Although he played football on the playground and after school every day, Jon's official, organized football career began as a sixth grader. His Pony football team went undefeated and won the league's Super Bowl in 1986.
Jon's All-American high school career included 5,017 all-purpose yards from scrimmage and 69 touchdowns. His senior season at Cumberland Valley culminated with his team's undefeated 15-0 season and AAAA State Championship in 1992.
In college, Jon was named to the Academic All-Big Ten team while at the University of Michigan for two seasons. Jon transferred to Stanford University where he received Academic All-Pac Ten honors and was a team captain.
He was the first fullback taken in the NFL draft in 1998, 63rd overall. In his five years as the starting fullback for the Oakland Raiders Jon helped his squad to numerous playoff victories, two AFC Championship games and Super Bowl XXXVII.
As a rotating team captain for the Philadelphia Eagles, Jon again contributed to several playoff wins and then Super Bowl XXXIX.
Jon credits the game of football with teaching him the value of discipline and hard work. During his career, he found the thrill of striving towards a common goal with good friends to be very rewarding.
His most instructive coaches were Tim Rimpfel at Cumberland Valley, his running back coaches at Stanford, Don Treadwell and Earl Moseley, and the man who drafted him, giving him the opportunity to play in the NFL, Jon Gruden.
Upon retiring from the National Football League, and moving back home to Central Pennsylvania, Jon Ritchie found himself needing to give back to the game that had given him so much.
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