by Frank S. Collins
Reading the "The
10 Best and Worst One-Game Careers in NFL History" by Ryan Winn reminded me
of what may be the shortest one-game career in NFL History.
On Nov. 30, 1998, Ryan Sutter was activated from the Carolina Panther's
practice squad for his first NFL game. The Panther's were hurting at safety and
the local media presented the situation as "an average Joe finally gets a
chance."
Sutter's NFL career began with the opening kickoff and ended about five
seconds later. During the kickoff Sutter raced down the field and tried to arm
tackle the return man. This resulted in a major injury to his shoulder. After
the game, Sutter was put on injured reserve. He was never able to make a
successful comeback.
In the movie "Field of Dreams," and the book "Shoeless Joe," Moonlight Graham
was the featured real-life baseball player who only played one major league game
and never batted. While Moonlight Graham went on to lead an ordinary, but
important life, Sutter's life has been anything but ordinary.
Sutter participated in the 2003 reality TV show called the "The Bachelorette"
as a contestant. At the end of the show, the featured consort, Trista Rehn,
chose Sutter as her husband. They were married in a televised wedding in 2003,
later had children together, and are still married. Current information
about Ryan Sutter ( Triathlons, TV personality, etc.) can be found on his
blog.
Many Panther fans felt really bad for Sutter at the time of the
injury. Maybe now, not so much. If you know of any shorter NFL careers, please
let us know.