[1] Ritcher played college football for the NC State Wolfpack, where he received All-American honors.
As a senior in 1979, he was a consensus first-team was an All-American and won the Outland Trophy as the nation's best college interior lineman.
[4][5] In the National Football League, Ritcher was moved to guard from center by the Buffalo Bills after his first season to utilize his speed and agility.
After sixteen seasons and a litany of injuries such as a broken foot and shoulder surgeries, Ritcher retired.
[6] In 1998, he was selected to the College Football Hall of Fame, and in 2012 he was inducted as a member of the inaugural class of the NC State Athletic Hall of Fame[7] He is currently working as a commercial pilot, flying for American Airlines.