After graduating from Penn State in 2001 with a journalism degree, Ryan Hockensmith got an internship at ESPN The Magazine and has never left.

He transitioned from writing into editing in the mid-2000s as part of the magazine’s award-winning run in New York City. When the magazine relocated to ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Ct., in 2011, Hockensmith served as a senior editor before taking a job as a deputy editor at espnW from 2014-16, then with the ESPN.com college football team from 2016-18 before moving back to the magazine.

From 2018, he gradually wrote more and more, culminating in moving full time to a writer role in March 2022.

Hockensmith is a survivor of bacterial meningitis, which caused him to have amputations on both feet. During his 20-plus years at ESPN, he has emerged as a proud advocate for coverage of those with disabilities and addiction issues.

He and his wife Lori have three daughters.

-30-