Ryan Clark, a 13-year NFL safety and Super Bowl champion, joined ESPN as an NFL analyst in February 2015 on the same day he retired from professional football. Clark regularly appears on NFL Live, First Take, Get Up and SportsCenter throughout the year. In May 2023, at the 44th Annual Sports Emmy Awards, Clark won his first Sports Emmy in the ‘Outstanding Personality/Studio Analyst’ category.  

Clark’s playing career spanned 13 NFL seasons (2002-14) and included a Super Bowl XLIII title and two AFC Championships. He played a majority of his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers (2006-13), two years with the New York Giants (2002-03) and two stints with the Washington Redskins (2004-05 and 2014). 

Clark played in 177 NFL games with 16 interceptions over the course of his career. He was a Pro Bowl selection in 2011 and recorded 100 tackles in each of the last four seasons (2011-14). 

While still an active NFL player, Clark made regular ESPN guest analyst appearances in 2013 and 2014 and he was part of ESPN’s on-site coverage of Super Bowl XLIX in Arizona. 

In addition to being an integral part of ESPN’s NFL coverage, Clark is co-host of DC & RC, a program focusing on MMA topics. Premiering July 8, 2021, Clark teams up with ESPN’s Daniel Cormier, a legend in the Octagon and now an MMA commentator. The weekly show is seen on the ESPN app, @ESPN on YouTube and Twitter, as an audio podcast, and on ESPN2. Clark brings to the show the die-hard passion of a super-fan and a genuine understanding of MMA. 

In 2021, Clark launched “The Pivot Podcast” with former NFL players, Fred Taylor and Channing Crowder. 

A native of Marrero, Louisiana, Clark graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree in mass communications. At LSU, Clark started 36 consecutive games for the Tigers and was an All-SEC second team selection in 2000. 

Clark, who suffered a splenic infarction during his playing career due to sickle cell disease, has been involved with sickle cell awareness, research, treatment and programming. In 2012, he formed Ryan Clark’s Cure League to raise awareness about the sickle cell trait with hopes of eventually finding a cure. Additionally, Clark serves on the Board of Directors for the National Black Bank Foundation.

Clark resides in Baton Rouge, LA with his wife, Yonka, and their three children, Jaden, Jordan and Loghan. The family also has a dog named Harley J.