Javon Ringer, American football player
Javon Eugene Ringer (born February 2, 1987) is a former American football running back. He played college football for Michigan State University, and was drafted in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL draft.
Ringer attended Chaminade-Julienne High School where he set school and state records. In college, he achieved many awards. In 2005, he earned honorable mention Freshman All-America status from The Sporting News. He was also named to The Sporting News Big Ten All-Freshman Team. In 2006, he earned the Biggie Munn Award, an award given to the team's most inspirational player. In 2007, he had a breakout season, becoming Michigan State's first 1,000 yard carrier since T. J. Duckett in 2001. He was also named Second Team All-Big Ten in the coaches and media polls. In 2008, as a senior, he was one of four team captains. He was a semi-finalist for the Maxwell Award, the Walter Camp Award, and was a finalist for the Doak Walker Award, which he finished in third, behind Shonn Greene and Knowshon Moreno. He was also a Heisman Trophy candidate at one point, the only running back to be officially nominated all year.He had a minor knee injury during the end of the 2008 season, which led to corrective surgery. This slowed his Combine numbers; however, he improved upon them during MSU's Pro Days. He was one of three Spartans invited to the NFL combine. ESPN.com ranked him the 8th best running back in the draft. He was a projected third rounder in the 2009 NFL Draft. Another site listed him as a mid-second round draft choice. His performance at the MSU Pro Day "absolutely blew NFL teams away", due to putting up impressive numbers while not fully recovered. After being drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the fifth round, Ringer battled several running backs for the third string position coming into his rookie 2009 season, a battle he won. He made his NFL debut in week 1, as a kick returner, and overall has played in 7 games. He was benched as kick returner after a poor performance in week 2. He had his first NFL carries in a week 6 game against the New England Patriots. Ringer's NFL career was marred by injuries, having missed 27 games in 4 years. Since retiring from the NFL, Ringer has worked with his alum Michigan State as an assistant coach.