Pat Ricard is carving out quite a niche for himself with the National Football League’s Baltimore Ravens.
Not only is the former University of Maine star a rare two-way performer at the game’s highest level, while playing for one of the league’s top teams, he now ranks among the game’s best.
Ricard on Tuesday was announced as a member of the AFC roster for the 2020 Pro Bowl, the NFL’s postseason all-star game. He is one of 12 Ravens to earn the distinction.
The 6-foot-3, 303-pound powerhouse has been selected as the starting fullback for the squad. The former All-Colonial Athletic Association defensive lineman becomes only the second UMaine player named to the Pro Bowl. He joins Montell Owens, who earned the honor in 2010 and 2011 as a special teams player.
“It’s very exciting for myself and my teammates,” Ricard said Tuesday morning when asked what a Pro Bowl nod would mean to him during an appearance on Glenn Clark Radio.
“For myself, if you just look at this time last year, I was inactive for the last four or five games of the season,” said Ricard, who last December also came under fire after some Tweets from his high school years resurfaced in which he made racist and homophobic comments.
After signing a two-year contract extension on Dec. 3 and establishing an even higher level of success on the field, clearly feels fortunate to be in his present position.
“It’s very humbling, where I came from. I came from the University of Maine,” he said, mentioning the Ravens’ willingness to work with him on his offensive skills. “I hadn’t played offense since high school.”
Ricard, a native of Spencer, Massachusetts, has played in all 14 games this season for the Ravens, who are 12-2 and have clinched the AFC North title. At fullback, the blocking specialist has made eight receptions for 47 yards and a touchdown. He also has made nine tackles, including a sack, along with a forced fumble and a pass deflection as a member of Baltimore’s defensive line.
Ricard has been a component of a Baltimore rushing attack that ranks No. 1 in the NFL at 202.1 yards per game and is on pace to break the league single-season record in that category for a 16-game season.
While at UMaine, Ricard played 44 games and was a constant force on the defensive line. Nearly a quarter of Ricard’s 208 total tackles were for a loss. He ended his career at Maine with 47.5 TFLs, including 18.0 sacks, 11 pass deflections, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and two blocked kicks.