Ryan Young
Central 1994
Ryan Young graduated from Central High in 1994. He graduated from Kansas State University with a bachelor's degree in communications in 1999. He currently lives in Dallas, Texas.
Ryan was selected by the New York Jets in the seventh round of the 1999 NFL Draft from Kansas State University, where he attended on a full athletic scholarship. He has been a starting offensive lineman in the NFL for six seasons for the Jets, the Houston Texans and the Dallas Cowboys.
Ryan was the second pick of the Houston Texans in the new franchise's 2002 expansion draft. He has started 55 of the 68 games he has played in his NFL career.
While attending Kansas State Ryan received a great number of honors. In 1998 he was named a Big Twelve Conference All-American and in 1996, '97 and '98 he was named to the all-conference team. Ryan was a member of Kansas State's highly-successful bowl teams during this time on the team, playing in the Alamo, Fiesta and Cotton Bowls.
Ryan attended Parkway schools as a participant in the Voluntary Transfer Program, and the character and volunteerism he showed in his high school days has lived on. At every stop in his football career Ryan has pitched in to give back to his community. While in college, Ryan served as a mentor for the local Boys and Girls Club. When he played for the New York Jets right out of college he was active with the Davis Center of Autism and the Make-a-Wish Foundation. As a member of the Houston Texans Ryan was again a mentor with the Boys & Girls Club and worked with terminally ill children at a local hospital.
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