Ricky Proehl


Richard Scott Proehl is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League. Proehl played 17 seasons with the Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals, Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Bears, St. Louis Rams, Carolina Panthers, and Indianapolis Colts. He played in four Super Bowls and won two: Super Bowl XXXIV with the Rams and Super Bowl XLI with the Colts. He is remembered as a member of “The Greatest Show on Turf”.
After his playing career, Proehl was an assistant coach for the Carolina Panthers through the 2016 season. He returned to the Super Bowl as a coach with the Panthers in 2016.

High school career

Proehl graduated in 1986 from Hillsborough High School in Hillsborough, New Jersey, where he starred in both football and baseball. During his senior season in football, he caught 42 passes for 900+ yards and 13 touchdowns. For his efforts that year, he was named a New York All-Metro selection, the Somerset County Player of the Year, and an All-State pick.

College career

Proehl played college football at Wake Forest University, where he was a four-year letterman in football. He holds the school record for receiving yards, and touchdowns, as well as ranking in the top five in receptions and receiving average. He ended his college career playing in the Blue–Gray Football Classic and the East-West All-Star Game.

Professional career

Proehl was taken in the third round of the 1990 NFL Draft. He set the Cardinals rookie record for receptions and became the first rookie to lead the team in receptions since Bob Shaw in 1950. He played four more seasons for the Cardinals before being traded to the Seattle Seahawks for a draft pick. He spent two seasons with the Seahawks, signed with Chicago for one year, and ended up with the Rams for the start of the 1998 NFL season. As part of "The Greatest Show on Turf", he helped lead the Rams to a championship in the 1999 season at Super Bowl XXXIV. He spent three more seasons with St. Louis before signing with Carolina as a free agent at the start of the 2003 season. He was talked out of retirement for a 16th season by Panther quarterback Jake Delhomme and coach John Fox. Proehl retired and worked as a color analyst with the Rams' television pre-season games and the Rams radio network on various shows and pre-games. On November 29, 2006, Proehl came out of retirement to join the Indianapolis Colts, replacing injured WR Brandon Stokley.

Coaching career

Proehl was hired by the Carolina Panthers on February 1, 2011 as an Offensive Consultant. He was hired to primarily work with the wide receivers. He was Pro Football Focus's second runner up in their Wide Receiver Coach of the Year award.
In the 2015 season, Proehl and the Panthers reached Super Bowl 50 on February 7, 2016. The Panthers fell to the Denver Broncos by a score of 24–10.

Achievements

Proehl is known for his role in three memorable playoff games:

Personal life

Proehl and his wife, Kelly, live in Greensboro, North Carolina. The couple have three children: one daughter named Alex, and two sons named Austin and Blake. Austin played wide receiver at the University of North Carolina. He was selected in the 2018 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills as the 255th overall pick, and is currently playing for the Seattle Dragons of the XFL. Blake plays wide receiver for East Carolina University.
Proehl owns, manages, and coaches at Proehlific Park, which is a sports performance complex and fitness center he built in Greensboro, North Carolina.