By Cristy Brusoe
UWRF Sports Information

Small town boy, homemade pizza lover, outdoors man and avid ping-pong player Ryan Hansen is a fifth year senior tight end on the UW-River Falls football team.

Hansen, who has been playing football for as long as he can remember, grew up in Grantsburg, Wis., and is majoring in professional horticulture with a minor in crop science and land-use planning.

“I am really into the outdoors. I like fishing, hunting, canoeing, and anything else to do outside and ends in ing,” Hansen said.
As a part of the football team, Hansen describes himself as a tight end who sometimes thinks he is a tight end. “I decided to play tight end when I was a freshman because there was only one other tight end on the team at the time,” Hansen said.

Hansen was one of the few holdovers from the UWRF Falcon wishbone offense era, which contributed to his success as a tight end. “Knowing the wishbone offense usually plays two tight ends at a time, I figured my odds for getting some playing time were pretty good. I guess I showed enough to the coaches to let me get some playing time.”

Hansen not only showed the coaches he could play, he showed them he could be a leader. Hansen made the 2007 and 2008 WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll, was on the 2007 All-WIAC second team and is one of the four captains this season.

“[My greatest accomplishment is] going to college for five years, playing football all five years and then graduating. Dealing with the adversity throughout those five years is what makes it so special,” Hansen explained.

Hansen should have ended his career after the 2008 season. But an injury early in the season kept him out of the lineup for the rest of the year. He has used his extra season to make the most of all of the opportunities that are presented him.

The competition is what has driven Hansen to succeed academically and on the field for five years. “The greatest thing I love about football is the competition I experience on game day. Everything you do with your teammates throughout an entire year all boils down to who can out execute and out compete their opponent on game day.”

John O’Grady, head coach of the football team, recognizes Hansen as a gifted and effective athlete on the field and an academic sensation off the field. “Ryan is and has been throughout his career a premier athlete, student, and role model. This is what Div. III athletics is supposed to be about,” O’Grady said.