Ron Stone (American football)
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| Position: | Guard | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | July 20, 1971 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 325 lb (147 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | West Roxbury (Boston) | ||||||||
| College: | Boston College | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1993 / round: 4 / pick: 96 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Ron Christopher Stone (born July 20, 1971) is an American former professional football player who was a guard in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders. He played college football for the Boston College Eagles.
Early life
[edit]Stone is from Boston. He attended West Roxbury High School and did not play football until his junior year. He was a team captain and blocked 3 punts as a senior. He also played basketball as a senior.
He accepted a football scholarship from Boston College, to play under head coach Jack Bicknell. He was suspended because of academic reasons and didn't see the field until 1990, appearing in 8 games at defensive tackle with 19 tackles, despite missing that last 3 contests due to a fractured right ring finger.
In 1991, Tom Coughlin took over the team's coaching duties. Stone started 11 games at right defensive tackle, registering 49 tackles (5 for loss), one sack, 2 passes defensed and 2 blocked kicks.
As a senior, he was asked to convert into a right tackle to improve the offensive line depth. The line was nicknamed the "All State Insurance". He helped the offense rank 12th in the nation, averaging 233.5 rushing yards per game, rank 10th in total offense with an average of 438.4 yards per game and surrender only 12 sacks
Professional career
[edit]Dallas Cowboys
[edit]Stone was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth round (96th overall) of the 1993 NFL draft and was switched to play at offensive guard.[1] He was activated for only 4 games as a rookie. The next year, he saw most of his playing time on the field goal and extra point lines.
During his time with the team he was a backup at guard and tackle. In 1994, during a playoff game against the Green Bay Packers, injuries forced him to play two different positions along the offensive line.[2] Although he was a talented player and the top offensive line backup, he couldn't start ahead of the team's other offensive guards that included: Nate Newton, Larry Allen, Kevin Gogan, John Gesek and Derek Kennard. He was a part of 2 Super Bowl winning teams.
New York Giants
[edit]On March 1, 1996, the New York Giants signed him as an unrestricted free agent, when the Cowboys couldn’t match an offer that would pay him, more than any of the Cowboy starter in the offensive line except for offensive tackle Erik Williams.[3] The contract at the time was criticized, because it was seen as overpaying for a player that was not proven and had no starter experience.[4]
Stone spent 6 seasons with the Giants as the starter at right guard, where he was named to 2 Pro Bowls and 2 All-Pro teams.
San Francisco 49ers
[edit]On April 12, 2002, he signed with the San Francisco 49ers as an unrestricted free agent. He was the starter at right guard and made the Pro Bowl in his first year, despite playing the entire season with a right arm brace. In a salary-cap move, he was released on March 2, 2004.[5]
Oakland Raiders
[edit]On March 8, 2004, he signed with the Oakland Raiders, reuniting with former offensive coordinator Norv Turner, who was now the head coach of the team.[6] He only started 5 games because of a left knee injury and was placed on the injured reserve list on December 31.[7]
On March 4, 2005, he was waived and later re-signed on March 10. After starting all 16 games in the previous season, he was released on March 2, 2006.[8]
Post-NFL
[edit]After retiring from the NFL, Stone became the offensive line coach for Valley Christian High School.[9]
Personal life
[edit]Stone has five children, four of whom are athletes in different sports. His son, Ron Stone Jr., was a linebacker for Washington State[9] while his two daughters were athletes at the University of Oregon. His daughter Ronika played college volleyball while Ronna was a thrower on the track and field team. Ronnie did cheerleading. De`Ja is the eldest daughter.[10] In 2020, Ronika began dating Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love and they got engaged in 2024.[11]
References
[edit]- ^ "1993 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
- ^ "Cowboys-Packes odds 'n' ends". Retrieved February 19, 2023.
- ^ Freeman, Mike (March 2, 1996). "Giants Offer $10 Million To a Backup For Cowboys". The New York Times. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
- ^ Anderson, Dave (March 10, 1996). "Sports of The Times;Free Agency Becomes Giants' Latest Fumble". The New York Times. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
- ^ "Salary cap guides 49ers' decision". March 2, 2004. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
- ^ "Raiders sign Pro Bowler Ron Stone". Retrieved February 19, 2023.
- ^ "Stone hoping to stay healthy in second season with Raiders". Retrieved February 19, 2023.
- ^ "Raiders release DT Washington, two others". March 3, 2006. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
- ^ a b Lawson, Theo (April 11, 2019). "The name isn't as important as the title for Ron Stone Jr. in quest to be starting "Rush" LB at Washington State". The Spokesman Review. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
- ^ "Ronika Stone". University of Oregon. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
- ^ Miller, Julie (August 11, 2023). "Is Jordan Love Married? Everything To Know About Love's Girlfriend Ronika Stone". ProFootballNetwork.com. Archived from the original on August 18, 2023. Retrieved August 18, 2023.