During his seven years as a Detroit Lion, what was your favorite Frank Ragnow moment?
It’s been a few weeks since Detroit Lions center Frank Ragnow announced his retirement at the age of 29. Fans have had some time to process the news and go through the stages of grief for the loss. Ragnow may have only played seven years with the Lions, but he will undoubtedly go down as one of the best centers to ever play for this franchise—quite possibly the best.
While Ragnow was fairly reserved off the field, and it’s not always easy to point out the best moments on the field from a center, the Lions’ All-Pro offensive linemen still managed to create a bunch of memories that we won’t soon forget.
So today’s Question of the Day is:
What is your favorite Frank Ragnow moment?
My answer: Ragnow is such an easy person to relate to, particularly as a fellow midwesterner and someone who lost their father relatively early in life. The Rags Remembered Foundation is certainly something that should (and will) be a part of his legacy here in Detroit. And while I don’t share his affinity for hunting, there may not be a person in the NFL I relate more to than his love of the movie “Tommy Boy” while he’s out in a remote cabin —a very specific family tradition I held, too.
On the field, I gained a ton of respect for the man when he attempted to play through a fractured throat. And I cracked up at the mic’d up video when he said a phrase I’ve never heard in my life: “What the nuts?”
But if there’s one lasting image I’ll have of Ragnow, it’s his press conference after getting his contract extension in 2021.
Watching the culmination of a player’s entire career is something to behold. They spend two literal decades of their life hoping to reach this moment when they cash in beyond their wildest dreams. It’s a moment of validation for beating incredible odds and proof that their dedication to the craft was worth it.
For Ragnow, it was much more than that. It was a way to pay back the years and years of support his family gave him to chase this dream of his. While his father was no longer around for that moment, he was thrilled with the opportunity to support the rest of his family.
“I had wrote that my goal was to make it to the NFL and be able to take care of my parents,” Ragnow said. “My dad and my mom are just my people, you know, and I’m very grateful for them. My dad’s not here, but I’m very excited to take care of my mom, because I had an amazing childhood, man. I’m just so proud of the way I was raised and how I was raised and my upbringing. To be able to give back to my mom—I wish I could give back to my dad and go fishing with him and everything—but to be able to give back to my mom and my family, it means the world.”
That will be my enduring memory of Ragnow.
Was there a play or moment of Ragnow’s career that was your favorite? Share it in the comment section below.