Dan Silva ’07 joined the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts scouting department in January after spending five years as URI’s director of football operations. Silva was the first hire for new Colts’ General Manager Ryan Grigson.

Former URI football player Matt Hansen, the school’s all-time leader in tackles, ended the 2011 season on the Atlanta Falcons’ practice squad. Hansen signed a futures contract with Atlanta on January 9 and is expected to be with the team in training camp for the second year in a row next summer.