Super Bowl Champion Coach to Compete in 'The Amazing Race' Season 34
A new season of The Amazing Race will air on CBS this fall and will feature a notable NFL figure. On Wednesday, CBS announced that Rex Ryan will be one of the contestants in the show's 34th season. According to Entertainment Weekly, Ryan's partner on the show will be Tim Mann, a 40-year-old probation officer who is also one of Ryan's golf buddies.
In a video for Entertainment Weekly, Ryan, 59, and Mann talk about how they became friends."Where our story kind of started, was his love for the Buffalo Bills and the fact that I failed miserably as the head coach of the Buffalo Bills," Ryan said, per USA Today. Ryan also talked about their approach to the show that began in 2001.
"Yeah, of course, we have our strategies," Ryan said. "I do know a bit about team building. If you want to be really good, you lean on yourself. But if you want to be great, you lean on yourself and others. ... I think a lot of people will love us just because we are kind of the underdogs here. Why not us? We've got a one in 12 chance, we might as well go for it."
Ryan is known for being the head coach of the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills. He was the coach of the Jets from 2009 to 2014 and led the team to consecutive AFC Championship appearances in his first two seasons. Ryan was fired in 2014 and became the head coach of the Buffalo Bills in 2015. In two seasons in Buffalo, Ryan posted a 15-16 record and missed the playoffs both years. He was fired from the Bills following the 2016 season and has been an analyst for ESPN ever since.
Prior to being a head coach for the Jets and Bills, Ryan was an assistant coach for the Baltimore Ravens from 1999 to 2008. He held multiple positions, including defensive line coach, defensive coordinator and assistant head coach, When Ryan was the Ravens' defensive line coach in 2000, the team won its first Super Bowl. And in 2006, the Pro Football Writers Association (PFWA) named Ryan the Assistant Coach of the Year. Fans can see Ryan and Mann on The Amazing Race starting on Sept 21.