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Giving Back In Style

Ryan Nece, Linebacker

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Story by Chris Kuhn, Photos by Will Staples

Published: November 2, 2007

What's it like stepping onto the field for the first home game of the season with a sea of cheering pewter and red fans before you? Just ask Bucs linebacker Ryan Nece.

"It's an amazing feeling and started back at the season kickoff party. You could feel the electricity. It gives you the confidence to step onto the field and play hard."

Nece admits that even after six years, there are challenges every player must overcome each time they step onto the field. "It takes a little longer to recover after a game as you get older, so you realize just how important it is to take care of your body," he says. "It's also easy to relax mentally, so you have to continue to fine-tune the mental aspect of your defensive game."

Earlier this year, the 28-year-old was honored for more than his defensive moves. Tampa Bay Illustrated named him one of its Perfect 10, a list of the Bay area's most fashionable and charitable men, an honor he appreciated, though his teammates were more amused than impressed. "I've been teased by my teammates who tell me that they don't think I always look that great but I think I have a good understanding of when it is important to look presentable," he says.

Though they kid Nece about his fashion sense, his teammates did show appreciation for their colleague's commitment to others by selecting him for the JB Award, an honor chosen by peers and given by CBS's James Brown to players exemplifying leadership and dedication to their team and community. The event honoring these recipients remains his proudest moment off the field. "Just being in the company with great men like John Lynch and Jason Taylor was a real honor."

It's pressure enough to be in the spotlight and have game play scrutinized by sports analysts, fans and coaches every week, but what about when your dad's hall-of-famer and legendary NFL safety Ronnie Lott?

"Sometimes, I think he's standing on the sidelines with the coaches, I'm always amazed how much he's able to see just by watching it on TV," he says.

Nece grew up in southern California with his mother Cathy but always felt the love and guidance of his father, who remained a big part of his life after his parents divorced and remarried.

"My dad's approach was to be supportive but keep a little bit of distance so as not to cast too much of a shadow on me," he says. "Looking back now, I see that it was the best thing."

Nece, who's single, spends time between homes in San Bernardino, Calif., and Tampa. "California is where my family is, so I always want to be close to home, but I do love Tampa. This is where I work and I've gotten to know the community and met some really interesting people."

Nece is committed to guiding and growing a philanthropic effort very close to his heart, The Ryan Nece Foundation, founded in fall 2006. "When I first came to Tampa, I didn't have family here so I embraced the community as my family, going to local events and getting involved. I found such joy and passion that I decided it was time to start my own foundation and focus on addressing needs that mattered to me."

Central to the foundation is the Good Samaritan Program. Its primary goal is to enhance the quality of life for those in need in the Bay area through financial and physical efforts. Recent projects have included providing backpacks and school supplies to a Wimauma mission and donating several computers and Web cams to a VA health care system so patients could connect with faraway family.

Nece is excited about a new educational program, The Good Samaritan Awards. The program recognizes two students each in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties every month based on academic success and community service and rewards two of those students at the end of the year with college scholarships.

In his free time, Nece loves traveling and going to art museums and plays, especially performances at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. He's also quite the business enthusiast, not a big surprise for the UCLA Business Economics graduate who meets regularly with local executives to chat about his favorite subject. "I enjoy learning about how to plan for life after football."

"Had I not gone into football, I probably would have gone back to school for my MBA. Entrepreneurship runs in my family," he says.

"I would love to help people and lead people in some capacity to make a difference."

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