attended Archbishop Shaw High School in Marrero, Louisiana.

College career
At Louisiana State University, Clark started 36 consecutive games for the LSU Tigers football team. In 2000, he was selected to the All-SEC second team by the league's coaches. Clark ranked third on the Tigers in 2001 with 88 tackles, including 63 solo, and also intercepted three passes. He recorded five tackles, including a 13-yard sack, in the Sugar Bowl and was LSU's Special Teams Player of the Year in 1998. In 2002, Clark was signed as an undrafted free agent by the New York Giants.

New York Giants
Clark played for the Giants for two seasons. He played in the first six games of the 2002 season for Giants, all on special teams. He was waived during the bye week and signed with the practice squad two days later, remaining there for the rest of the season.

Clark had a breakout season with the Giants in 2003, starting four games and appearing in every game, either on defense or special teams. He posted 23 tackles (17 solo) and one sack, two pass deflections and five special teams stops.

Washington Redskins
He signed as a free agent to the Washington Redskins prior to the 2004 season. He stepped in for injured safeties Matt Bowen and Andre Lott early in the season and played in 15 games, starting 11. He led Redskins defensive backs with 91 tackles and ranked fourth on the team in tackles.

Clark played in thirteen games in the 2005 season making 57 tackles and three interceptions. While he played well for Washington and wanted to re-sign with the team, the Redskins decided to cut ties with him and signed Adam Archuleta to be their new starting safety.

Pittsburgh Steelers
He signed with the Steelers as a free agent on March 15, 2006 replacing former safety Chris Hope who signed with the Tennessee Titans.

In 2006, Clark made 72 tackles playing free safety for the Steelers, along with one interception and three fumble recoveries. He played 13 games and started 12 of them, missing the final three with a groin injury. During training camp before the 2007 season, he remained starter despite playing a position battle with second year player Anthony Smith.

During a 2007 game against the Denver Broncos at Invesco Field at Mile High, Clark developed severe pain in his left side and had to be rushed to the hospital. It turned out that Clark had suffered a splenal infarction due to the sickle cell trait from which he has suffered since he was a child; these are usually a risk at high altitudes. Clark had to have his spleen and gall bladder removed, ending his season. He lost 30 pounds after the removal, but returned to the Steelers in 2008. Although Clark has been medically cleared to play in Denver's thin air without any complications, the Steelers have deactivated him for the four games they have played in Denver since then—a 2009 Monday Night game, a 2010 preseason game, a 2011 playoff game and the 2012 season opener—out of an abundance of caution.

Clark was the Steelers' recipient of the Ed Block Courage Award in 2008.

To honor his former Redskins teammate, the late Sean Taylor, Clark wears Taylor's #21 during practices.

Personal
Clark was active in the community while with the Giants, participating in the 2002 United Way Hometown Huddle by conducting a football clinic at the Highbridge Center for members of Alianza Dominicana, a local United Way agency that services families in Washington Heights. He joined forces with students from the Leadership In Public Services High School located at Ground Zero for "Operation PaintFest." Sponsored by the Foundation for Hospital Art, the participants created paintings of hope that would later be donated to the five New York hospitals involved in the September 11th tragedies.

Since recovering from his crisis in 2007, Clark has been involved with sickle cell disease awareness, research, treatment and programming in Pittsburgh. In 2012, he announced the formation of Ryan Clark's Cure League to raise awareness about sickle cell trait and eventually find a cure.