Contact: Emily Zadny, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, 630-637-5302
(Written by Nicholas Osterloo, Student Sports Information Assistant)

Nov. 8, 2017 - When Ryan Kuhl was deciding which college to attend, North Central College gave him the opportunity to play football in addition to receive his degree that other schools did not. "Football has always been a big part of my life and I didn't want to let that go quite yet," said Kuhl. 

Now a senior at North Central, Kuhl loves the environment that comes with being apart of the football team. "That brotherhood and friendship that we have on and off the football field is really something special," Kuhl said. 

In his first three years as a wide receiver, Kuhl has made his marks in the record books for the Cardinals. He is currently third all-time in receiving touchdowns with 22, fifth in career pass receptions with 119 and seventh in receiving yards with 1,633 yards.  

However, his senior season was ended too soon due to a knee injury. He was running a slant route against Millikin on Sept. 23 and a defender hit his knee joint. 

"I spent the night in Decatur and got the knee reset. I received the MRI there and was told I tore my ACL, MCL, PCL and dislocated my knee," said Kuhl. He is currently in the rehabilitation process which is elongated due to the knee dislocation. "So far the extension is out of the way and I'm still working on the flexion but we are getting there," he said. "It's a process."  

Another reason he chose North Central is because his family is from Naperville and they would be able to attend most games. Kuhl is the middle sibling between his two brothers and two sisters and has a strong relationship with his family, especially his parents.  

"They are so hardworking and do anything for us," Kuhl said of his parents. "I know I can come to them if I have any questions or anything. They can always give me an answer and point me in the right direction. Throughout the rehab process they have done a lot for me and I'm really thankful for both of them." 

One of Kuhl's most enjoyable moments throughout his four years at college was going to Ireland and Scotland with the football team. "Coach Thorne gave us a lot of free time to do whatever we wanted," said Kuhl. "It was nice because a lot of the guys went sightseeing. It was a different experience, I have never been outside of the country before that!" 

As a freshman, Kuhl came in undecided on a major, but knew his passion was in criminal justice. Because this wasn't offered at the time, he took up accounting. "I took one accounting class and I found out I was good at this and good with numbers. I took more accounting classes and fell in love with it," Kuhl said.  

He has been looking to combine his passion for criminal justice, in particular the FBI, and his skill of accounting. "I have been looking into FBI forensics and forensic accounting. The FBI has always been a huge thing for me and that's my passion," said Kuhl.  

Kuhl will miss North Central whenever he decides to move on to the next stage in his life. "North Central has a family atmosphere, I will miss that. Kuhl said. They push you to the limits and get that highest standard out of you." 

Hoping to remain a Cardinal, Kuhl would like to go to graduate school here at North Central and isn't ruling out a return to the football field either. "I do have a 5th year I can play football, but it depends if I can recover and am mentally ready to get back on the field or not," he said. 

Although he won't be on the field, Kuhl will definitely be on the sidelines cheering on the Cardinals this weekend at Elmhurst College. Game time is set for 1:00 P.M on Saturday, Nov. 11. More information about the game can be found HERE.