He played college football for the Cincinnati Bearcats, where he won the Lou Groza Award and was recognized as an All-American.
He was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2003, and he played for the Berlin Thunder of NFL Europe and the New Orleans VooDoo of the AFL.
As a sophomore in 2000, he earned recognition as a consensus first-team All-American, and won the Lou Groza Award as the outstanding college placekicker in America.
[1][2] Ruffin was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent following the 2003 NFL draft on April 29, 2003.
The franchise was revived in time for the 2011 season, and Ruffin re-signed with the team on September 27, 2010, after not playing football for two years.