Ratliff was born in Youngstown, Ohio in 1981.[1] He attended Whitehall-Yearling High SchoolinWhitehall, Ohio,[2] and was a letterman in high school football and basketball for the Whitehall-Yearling Rams.[3] Ratliff was a standout receiver on offense and cornerback on defense, he totaled forty-two catches for 760 yards and twelve touchdowns in 1997, and forty-six receptions for 880 yards and thirteen touchdowns in 1998.[3] He was an all-state selection as a senior in 1998, and received high school All-America honors from Super Prep, Prep Star, and National Blue Chips.[3]
Ratliff accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coach Steve Spurrier and coach Ron Zook's Florida Gators football teams from 2000to2003.[4] During his four-season college career with the Gators, he set school records for punt return yards (860), interceptions in a season (9), and interceptions in a single game (3).[4] He was a first-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) selection in 2002 and 2003, and a consensus first-team All-Americanin2003.[4][5] As a senior team captain, he was recognized as the SEC Defensive Player of the Year by Sporting News, and was picked by his teammates as the Gators' most valuable player.[4] Ratliff was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 2013.[6]
The Cincinnati Bengals selected Ratliff in the second round (forty-ninth overall pick) in the 2004 NFL Draft.[7] He played for the Bengals for three seasons and part of a fourth, from 2004to2007.[8] He played in fifty-one games for the Bengals, and started in eight.[8] His most productive season was in 2005, when he intercepted three passes and recovered a fumble.[1] Ratliff was a key player in the 2005 Bengals turn around, helping Cincinnati end their losing drought, by securing their first winning season in 15 years, going (11–5), and capturing the 2005 AFC North Division Championship.
The Indianapolis Colts claimed Ratliff off waivers on November 29, 2007. He saw limited play with the team in the 2007 and 2008 seasons until he was cut by the Colts on September 20, 2008. He was re-signed on October 8, 2008 but waived again on October 22. He was once again re-signed on October 30 after cornerbackMarlin Jackson was placed on injured reserve.
On December 18, 2008, Ratliff scored his first NFL career touchdown in a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars; he intercepted David Garrard and ran the ball 35 yards for the game-winning touchdown. That game would wind up clinching the playoffs for Indianapolis that year.
Ratliff was re-signed by the Bengals prior to the playoffs on January 4, 2010 after defensive tacklePat Sims was placed on injured reserve. He was released on June 18.
^2012 NCAA Football Records Book, Award Winners, National Collegiate Athletic Association, Indianapolis, Indiana, pp. 11 & 14 (2012). Retrieved September 14, 2012.
^F Club, Hall of Fame, Gator Greats. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
Carlson, Norm, University of Florida Football Vault: The History of the Florida Gators, Whitman Publishing, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia (2007). ISBN0-7948-2298-3.
