Manny Ramirez (American football)

Manuel S. "Manny" Ramírez (born February 19, 1983) is an American football guard for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). Ramirez was drafted by the Lions in the fourth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Texas Tech. He has also played for the Denver Broncos.

Early years

Ramírez grew up in Houston, Texas. He attended Willowridge High School where he was named First Team All-District 20-5A two years in a row. In addition, he was named the 6th best center in the country by Rivals.com. During his senior year, Ramírez was recruited by Nebraska, Kansas State, UTEP, Houston, and Iowa State but committed to Texas Tech.

College career

As a redshirt freshman in 2003, Ramírez started 10 games, making his first start against SMU and capped off the season with a start in the 2003 Houston Bowl. During the next three years, he started all 36 regular season games along with starts in the 2004 Holiday Bowl, the 2005 Cotton Bowl Classic and the 2006 Insight Bowl. Ramírez was named a 2nd Team All-Big 12 Offensive Lineman in 2005. Ramírez began the 2006 season on the Outland Trophy Watch list in 2006, and was named to the All-Big 12 Preseason First Team. He concluded the 2006 season being named to the All-Big 12 Honorable Mention Team.