RON STANLEY

Ron Stanley was one of the finest football players to emerge from Saginaw High School. He started three years for the Trojans, graduating in 2001, and also excelled in track where he ran 10.8 in the 100 meter dash and was a member of the 400-meter relay team that won a state championship. Stanley twice made the All-Saginaw Valley League and All-Area football teams, and as a senior, he was named first team All-State honors from the Detroit News and Free Press. His prep career was highlighted in the 1999 Division 2 state championship game where he racked up a whopping 18 tackles in the 14-7 victory over Birmingham Brother Rice. He recorded 118 tackles his senior season and rushed for 1,106 yards and 15 touchdowns. Stanley was a PrepStar All-American and ranked among the Midwest’s top 100 prospects by Tom Lemming (No. 74) and SuperPrep (No. 98). He was rated one the state’s top 20 players by Midwest Football Recruiting News. Stanley was awarded a scholarship to Michigan State University, where he lettered four years (2001-04). He made an immediate impact at linebacker for the Spartans as he made 43 tackles and was named second team Freshman All-American by The Sporting News and Football News. Stanley started every game as a sophomore where he made 99 tackles – second on the team – at outside linebacker, sharing the team’s Jim Adams Award as “unsung hero.” He also had six tackles-for-loss, four pass breakups, one fumble recovery and three forced fumbles. In his final two years, the soft-spoken Stanley was moved to middle linebacker and selected as a twotime captain. The 6-foot, 244 pounder emerged as one of the best linebackers in the nation, racking up 227 tackles. Stanley played in the Silicon Valley Football Classic bowl game as a freshman and the Alamo Bowl as a junior. His career best was 16 tackles versus Michigan his sophomore season. He was invited to the Hula Bowl his senior season where he scored two defensive touchdowns and earned game MVP honors. Stanley went undrafted but signed as a free agent with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He spent the 2005 and 2006 seasons on the Steelers’ practice squad and became the first Saginaw native to win a Super Bowl ring, helping the Pittsburgh Steelers win Super Bowl XL at Ford Field.