Ryan Jensen (Center)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Center Ryan Jensen makes Salute to Service efforts a priority through relationships, outreach programs and gameday initiatives. Jensen's grandfather served in Vietnam and Korea as a member of the Army's 101st Airborne Division. Jensen's uncle followed his footsteps into the Army, and Jensen's adopted brother served in the Marine Corps. In 2014, Jensen made a special bond with a five‐year‐old boy named Cooper, whose father was tragically killed in action before Cooper was born. Through the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), Jensen remained in contact with the family. For the past several years, he has honored Cooper and TAPS through the NFL's My Cause My Cleats initiative, bringing awareness and support to Gold Star Families who are grieving the loss of a member in the armed forces. Annually, Jensen has supported the Buccaneers' Schwarzkopf Military Family of the Year Awards, which honors military families from each branch of the military. He has also visited MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa through the United Service Organizations (USO) Central Florida to promote fundraising efforts for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation and lead the team's support for Military Day at Training Camp. Jensen has donated nearly $100,000 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Foundation for his community ticket program "Jensen's G.I.," which provides memorable gameday experiences for military families. Over the past year, Jensen found a new and unique way to make an impact when he connected with Southeastern Guide Dogs to provide a $75,000 donation to sponsor three service dogs that will provide companionship and daily assistance for service members recovering from injury. This effort, along with visiting local Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals and hosting zoom calls to support active‐duty military families, is another example of the way the Bucs' Center continues to give back to the local military community.