For Detroit Lions fans, January 9, 2022, provided the biggest highlight in an otherwise dismal season when the home team squeaked out a 37-30 win over Aaron Rodgers and the rival Green Bay Packers, sparked by a first-quarter trick play that saw wide receiver Tom Kennedy throw a 75-yard touchdown pass to fellow wideout Kalif Raymond.
The play by Kennedy ’17, ’18 MBA, was the most memorable NFL moment for a former Bryant University player to date, but unlikely to be the last. Kennedy is one of three Bulldogs, along with Buffalo Bills linebacker Joe Andreesen ’22, and Carolina Panthers defensive end Kenny Dyson Jr. ’23, now playing in the NFL — a remarkable achievement for a football program that’s only been around since 1999 and didn’t start competing in NCAA Division I until 2008.
The trio’s success has been a bright spot for Bryant Bulldogs head coach Christopher Merritt during a trying inaugural season in the competitive Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) conference.
“Kenny was one of those guys who would change a game based just on his presence on the field,” recalls Merritt. “Joe loved the weight room, and really developed his body to get to the next level. Tom was here before I was, but he’s been very supportive, and has worked to reconnect with the program.”
Kennedy has split time between the Lions practice squad and the active game-day roster. Andreesen was among the few undrafted rookie free agents to make a pro roster out of training camp, while Dyson was signed to the Panthers practice squad at the end of camp and has stuck throughout the season — something that’s far from guaranteed in the NFL.
At Bryant, Kennedy’s first sport was lacrosse; he skipped football in his sophomore and junior years, only returning to the gridiron as a senior in 2018, quickly establishing himself as a team leader on and off the field.
Kennedy was among a number of student-athletes who have taken advantage of Bryant's one-year MBA program, which is very attractive to players who -- because of injuries or other reasons -- have one year of NCAA eligibility left but have already completed their undergraduate studies at Bryant or other schools. He played professional lacrosse for one season as a graduate student before signing with the Lions as an undrafted free agent in 2018.
Like Kennedy, Dyson didn’t become a starter at Bryant until relatively late in his career, and used his senior year and fifth year of eligibility as a grad student to solidify his prospects with NFL scouts, including those attending Bryant’s annual Pro Day.
“In my fifth year I felt like I was consistently hitting my potential. I knew I had to leave everything out there,” he says. The effort paid off when the Panthers offered Dyson a contract as an unrestricted free agent after graduation.
“I could have just been a ‘camp body’ but I wanted to make it work and I knew I had an opportunity,” says Dyson, whose training camp highlights included a meetup with former teammate Andreesen during a joint practice with the Bills.
Dyson admits to some mixed emotions when Panthers general manager Dan Morgan said the team wanted to keep him on the team’s practice squad, but not as a member of the 53-man roster.
“Every padded practice is my game day,” says Dyson. “I’m in the NFL, and not many people can say that. I’m trusting the front office that they’re going to try to keep me the whole year and help with my development.”
Andreesen has achieved what Dyson is seeking: an active spot on an NFL roster. A special-teams player for one of the top teams in the league, Andreesen gets on the field for 15 to 20 plays a game.
The Depew, New York native has quickly become a hometown favorite among Bills fans, especially when former Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick offered to pay Andreesen’s fine after he was penalized for a bruising tackle earlier this year.
“It’s definitely cool to see three Bryant players in the NFL. Now guys who are coming to Bryant, or are being recruited to play there, know that it’s possible to achieve at the highest level.”
“It’s definitely cool to see three Bryant players in the NFL,” says Andreesen. “Now guys who are coming to Bryant, or are being recruited to play there, know that it’s possible to achieve at the highest level.”
“Bryant made me a better person and a better player,” says Andreesen, who praised the school for creating a good balance between athletics and academics. Bryant student-athletes earn higher GPAs than their peers and earn their degrees at a higher rate than other NCAA athletes, with a graduation success rate of 96 percent that’s five points above the national average.
Merritt says he makes a promise to every recruit that Bryant is a launching pad for their futures.
"That’s especially true for academics, but if we can do it on the football side, too, that’s a promise fulfilled,” he says.
