Javon Ringer

Javon Eugene Ringer (born February 2, 1987) is a former American football running back for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL).

In 2005, he earned honorable mention Freshman All-America status from The Sporting News.

He was also named to The Sporting News Big Ten All-Freshman Team.

In 2006, he earned the Biggie Munn Award, an award given to the team's most inspirational player.

In 2007, he had a breakout season, becoming Michigan State's first 1,000 yard carrier since T. J. Duckett in 2001.

He was also named Second Team All-Big Ten in the coaches and media polls.

He played college football for the Michigan State Spartans, earning consensus All-American honors in 2008.

In 2008, as a senior, he was one of four team captains.

He was a semi-finalist for the Maxwell Award, the Walter Camp Award, and was a finalist for the Doak Walker Award, which he finished in third, behind Shonn Greene and Knowshon Moreno.

He was also a Heisman Trophy candidate at one point, the only running back to be officially nominated all year.

He had a minor knee injury during the end of the 2008 season, which led to corrective surgery.

This slowed his Combine numbers; however, he improved upon them during MSU's Pro Days.

He was one of three Spartans invited to the NFL combine.

ESPN.com ranked him the 8th best running back in the draft.

He was selected in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL draft.

Ringer attended Chaminade Julienne High School where he set school and state records.

In college, he achieved many awards.

He was a projected third rounder in the 2009 NFL Draft.

Another site listed him as a mid-second round draft choice.

His performance at the MSU Pro Day "absolutely blew NFL teams away", due to putting up impressive numbers while not fully recovered.

After being drafted by Tennessee in the fifth round, Ringer battled several running backs for the third string position coming into his rookie 2009 season, a battle he won.

He made his NFL debut in week 1, as a kick returner, and overall has played in 7 games.

He was benched as kick returner after a poor performance in week 2.

He had his first NFL carries in a week 6 game against the New England Patriots.

Ringer's NFL career was marred by injuries, having missed 27 games in 4 years.

Since retiring from the NFL, Ringer has worked with his alum Michigan State as an assistant coach.

Ringer is the son of Bishop Eugene and Darlene Ringer, who are both ministers.

Ringer is a devout Christian.

He owns a black belt in Karate.

He majored in sociology.

Ringer is known for his "unselfish attitude", such as signing any autograph a fan asks for, and often does charity work.

Michigan State Head coach Mark Dantonio said of Ringer, "He's a total team player – it's not about him, and you can't say enough about him as a person aside from his athletic abilities."

Ringer is one of the most active student-athletes in MSU's Multicultural Program.

He has participated in numerous events, including the Gear Up College Day Program in which he served as a counselor to help advise middle school children, and the Academic Gladiators program where he expressed the importance of academics to other student-athletes.

His "vibrant attitude" inspired children at hospitals and the MSU Child Development Lab, while his positive coaching skills at camps and clinics have made him a mentor to young football players.

MSU's Angela Howard, who is the Director of Student-Athlete Development, said, "Javon's definitely a go-to guy as far as helping out in the community. He's not seeking the attention. Everything he does is for the right reasons, and he's willing to take the time, which he doesn't have a lot of. He's not doing it because I'm telling him he has to go out, or because he's the face of Michigan State football. When he's out there, he's doing it because he believes in doing it."

His nephew, Northmont High School linebacker Kaleb Ringer, has recently committed to Michigan.

When asked about his motivations, Ringer responded "Honestly, my number-one motivation is my family".

While talking about his attitude and upbringing, Ringer mentioned, "A lot of that just comes from my upbringing. I have a tremendous mother and father, I grew up in the church, I have a very religious family. I'm not all about myself just because I know if it wasn't for God, I wouldn't be able to go out there and compete anyway. So I never look at it as a selfish thing—I never want all the attention or want it to be about me, because I never want to get in to a situation where God has to humble me. I know for a fact that I am not doing it by myself; it is because of Him that I can compete over and over again. That's basically how I grew up. I was blessed and fortunate to have a family like I have."

Michigan State strength and conditioning coach Ken Mannie said of Ringer, "He's extremely self-motivated. He doesn't need pep-talks. He challenges himself every day."