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Bucs LB Ryan Nece rarely turns down an opportunity to help out in ...
Buccaneers.com - Feb 18, 2007
Ryan Nece was just such a young man in 2002. Undrafted out of UCLA despite a prolific career, he crossed the country for his first NFL opportunity and soon proved to be a huge boon for Tampa Bay.

We could say, of course, that Nece has been a boon for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the team that eagerly signed him just minutes after the ’02 draft. But forget for now the 70 games played, 35 starts, 271 tackles, 3.5 sacks, two interceptions and 57 special teams tackles he has amassed in his five years as a Buccaneer. Nece’s impact on the Bay area as a whole, his quiet but tireless dedication to his adopted community, has been even more impressive.

The NFL Players Association and CBS sportscaster James Brown certainly think so. On Friday, Nece was informed in writing that he is one of 10 active NFL players who will be receiving a “JB Award” at a special gala in Washington, DC in April. The date of the gala, April 12, will be just 10 days shy of the fifth anniversary of Nece’s entry into the National Football League.

As a 2007 JB Award winner, Nece finds himself in some rather impressive company. Others who will receive this distinctive honor in April include NFL Defensive Player of the Year Jason Taylor of the Miami Dolphins, Seattle’s Grant Wistrom, Denver’s John Lynch and the New York Jets’ Chad Pennington. Rounding out the list of recipients are Cleveland’s Darnell Dinkins, Green Bay’s Donald Drive, Oakland’s Duane Starks, Washington’s Renaldo Wynn and the New York Giants’ Shaun O’Hara.

Mon, 19 Feb 2007 05:13:00 GMT

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