View source for Jim Ritcher

{{Short description|American football player (born 1958)}}
{{Use American English|date=April 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name        = Jim Ritcher
| image       =
| image_size  = 
| alt         = 
| caption     = 
| number      = 51
| position    = [[Guard (gridiron football)|Guard]]
| birth_date  = {{Birth date and age|1958|5|21}}
| birth_place = [[Berea, Ohio]], U.S.
| height_ft   = 6
| height_in   = 3
| weight_lbs  = 273
| high_school = [[Highland High School (Medina County, Ohio)|Highland]] {{avoid wrap|([[Medina, Ohio]])}}
| college     = [[NC State Wolfpack football|NC State]] (1976–1979)
| draftyear   = 1980
| draftround  = 1
| draftpick   = 16
| pastteams   =
* [[Buffalo Bills]] ({{NFL Year|1980|1993}})
* [[Atlanta Falcons]] ({{NFL Year|1994|1995}})
| highlights  =
* Second-team [[All-Pro]] ([[1991 All-Pro Team|1991]])
* 2× [[Pro Bowl]] ([[1991 Pro Bowl|1991]], [[1992 Pro Bowl|1992]])
* [[Buffalo Bills Wall of Fame]]
* [[Buffalo Bills#50th Anniversary Team|Buffalo Bills 50th Anniversary Team]]
* [[Outland Trophy]] (1979)
* [[List of unanimous All-Americans in college football|Unanimous All-American]] ([[1979 College Football All-America Team|1979]])
* Consensus [[College Football All-America Team|All-American]] ([[1978 College Football All-America Team|1978]])
* 2× First-team [[List of All-Atlantic Coast Conference football teams|All-ACC]] ([[1978 All-Atlantic Coast Conference football team|1978]], [[1979 All-Atlantic Coast Conference football team|1979]])
* [[NC State Wolfpack football#Retired numbers|NC State Wolfpack No. 51]] retired
| statlabel1  = Games played
| statvalue1  = 218
| statlabel2  = Games started
| statvalue2  = 167
| statlabel3  = [[Fumble]] recoveries
| statvalue3  = 3
| pfr         = R/RitcJi00
| CollegeHOF  = 1993 
}}

'''James Alexander Ritcher''' (born May 21, 1958)<ref name="PFR">{{cite web |title=Jim Ritcher Stats |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/R/RitcJi00.htm |website=pro-football-reference.com |publisher=Sports-Reference, LLC. |access-date=11 September 2021}}</ref> is an American former professional [[American football|football]] player who was a [[Guard (gridiron football)|guard]] for 16 seasons in the [[National Football League]] (NFL).<ref name="PFR"/> Ritcher played [[college football]] for the [[NC State Wolfpack football|NC State Wolfpack]], earning [[College Football All-America Team|All-American]] honors. He was selected in the first round of the [[1980 NFL draft]], and played for the [[Buffalo Bills]] and the [[Atlanta Falcons]] of the NFL.<ref>{{cite web |title=Jim Ritcher |url=https://www.buffalosportshallfame.com/member/jim-ritcher/ |website=buffalosportshalloffame.com |publisher=Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame |access-date=11 September 2021}}</ref>

==Early life==
Ritcher was born in [[Berea, Ohio]]. He attended [[Highland High School (Medina, Ohio)|Highland High School]] in [[Medina, Ohio]], where he wrestled and played [[high school football]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kaipust |first1=Rich |title=Outland Trophy throwback winner Ritcher rolled with the punches, excelled |url=https://www.omaha.com/sports/outland-trophy-throwback-winner-ritcher-rolled-with-the-punches-excelled/article_307646f9-88b3-5ff2-bd2a-ed5982610f6a.html |access-date=19 June 2019 |publisher=Omaha World-Herald |date=9 January 2014}}</ref>

==College career==
He attended [[North Carolina State University]], and played for the [[NC State Wolfpack football|Wolfpack football]] teams from 1976 to 1979. Head coach [[Bo Rein]] decided to have him play center rather than defensive end that he had expected to play. As a senior in 1979, he was a consensus first-team was an All-American and won the [[Outland Trophy]] as the nation's best college interior lineman. He graduated with a degree in sociology. In 2012, he was among the first class of inductees into the Athletics Hall of Fame.<ref>{{cite web |title=Jim Ritcher (2012) |url=https://gopack.com/honors/nc-state-athletic-hall-of-fame/jim-ritcher/6 |website=gopack.com |publisher=NC State University Athletics |access-date=11 September 2021}}</ref><ref>https://waltermagazine.com/community/people/jim-ritcher-nc-state-nfl-lineman-and-pilot/</ref>

==Professional career==
In the [[NFL]], Ritcher was moved to [[Guard (football)|guard]] from [[Center (gridiron football)|center]] by the [[Buffalo Bills]] after his first season to utilize his speed and agility. He would play for the team for 14 seasons. He [[Starting lineup|started]] in all four [[Super Bowl]] appearances of the Bills ([[Super Bowl XXV]], [[Super Bowl XXVI]], [[Super Bowl XXVII]], and [[Super Bowl XXVIII]]) and was selected to two [[Pro Bowls]]. He finished his career with the [[Atlanta Falcons]]. After sixteen seasons and a litany of injuries such as a broken foot and shoulder surgeries, Ritcher retired.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Brady |first1=Erik |title=Ex-Bills lineman Jim Ritcher's career takes off after football |url=https://buffalonews.com/sports/bills/ex-bills-lineman-jim-ritchers-career-takes-off-after-football/article_589aff51-00e8-5169-8d31-56b9a7b8b1b4.html |website=buffalonews.com |publisher=The Buffalo News |access-date=11 September 2021}}</ref>

==Personal life==
In 1998, he was selected to the [[College Football Hall of Fame]], and in 2012 he was inducted as a member of the inaugural class of the [[NC State Athletic Hall of Fame]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=WRAL |date=2012-10-05 |title=NC State inaugurates Hall of Fame : |url=https://www.wralsportsfan.com/Yow-Valvano-highlight-NC-State-Hall-of-Fame/11631540/ |access-date=2022-11-10 |website=WRALSportsFan.com |language=en}}</ref>   He is currently working as a commercial pilot, flying for [[American Airlines]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://buffalonews.com/2020/01/29/buffalo-bills-jim-ritcher-super-bowls-american-airlines-pilot/|title=Ex-Bills lineman Jim Ritcher's career takes off after football|date=January 29, 2020|agency=[[The Buffalo News]]|author=Brady, Erik|access-date=January 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200129224910/https://buffalonews.com/2020/01/29/buffalo-bills-jim-ritcher-super-bowls-american-airlines-pilot/|archive-date=January 29, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{1978 NCAA Division I College Football Consensus All-Americans}}
{{1979 NCAA Division I-A College Football Consensus All-Americans}}
{{Outland Trophy}}
{{1980 NFL Draft}}
{{Buffalo Bills}}
{{Bills1980DraftPicks}}
{{BillsFirstPick}}
{{Buffalo Bills 50th Season All-time Team}}
{{Buffalo Bills Wall of Fame}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ritcher, Jim}}
[[Category:1958 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American football centers]]
[[Category:American football offensive guards]]
[[Category:Atlanta Falcons players]]
[[Category:Buffalo Bills players]]
[[Category:NC State Wolfpack football players]]
[[Category:All-American college football players]]
[[Category:American Conference Pro Bowl players]]
[[Category:College Football Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:People from Berea, Ohio]]
[[Category:Players of American football from Cuyahoga County, Ohio]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Medina, Ohio]]
[[Category:American commercial aviators]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]