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Ryan Slater

Having Success Close to Home

Senior Co-Captain Ryan Slater Hopes to Replicate High School Championships at Bucknell

Sept. 10, 2007

By Todd Merriett, Bucknell Athletic Communications

I arrived in Central Pennsylvania more than three years ago, having lived the first 24 years of my life in New York. As my initial fall as a Pennsylvanian approached, the very first thing I noticed was the rabidity with which fans followed high school football. The Saturday morning edition of the paper was always jam-packed with high school football recaps, news and analysis, oftentimes taking over space where people normally read about baseball pennant races and their favorite college football team.

During my time living in Central Pennsylvania, the team that has garnered the most headlines is Southern Columbia, which was recently named the top local high school team, across all sports, by the Daily Item. The Tigers have won five consecutive state titles and sent a number of players to the college ranks. For Bucknell fans, one of the most notable is senior co-captain Ryan Slater.

Slater, a native of nearby Elysburg, Pa., helped Southern Columbia to the first two of those handful of championships and will try to use that experience to his advantage this fall as he leads the Bison on their quest for the program's first Patriot League title in more than a decade.

Growing up just down the road from Bucknell, it would seem natural that Slater, who was a first-team all-state linebacker and was named Pennsylvania Football News Defensive Player of the Year during his prep career, would end up wearing Orange and Blue. However, that was not the case. The 6-0, 222-pound linebacker eyed both Penn and fellow Patriot League school Georgetown when he was choosing where to continue both his education and football career.

"I always knew about Bucknell, but I didn't know I was going to come. I took a couple of visits here and it ended up being the best situation since it is close to home, close to people that support me and my mom can do my wash," says Slater with a laugh.

While "mom" is home doing laundry, Slater has been busy improving on the football field. A three-year letterwinner, and a two-year starter, he had a relatively smooth transition to college football and broke into the lineup on special teams as a freshman and appeared in 10 of 11 games.

His progression continued the next year when he replaced all-league linebacker Kevin Ransome in the starting lineup and did not disappoint, leading the squad with 84 tackles. Among the most vivid memories from his first three years as a Bison was his first career starting assignment against Georgetown in the 2005 season opener. He remembers being extremely nervous going into the contest at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium, but once he hit a couple of guys and made the first of his team-high 10 tackles, he settled down and it seemed like he was back playing on a Friday night with Southern Columbia.

That 2005 campaign was a trying one for Slater and his teammates as they endured a difficult 1-10 season. It was a humbling time for Slater, who had experienced a pair of state titles his final two years of high school and a successful freshman season in which Bucknell posted a strong 7-4 mark, highlighted by a four-game winning streak to end the year.

Slater helped Bucknell orchestrate one of the best turnarounds in school history, as well as the country, last year when it improved to 6-5. The five-game improvement equaled the school record, set previously by the 1891, 1949 and 1954 teams. In his second year as a starter, Slater totaled 81 tackles to rank eighth in the Patriot League, up one spot from the previous season.

Now, as a senior, Slater is once again in the starting lineup, and is looked upon to be a leader. In fact, with such a young team - 23 of the 44 players listed on the two-deep depth chart for the season-opening win at Duquesne were either freshmen or sophomores - Slater is seen as an old man among his teammates.

"I feel old," laughs Slater. "I am glad so many young guys are getting a chance to play. It will make us a better team in the long run. Some kids are coming in at 17-years-old and I am 22. It is a little humbling and makes me realize I will be out in the real world before I know it."

The real world is knocking on Slater's door, but he is not ready to answer it yet. His goal is to leave as many opportunities for himself as possible.

"I am thinking about either going to graduate school or getting a job, but I am not sure. I will probably go on a few interviews to see what kinds of possibilities are out there. I'm not really sure what I will be doing, but I will be fine," states Slater, almost trying to reassure himself his future will be as bright as his football career.

It is almost guaranteed Slater's adaptation to the real world will be as seamless as his transition to college was. Given Bucknell's lofty academic standards, many freshmen can have a difficult time adjusting to college, but not Slater.

"Coming to Bucknell was a relatively smooth transition," recalls Slater, a management major. "The toughest thing was making enough time for both classes and football. In high school I didn't have as much schoolwork and football is not nearly as time consuming. However, a lot of teammates are always behind you and the coaches are always around to lend help and support, so it creates a good situation."

With his football career winding down, Slater realizes this is his year to shine, and there will continue to be a number of loved ones making the drive from the Pennsylvania coal region to Lewisburg each Saturday when the Bison are home this fall.

"I get a pretty decent amount of friends and family coming each week," explains Slater, who mentions his brother Nick flew from California to Pittsburgh for the Duquesne game on Sept. 1. "The guys are always joking with me and asking how many tickets I need each week. I love the fact my family can come support me. It is a great situation and I am glad I picked Bucknell."

Bison fans are happy Slater chose Bucknell as well. They hope he can do the same for the Bison that he did for Southern Columbia - lead his team to a championship. If he does that, the local paper will be sure to bump at least one college football story ahead of the high school results. Even Southern Columbia's.