Ryan Grant

Early years

Grant grew up in Nyack, New York, and attended Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey, New Jersey. He then transferred to Clarkstown South High School in West Nyack, New York. One year later, he transferred back to Don Bosco Prep. In 2000, his senior year, USA Today named him New Jersey Player of the Year. He rushed for nearly 1,000 yards and six touchdowns in Don Bosco Prep's run to an 11–1 record and the state championship game. In the championship game, Don Bosco Prep lost to Holy Cross High School. In high school, Grant also played basketball and competed in track and field, where he was timed at 10.7 seconds in the 100 meter dash.

College career

In 2001, Grant went to the University of Notre Dame to play football for the Fighting Irish while majoring in sociology and computer applications. He made few appearances during his freshman year, playing in just five games under coach Bob Davie during a 5–6 season. Tyrone Willingham was named head coach for Grant's sophomore season and praised Grant for his attitude:

In running back Julius Jones' absence, Willingham gave Grant starts for all twelve games in 2002, and Grant rushed for over 1,000 yards with nine touchdowns, including four games with 100+ yards. Grant's best game during his time at Notre Dame came against Air Force, as he gained 190 yards rushing and a touchdown in a 21–14 win. Notre Dame finished the season at 10–3 and ranked #17 on both the AP Poll and Coaches' Poll.

The 2003 season saw Grant split time with Julius Jones. After starting the first five games, Grant only managed 242 rushing yards before being benched.Jones took over in the fifth game and ran for 262 yards and two touchdowns against Pitt, a school record, in a 20–14 victory. Grant did not start any of the final seven games, and rushed for 268 yards in that time, leaving him with 510 yards for his junior year.

For his senior year, Grant was named a team captain, but he split time with running back, Darius Walker. Playing in nine games, Grant only gained over 100 yards once, with 112 yards and two touchdowns in a 27–9 win over Navy. After injuring his hamstring, Grant's playing time was limited and Walker took over the starting job at running back. Grant finished the year with 515 yards and 5 touchdowns. In Grant's final year, Notre Dame finished 6–6. For his collegiate career, Grant ran for a total of 2,220 yards and 18 touchdowns.

Professional career

Grant applied for the 2005 NFL Draft after his senior year and was invited to the 2005 NFL Scouting Combine, a week-long showcase for NFL hopefuls. Scouts did not credit Grant with exceptional speed, but he was clocked at 4.43 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the Combine.

New York Giants

Signing as an undrafted free agent, Grant spent 2005 on the New York Giants practice squad. He missed the entire 2006 season, however, after a non-football related injury threatened his career. Grant was at a nightclub when someone bumped into him; when he went to brace himself, his left arm went through several champagne glasses, severing an artery, a tendon and the ulnar nerve in his left arm. Grant almost bled to death and doctors at the time told him he might not regain the use of his left hand, although he did recover with time.

Green Bay Packers

Grant was traded to the Packers on September 1, 2007 in exchange for a future sixth-round draft pick, and he played as the third-string running back behind Brandon Jackson and DeShawn Wynn for the first six games of the season. During the Packers' eighth week match against the Denver Broncos, Wynn suffered a shoulder injury that ruled him out for the game; Grant took over in the second quarter and ran for 104 yards in a 19–13 overtime win. He scored his first rushing touchdown on November 11 in a 34–0 win against the Minnesota Vikings. Grant started each of the last ten games for the Packers, and by the end of the season, he was averaging 5.1 yards per carry and had five 100+ yard games and 8 rushing touchdowns. His mark of 929 yards in the final ten games of the season was second in the National Football League for that time period to LaDanian Tomlinson, who had 944 yards. Grant was voted the FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Week for the games played on November 11–12. He ran for 119 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries, making him the first running back to rush for 100 yards against the Vikings' second-ranked rush defense all season. Grant won the award for a second time that season for games played between December 6–10, rushing for 156 yards, a career-high, and a touchdown in a 38–17 win over the Oakland Raiders.

In the Packers' divisional playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks, Grant fumbled twice in the first four minutes; both of the resulting drives led to touchdowns for the Seahawks. Grant made up for these early mistakes by going on to rush for 201 yards and three touchdowns, both of which set franchise records for Packers' post-season games, as the Packers were 42–20 winners. Several people in the Packers organization praised Grant for his performance in the Seattle game, including Packers' coach Mike McCarthy and quarterback Brett Favre, who was quoted as saying of Grant, "[w]hen he got the opportunity, he made the most of it. It sure turned us from one-dimensional into something totally different."

The following week, Grant rushed for only 29 yards in a 23–20 overtime loss to the New York Giants in the NFC Championship game. He finished second overall for rushing yards in the 2007–08 playoffs with 230, behind Laurence Maroney. At the end of the 2007 season, Grant became an exclusive rights free agent, meaning the Packers have exclusive rights to sign him, but if they choose not to, he would be eligible to sign with any team.

June 1, in the Green Bay Press Gazette, it was announced that Grant was scheduled to get offered a contract to stay with the Packers. On August 4, 2008, it was announced that Grant signed a four-year deal that could be worth up to $30 million.

After a somewhat disappointing season in 2008, where Grant rushed for only four touchdowns and 3.9 yards per carry (did eclipse 1,000 rushing yards), Grant had a bounce-back year in 2009, where he rushed for 1,253 yards, third in the NFC, and 11 touchdowns, second in the NFC. He also added 4.4 yards per carry.

For the 2010 Pro Bowl, Grant was named a back-up alternate, along with teammates Chad Clifton, A. J. Hawk, and Clay Matthews.

During the 2010 season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles on September 12, 2010, Grant suffered a season-ending ankle injury and was placed on injured reserve after rushing for just 45 yards on eight carries.

He underwent ankle surgery on September 21, 2010 and was expected to show up for the 2011 off-season conditioning.

Washington Redskins

After a workout with the Chicago Bears, Grant signed with the Washington Redskins on September 25, 2012 after Roy Helu was placed on injured reserve. He was released on October 23, 2012. With the Redskins, Grant had just one rushing attempt for five yards and no receptions.

Return to Green Bay

On December 5, 2012, a source with ESPN reported that Grant has signed with the Green Bay Packers following an apparent season-ending knee injury to running back James Starks during the December 2, 2012 game between the Packers and the Minnesota Vikings. Grant was back in uniform with the Packers the following week for their home game against the Detroit Lions. Upon his return to the Packers, Grant rushed for 132 yards on 32 carries for a 4.1 yard average during the regular season with two touchdowns and one reception for 34 yards. He was not invited to training camp in 2013.

Achievements and awards