Dave Jennings (American football) facts for kids
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| Position: | Punter | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | June 8, 1952 New York, New York, U.S. |
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| Died: | June 19, 2013 (aged 61) Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 203 lb (92 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Garden City (Hempstead, New York) | ||||||||
| College: | St. Lawrence | ||||||||
| Undrafted: | 1974 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||
David Tuthill Jennings (born June 8, 1952 – died June 19, 2013) was an American professional football player. He was a punter in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. Dave played for the New York Giants and the New York Jets. After his playing career, he became a radio color commentator, talking about Jets and Giants games until 2007. He passed away in 2013 due to health issues.
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Dave Jennings' Football Journey
Dave Jennings went to St. Lawrence University and graduated in 1974. Interestingly, he didn't play football when he was younger. Instead, he played both college football and college basketball in college. He was so good that he earned a special award called a "varsity letter" in both sports. Later, in 1988, he was honored by being added to the St. Lawrence Saints hall of fame.
Becoming an NFL Punter
After college, Dave was not chosen in the NFL draft. But he still got a chance to play! He briefly joined the Houston Oilers as a practice player. Soon after, the New York Giants signed him as a free agent. This means they picked him up without him being drafted.
Dave played for the Giants from 1974 to 1984. Then, he moved to play for the New York Jets from 1984 to 1987. As a punter, his job was to kick the ball far down the field to help his team. He was very good at it!
A Top Punter in the NFL
During his time in the NFL, Dave Jennings was one of the best punters. He was chosen to play in the Pro Bowl four times (in 1978, 1979, 1980, and 1982). The Pro Bowl is a special game where the best players from each season get to play against each other.
Dave also led the entire league in total punts in 1979. This means he kicked the ball more times than anyone else that year. He also led the league in punting yards in both the 1979 and 1980 seasons. This shows how far he could kick the ball! He retired from playing football after the 1987 season.
Life After Playing Football
After his successful playing career, Dave Jennings didn't leave football entirely. He started a new job as a radio color commentator. This meant he would talk about the games live on the radio, explaining what was happening.
He talked about Jets games from 1988 to 2001 for a New York sports radio station called WFAN. Then, he switched to talking about Giants games from 2002 until 2007. He worked with other announcers like Bob Papa and Dick Lynch, giving his expert opinion on the games. He also interviewed players in the locker room before and after games.
Remembering Dave Jennings
In 2011, Dave Jennings received a very special honor. He was added to the Giants' Ring of Honor. This is a special award for the best players in the team's history. It shows how important he was to the New York Giants.
Dave Jennings passed away on June 19, 2013, shortly after his 61st birthday. He is remembered as one of the greatest punters in NFL history.
