Ryan Lilja
Encyclopedia
Ryan Matthew Lilja is an American football
guard
for the Kansas City Chiefs
of the National Football League
. He was signed by the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2004. He played college football
at Kansas State
.
Lilja has also played for the Indianapolis Colts
.
and was a student and a letterman in football and golf. In football, he was a three-year starter.
at Coffeyville Community College
before he transferred to Kansas State University
, where he was a two-year player who started 14 of 23 career games.
soon after the Chiefs waived him.
The Colts re-signed Lilja on February 19, 2008, to a five-year deal worth $20 million.
Lilja was released on March 8, 2010. He started 59 of 66 games for them and two Super Bowl
s.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
guard
Guard (American football)
In American and Canadian football, a guard is a player that lines up between the center and the tackles on the offensive line of a football team....
for the Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He was signed by the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2004. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Kansas State
Kansas State Wildcats football
The Kansas State Wildcats football program is the intercollegiate football program of the Kansas State University Wildcats. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I Bowl Subdivision, and the team competes in the Big 12 Conference...
.
Lilja has also played for the Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
.
Early years
Lilja attended Shawnee Mission Northwest High SchoolShawnee Mission Northwest High School
Shawnee Mission Northwest High School is a fully accredited public high school located in Shawnee Mission, Kansas, USA, serving students in grades 9-12. The current principal is Dr. Bill Harrington. Shawnee Mission Northwest is one of many schools located within Shawnee, Kansas and surrounding...
and was a student and a letterman in football and golf. In football, he was a three-year starter.
College career
He was a two-year starterStarting lineup
A starting lineup in sports is an official list of the set of players who will actively participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes or bench players.The starters are commonly the best...
at Coffeyville Community College
Coffeyville Community College
Coffeyville Community College is a community college located in Coffeyville, Kansas, United States. It was founded in 1923....
before he transferred to Kansas State University
Kansas State University
Kansas State University, commonly shortened to K-State, is an institution of higher learning located in Manhattan, Kansas, in the United States...
, where he was a two-year player who started 14 of 23 career games.
First stint with Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs signed Lilja as an undrafted free agent prior to the 2004 season. He was waived on September 5, 2004 with the intention of signing him to the practice squad if he cleared waivers.Indianapolis Colts
On September 6, 2004, Lilja was claimed off waivers by the Indianapolis ColtsIndianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
soon after the Chiefs waived him.
The Colts re-signed Lilja on February 19, 2008, to a five-year deal worth $20 million.
Lilja was released on March 8, 2010. He started 59 of 66 games for them and two Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
s.