10/9/2001 - Football
Ryan Hamilton: Finding the Football
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It is often difficult to single out any one defensive player in the seconds leading up to the snap of the ball. As the teams reach the line of scrimmage, a chaotic ballet ensues. The defenders scamper aggressively from one side of the field to the other or stealthily a few inches to their side, all trying to establish a position of strength in those few, precious seconds. From the stands, numbers are blurred or hidden as 11 players in matching helmets and jerseys hunch over, prepared to spring the instant the play begins.
Once the play is underway, players are still hard to distinguish. They quickly move forward, backward or side to side, turning and twisting to both protect and attack, always cognizant of the position of the ball, the man and area they are guarding.
It is not until the end of the play one can definitely account for the location of those on the field. Players near and far from the start of the play slowly untangle, pick themselves off the ground and begin the march to the spot of their new huddle, giving fans and coaches alike a brief opportunity to identify who was on the field.
It takes a little longer to ascertain those in the largest mass of players. It is in this area where the ball came to rest at the conclusion of play, and no player involved in that clash seems willing to leave until they take a last glance at the ball to make certain it is spotted correctly. It is in this area where, more often than not, one will find Navy senior linebacker Ryan Hamilton.
A native of Havertown, Pa., Hamilton began his football career at Navy as many freshmen do at the Academy -- playing on the junior varsity squad. Halfway through the season, however, Hamilton was elevated to the varsity team and made an immediate impact upon his arrival. Despite playing in just six games, Hamilton finished the season with 25 tackles, the most by any freshman on the team. He started the final-three games of the season, recording nine tackles against Notre Dame, three against Southern Methodist and seven in his inaugural star game appearance against arch rival Army.
The more Hamilton played that season, the more comfortable he felt with the jump to Division I football.
"The more game experience I received, the slower the game seemed to me," said Hamilton. "The game started to slow down quite a bit for me, which made my reactions better."
After a strong freshman season, Hamilton was firmly entrenched as a starter the following year. He concluded his sophomore year third on the team with 101 tackles. Hamilton recorded 10 or more tackles in four games, including a career-high 13 against Akron and 12 against both Boston College and Rice. He had four sacks and at least one tackle for a loss in eight of the 12 games. In addition, Hamilton broke up five passes, recovered two fumbles and forced yet another.
Hamilton had to undergo surgery on the patella tendon in his right knee at the end of his sophomore season. After going through the arduous rehabilitation process, Hamilton returned to the gridiron for the start of his junior campaign. The surgery did not limit his ability to again find his way to the football, recording 21 tackles in the first-five games of the season. It was then his season came to an abrupt halt as he again tore the patella tendon in his right knee, forcing him to undergo the surgery and rehabilitation process for the second time in as many years.
Not being able to contribute to the team made watching difficult for Hamilton.
"It was frustrating for me to watch the season we had because my teammates worked so hard all season long. We expected more."
Healthy for the start of the spring drills this past off-season, Hamilton had to learn the new defensive system introduced by defensive coordinator Rick Lantz. Now using a 4-3 alignment instead of a 3-4, Hamilton found himself moved from the inside to the outside.
"We were all excited with Coach Lantz and the system he brought here," said Hamilton. "We adopted it right away.
"I fit the role of an outside linebacker in this system better than an inside linebacker."
"Ryan is really important in this defense," said Lantz. "He has to be one of the guys who makes plays for us."
Adapting to a different defensive scheme is nothing new for Hamilton. He has played under three different systems in his four years at Navy.
"Changing systems has been difficult, but I have been fortunate to play under great coaches like Tommy Raye, Coach (Scotty) Conley and now Coach Lantz."
"Changing systems holds back players who have played a lot more than it does players who have not seen that much action," said Lantz. "You need to break old habits before you can learn new ones.
"Learning a new system holds back your personal aggression. You are thinking about what you are supposed to do instead of just doing it. Change doesn't happen overnight. It is important the players keep their focus on working hard and learning and improving every day."
Hamilton has shown he has adapted well to the new defense, totalling 24 tackles and one sack in the first-four games of the season.
After watching him during spring ball and through the first part of this season, Lantz feels Hamilton compares favorably with two players he coached during his first stint in Annapolis.
"Ryan reminds me of Timothy Harden (Class of '75) and Phillip Hutcherson ('76). The three of them are good outside linebackers. None of them have the greatest speed, but they developed into good football players.
"There is an intensity about Ryan. He is very intense about football and about winning. To play through and come back after his painful injuries shows what a tough kid he is. We held him out of the last week of spring practice this year and it really irritated him that we wouldn't let him play."
Hamilton himself used former teammate Jason Snider ('99) as someone to pattern his style of play after.
"Jason was a big influence on me during my freshman year. He played the game with great speed and with great passion and I wanted to model part of my game after him."
While Hamilton used Snider as a role model when he arrived in Annapolis, he originally learned about the Academy and Navy football by watching Andy ('96) and Chris Person ('98) play. Hamilton, Andy, Chris and current Navy junior defensive end Dan Person, along with former Navy basketball player Mike Palumbo ('98) all attended Episcopal Academy in Merion, Pa.
"I used to come down a few weekends a year with the Person family to watch Andy and Chris play," remembered Hamilton. "After coming down here so often, the place kind of grew on me."
Now, however, Hamilton's days in Annapolis and his time in a Navy football uniform are winding down. The rapidly moving calendar is something he is fully aware of.
"When I look back at Navy football, I hope to remember the great relationships I have made, the great teammates I have had and all of the hard work we went through together. My teammates are something I will really miss.
"It has been a great privilege to play football at Navy."
