Description
Ross Ventrone is a free agent safety, most recently playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Ventrone was signed by the New England Patriots as a rookie free agent on April 29, 2010. Ventrone was a three-year starter at Villanova after transferring from Pittsburgh where he began his college career as a walk-on. After being red shirted as a freshman in 2005, he worked on the scout team in 2006 before landing a scholarship at Villanova. Pretty amazing accomplishment for a kid that only played one year of high school football. He is the younger brother of former NFL safety and current New England Patriots assistant coach Ray Ventrone. Ventrone attended Chartiers Valley High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he did not play football until his senior year.
In 2007, Ventrone transferred to Villanova University, his brother Ray’s alma mater, where he earned a football scholarship. He played in all 11 games in 2007, finishing third on the team with 64 tackles while also recording five pass break-ups and one interception. As a junior in 2008, Ventrone led the team with four interceptions, along with 61 tackles and a fumble recovery in 13 games played. Ventrone was the leader of a secondary that was one of the best in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) in 2009. He registered 73 tackles including 53 solo stops and had 6.5 tackles for loss and three quarterback sacks. Ventrone ended his three-year career with the Wildcats with 198 tackles and had team-high four interceptions in 2008.
After going undrafted in the 2010 NFL Draft, Ross Ventrone was signed by the New England Patriots on April 29, 2010. He played in the team’s preseason opener against the New Orleans Saints before being waived on August 15. He was re-signed on August 23, and played in the team’s final two preseason games before being waived during final cuts on September 4. He was signed to the Patriots’ practice squad on October 19, 2010. He was re-signed to a future contract for the 2011 season on January 18, 2011.
Ventrone was signed, promoted, or released 21 times by the New England Patriots during the season, including eight transactions in November 2011. He played in eight games, in Week 3 against the Buffalo, in Weeks 6 and 8 against the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers, and in both games against the New York Jets. He has primarily played special teams, but did play on defense in the Patriots’ Week 10 game against the Jets.
On January 2, 2013, Ventrone signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was released on August 31, 2013. The Steelers signed Ventrone to their practice squad on December 13, 2013. After starting the 2014 season on the Steelers’ practice squad, Ventrone was promoted to the 53-man roster on October 11, 2014. He played in nine games and was credited with seven tackles.
The featured black and gray nike gloves were game worn by Ross Ventrone when the Villanova Wildcats faced the Montana Grizzlies on December 18th, 2009 in the National Championship Game. Matt Szczur ran for 159 yards and two touchdowns and had another 68 yards receiving, leading Villanova (14-1) to its first Football Championship Subdivision title with a 23-21 victory over Montana. Ventrone did his part with 5 tackles – 3 solos and 1 TFL (Tackle for Loss –2 yards). The safety has signed the gloves in silver and added “MONTANA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP” to the right glove. The #’s on the wristbands were added by Ventrone and have personal meaning to him. Awesome pair of gloves for a Wildcats Fan!!!!
