More than a decade ago, Christian Bryan was a star player for the Norwin football team. From there, he enjoyed a prolific career at Youngstown State, and then made coaching stops at four different colleges. A decade later, Bryan is back involved with high-school football, as he has shifted to a part-time coaching role while beginning a new career. He is the latest feature for the Westmoreland Where Are They Now.

A four-year letterwinner on the gridiron at Norwin, Bryan played as a freshman in the 2007 season. That year, the Knights went 7-4, including 4-1 in the conference, and qualified for the WPIAL Class Quad-A playoffs. In the postseason, Norwin defeated Woodland Hills, before falling to McKeesport Area in the quarterfinals.

In 2008, Norwin regressed to a mark of 3-7, including just 1-6 in conference play, and missed the playoffs.

In Bryan’s junior campaign, he garnered Second-Team All-Conference honors, but Norwin again missed the postseason, going 5-5 overall, and 2-4 in the conference.

As a senior, Bryan compiled 39 receptions for 644 yards and six touchdowns, while also rushing 32 times for 183 yards, and completing a pass for a 62-yard touchdown. Defensively, he notched 63 tackles and a pair of interceptions. Subsequently, he was named First-Team All-Conference as a multi-purpose player. Norwin went 5-5 once again, but improved to 4-2 in conference, and qualified for the Quad-A playoffs. Bryan’s football career with the Knights concluded with a first-round loss to Woodland Hills.

Among his fondest memories on the gridiron with the Knights was his banner performance against rival Hempfield Area during his senior season. In that contest, Bryan scored four touchdowns, and also nabbed an interception of Spartans’ QB Dante Nania, who joined him on the same college team, Youngstown State, the next year.

“Our coaches from Youngstown actually came and watched that game. So that game always stands out for that reason,” Bryan recalled of the Knights’ 40-35 victory. “It was just a great night, and a great friendship a couple of years after that.”

Additionally, Bryan competed in basketball, as well as briefly in track and field, during his time at Norwin, and he still holds fond memories of those experiences.

“I absolutely loved my time with my teammates and my friends,” he noted. “I loved just working hard and competing. There were just some great people that helped along the way.”

As a receiver at Youngstown State, Bryan made an immediate impact as a freshman in 2011. That season, he started all 11 contests, and caught 46 passes for 722 yards and six scores. As a result of his production, Bryan was named Honorable Mention All-Missouri Valley Football Conference. The Penguins went 6-5 that season, including 4-4 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.

In 2012, Bryan again started all 11 games, as he hauled in 30 receptions for 372 yards and three scores. The Penguins improved to 7-4, and once again posted a mark of 4-4 in conference play.

As a junior, Bryan played in a dozen games, including 11 starts. During that action, he registered 26 receptions for 306 yards and two touchdowns. Youngstown State continued its upward trajectory, going 8-4, including 5-3 in the conference.

Statically, Bryan regressed as a senior, as he played in 11 games, recording eight receptions for 111 yards. However, he served as a captain for YSU. Collectively, the Penguins posted a record of 7-5, and 4-4 in conference action.

For his career, Bryan compiled 110 catches, which ranked eighth in program history, while he placed 13th in receiving touchdowns, and 14th in receiving yards. All of those impressive stats were secondary for Bryan, however.

“I never set any tangible goal,” he explained. “My only goal was “I’m going to go in there, work as hard as I possibly can, I’m going to compete to the best of my ability, I’m going to be a sponge and listen to every possible thing that I can and try to apply it on the field and off the field.”

“I like to believe I played with a big heart, and that’s what separated me from some other guys,” Bryan added.

For his best memories, Bryan pointed to a pair of games from his freshman year – the season opener against Michigan State, and a late-season victory against powerhouse North Dakota State – as well as the Penguins’ upset victory against Pitt in his sophomore season.

Originally majoring in education, Bryan shifted to a general studies degree in education and math, as he served as a student assistant coach with YSU in 2015.

It was that experience that helped spark his career on the sidelines.

“That was pretty cool to start seeing things from a coach’s perspective,” Bryan noted.

Bryan returned to his Western PA roots in 2016, as he joined Carnegie Mellon University as the receivers coach. Additionally, he had the freedom to help design plays for the offensive coordinator.

“That year was really fun, and just starting to grow with how to really coach players and how to connect with different kids,” he said, noting the diverse roster for the Tartans.

For the next two years, Bryan joined Indiana University of Pennsylvania. His time at IUP included a historic 2017 campaign, when the Crimson Hawks went 7-0 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) and 13-1 overall, reaching the NCAA Division II semifinals.

“Those were two of some of the best years of my life. It was a special group of guys that we coached, and a special group of coaches that I worked with,” Bryan said. “Every day you woke up at IUP, and you absolutely loved going to work.”

In 2019, Bryan made another coaching stop, joining the University of Dayton as the receivers coach and assistant coach. In that campaign, the Flyers went 8-3, including 6-2 in the Pioneer Football League (PFL). While the team did not participate in 2020 due to COVID, Bryan remained on staff, and continued to hone his coaching acumen.

“My mind expanded even more for the game, and I learned even more on both sides of the ball,” he detailed. “I really got down to the true X’s and O’s and understanding why everything fits in the puzzle.”

However, this past February, Bryan elected to pivot away from coaching college football, and instead took a sales job in Eastern Pennsylvania, specifically in Delaware County.

“I made a change in my life in the summer of 17, and really just about growth and change and challenging myself. I love coaching, but who I am as a person is not defined by who I am as a football coach,” Bryan said.

Approximately one month after moving, he joined the football coaching staff at Ridley High School, which allows him to continue his passion of coaching football, while pursuing a full-time career in sales.

“I’m enjoying it right now, and before you know it, the season is going to be starting,” he stated.

Bryan, who originally grew up in the Eastern part of the state before moving to the Norwin district, also dedicates time to working out regularly. Moreover, he enjoys watching movies, and during the pandemic, he has regained a love for reading.

He also aims to help those afflicted with addictions, and he will be fundraising to run in the Philadelphia Marathon, with proceeds going to an addiction clinic.

“I just care about people,” he said. “I believe that is one of my true callings in life – to help people.”