February 2, 2014

EDMONTON - Canada West football graduate Jon Ryan, a former All-Star student-athlete with the University of Regina Rams, has become the first conference player to play in a Super Bowl for the winning side.

Ryan, a punter a holder on placekicks for the National Football League's Seattle Seahawks, punted just once for 45 yards and held on several point after touchdowns attempts during Super XLVIII on Sunday in East Rutherford New Jersey as the Seahawks blew out the Denver Broncos 43-8.

Boxscore

Dan Federkeil, a member of the Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts in 2007, did not play in the championship game while becoming the first former Canada West star to be on the Lombardi Trophy winning team..

January 31, 2014

EDMONTON - Seattle Seahawks punter / kicker Jon Ryan is well-traveled since his Canada West days with the University of Regina Rams... now he is headed to Super Bowl XLVIII in New Jersey.

A three-time conference All-Star and two-time CIS All-Canadian, Ryan starred for the Rams 2000-03 before being drafted into the Canadian Football League as a punter / wide receiver by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2004.

He racked up 221 points with Regina, including five touchdowns, to sit 15th all-time in league scoring. To this day, Ryan holds the Canada West record for one play, a 109-yard TD reception from QB Mark Anderson on October 27, 2001 at Saskatchewan, a record that cannot be broken on the standard 110-yard Canadian football field.

Ryan's 42.6-yard punt average over four years in Canada West is fourth-best in conference history.

Second in punting his first CFL season with the Blue Bombers, Ryan cranked it up even more in 2005 with a CFL-best 50.6-yard average, leading to speculation about his future. It was a few months later, in January 2006, that the Green Bay Packers signed the former U of R All-Canadian to his first National Football League contract. During the 2006-07 season Ryan won the Ed Block Courage Award for courage, sportsmanship and inspiration after a difficult time that saw his father, Bob, diagnosed with terminal cancer. He fought through and continued to be one the NFL's best punters despite the circumstances.

After two seasons in Green Bay, however, he was released and picked up by the Seattle Seahawks, where he has thrived as one the league's top-rated punters season after season.

Canada West Football History

And now he has made it to the world's biggest one-day sporting event.

With a 23-17 win over San Francisco in Sunday's NFC Championship game, the Seahawks advance to Super Bowl XLVII against the Denver Broncos on February 2, 2014 at MetLife Stadium (formerly Giants Stadium) in East Rutherford, NJ.

Previously, two Canada West football stars have advanced to the Super Bowl, both in 2007, where Calgary Dinos graduate Dan Federkeil of the Indianapolis Colts and then-Chicago Bears defensive standout Israel Idonije, formerly of the Manitoba Bisons, would have gone head-to-head had it not been for Federkeil's injury. Idonije played, but it was the Colts that came out on top, 29-17, meaning Ryan could become the first former Canada West Universities Athletic Association student-athlete to play and win a Super Bowl.

After several years away Federkeil has returned to action in the Canadian Football league with the Calgary Stampeders, while Idonije is coming off his first season with the Detroit Lions.

Regardless of this year's Super Bowl outcome, the 32-year-old Ryan has already proven himself a winner on and off the field, not to mention he will likely maintain a pivotal role in the NFL for years to come.

About Canada West Universities Athletic Association
Canada West is consistently the most decorated of the four conferences in Canadian Interuniversity Sport, winning 100 CIS national over the last 10 seasons. Comprised of 17 schools from the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, Canada West produces numerous major award winners and Academic All-Canadian student-athletes each year, with many going on to athletic success around the globe in pro leagues or events such as the Olympics, Paralympics or Universiade Games. @cwuaa on Twitter.

A proud member of Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS).