Ricky Stanzi
 Ricky Stanzi in 38-24 win over Minnesota, 2042 | |
| No. 9 – Dallas Birddogs | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Quarterback |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | September 3, 2021 (aged 39) Cleveland, OH |
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Weight: | 230 lb (104 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Cleveland Central High School |
| College: | Iowa |
| ISFL Draft: | 2045 / Round: TBD / Pick: TBD |
| DSFL Draft: | 2044 / Round: TBD / Pick: TBD |
| Career history | |
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| Roster status: | Retired |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Ricky Stanzi(born September 3rd, 2021), was an American football quarterback for the Dallas Birddogs in the DSFL. Out of Cleveland Central high school as a top recruit, He played four strong seasons of college football for the Iowa Hawkeyes as a starting quarterback, culminating in a Heisman Trophy in 2042. After a few scandals and rejection of the NFL altogether, Ricky decided on joining the DSFL late in the 2043 (S28) season. He won the 16-team College Football National Championship with Iowa in 2042.
Contents
Early years
Ricky Stanzi was born in a fairly affluent family in Cleveland during the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, and immediately had a knack at a young age for football. He was a bonafide leader from the get-go and raised to do the same. Ricky admired both stars in the NFL and the ISFL, and watched old games of Mike Boss and had plenty of role models with great quarterbacks coming in and out of the ISFL. Ricky played flag football, and then led an undefeated eighth grade squad out in Cleveland Southwestern Middle School, starting every game and lighting up the score sheet.
Ricky then went on to the prestigious and well known football school Cleveland Central, where he was immediately placed on varsity freshman year. While he didn't play much, he learned quickly from his coaches, the players above him, and the rest of the high school football experience and crafted his game. He stayed in the pocket, moved only when necessary and was focused on keeping the game short and quick. His snap-to-release was perfected as he led the team to the state playoff semi-finals in his sophomore season, along with winning back-to-back state championships in his junior and senior seasons. Ricky faced off against the best talent the massive state of Ohio had to offer, and Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin, Alabama, and LSU were calling his name. Ricky instead toured and decided on the Iowa Hawkeyes, still a large school, but much more fitting in his eyes. He had something to prove.
College career
Ricky definitely had a strong college career, but it started off slow, similar to his high school career. Stanzi focused more on being a quality backup and learned from his top guys during his first season, but his improvement was even more rapid in college than it was in high school. He started a few games at the end of his freshman year after injury to the senior starter, and won a huge bowl game against #19 Maryland in his only non-playoff bowl game of his career. Ricky then started all fourteen games of his sophomore season, dominating the college scene and making the 16-team playoff as the #13 team in the country at 9-3. They won their first game against #4 Oklahoma in a big upset, and then lost to #5 Auburn in a nailbiter.
Ricky's junior season was another whirlwind, but an injury halfway through his season derailed his storybook ending, and Iowa finished a measly 7-6. His senior season, on the other hand, was an incredible show of talent and skill, and led Ricky to be declared the future #1 overall pick in the NFL draft. He started off with key non-conference wins over Auburn and North Carolina, and rolled through the conference season undefeated. Sitting at #1, Iowa defeated Washington, Purdue, Oklahoma(again!), and finally #2 Auburn to win the College Football Championship, along with a heisman.
College career statistics
| Career statistics | Passing | Rushing | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | Games | Comp | Att | Yards | Pct | Lg | TD | Int | Rating | Att | Yards | Avg | Lg | TD |
| 2039 | IOWA | 4 | 80 | 123 | 952 | 65.0 | 56 | 9 | 2 | 110.6 | 15 | 10 | 0.7 | 6 | 0 |
| 2040 | IOWA | 14 | 220 | 314 | 4300 | 70.0 | 83 | 39 | 11 | 120.1 | 35 | 70 | 2.0 | 12 | 1 |
| 2041 | IOWA | 13 | 230 | 365 | 3985 | 63.0 | 76 | 34 | 12 | 114.4 | 52 | 172 | 3.3 | 22 | 2 |
| 2042 | IOWA | 18 | 325 | 480 | 5300 | 67.7 | 86 | 56 | 9 | 134.5 | 29 | 123 | 4.2 | 18 | 1 |
Professional career
While Ricky was projected to go first overall in the NFL draft, after a few minor scandals his stock had been slipping slightly. Then the big one happened; he started a massive bar fight right before graduation in an Iowa Hawkeyes bar against some Iowa Staters, and he broke his fist and parts of his wrist. Afterwards, when his agent told him he would be lucky to be picked in the second round, he then decided to train a bit longer and try out for the DSFL instead, and either go to the ISFL or the NFL afterwards.
Achievements and records
- Heisman Trophy (2042)
- College Football National Championship (2042)
