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Dave Jennings (American football) facts for kids

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Dave Jennings
Dave Jennings (American football).jpg
No. 13, 4
Position: Punter
Personal information
Born: (1952-06-08)June 8, 1952
New York, New York, U.S.
Died: June 19, 2013(2013-06-19) (aged 61)
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, U.S.
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
Career highlights and awards
  • 2× First-team All-Pro (1979, 1980)
  • 3× Second-team All-Pro (1978, 1981, 1982)
  • Pro Bowl (1978–1980, 1982)
  • 2× NFL punting yards leader (1979, 1980)
  • NFL average punting yards leader (1980)
  • PFWA All-Rookie Team (1974)
  • New York Giants Ring of Honor
Career NFL statistics
Punts: 1,154
Punting yards: 47,567
Average punt: 41.2
Longest punt: 73
Player stats at PFR

David Tuthill Jennings (June 8, 1952 – June 19, 2013) was an American professional football player who was a punter in the National Football League (NFL) from 1974 to 1987. He played for the New York Giants and the New York Jets. He later worked as a radio color commentator for Jets and Giants games until 2007. He died of complications with Parkinson's disease in 2013.

Life and career

Jennings played both college football and college basketball and graduated from St. Lawrence University in 1974. As a high school student, he did not play football. He lettered in both football and basketball at St. Lawrence, and was inducted to the St. Lawrence Saints hall of fame in 1988.

After graduating from St. Lawrence, Jennings was not drafted, and briefly signed with the Houston Oilers as a practice squad member until he was released and recruited to the New York Giants as a free agent. He played for the Giants from 1974 to 1984, and then moved to play for the New York Jets from 1984 to 1987. During his professional career, he went to the 1978, 1979, 1980, and 1982 Pro Bowl games. He also led the league for total punts in the 1979 season, and in punting yards in both the 1979 and 1980 seasons. He retired after the 1987 season.

After his career playing professional football, Jennings began work as a radio color commentator. He commented on Jets games from 1988 to 2001 for New York sports radio station WFAN. He then moved to commenting on Giants games from 2002 until 2007, when he was replaced by former Giants linebacker Carl Banks. During this time, Jennings worked as a game analyst alongside fellow WFAN Giants announcers Bob Papa and Dick Lynch. In addition to his booth work, Jennings was a part of the Giants pre- and post-game shows, covering player interviews from the locker room.

Dave Jennings was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1995, and publicly revealed his condition in 2005. It was speculated around when he retired from broadcasting in 2008 that fatigue due to Parkinson's may have been the cause of his change in broadcasting roles and eventual retirement. He was inducted into the Giants' Ring of Honor in 2011 as one of the best punters in the franchise's history. Jennings died due to complications with Parkinson's on June 19, 2013, eleven days after his 61st birthday.

NFL career statistics

Legend
Led the league
Bold Career high

Regular season

Year Team Punting
GP Punts Yds Net Yds Lng Avg Net Avg Blk Ins20 TB
1974 NYG 14 68 2,709 1,991 64 39.8 28.4 2 - 12
1975 NYG 14 76 3,107 2,663 64 40.9 35.0 0 - 4
1976 NYG 14 74 3,054 2,354 61 41.3 30.6 3 11 10
1977 NYG 14 100 3,993 3,233 58 39.9 32.3 0 19 4
1978 NYG 16 95 3,995 3,151 68 42.1 33.2 0 18 11
1979 NYG 16 104 4,445 3,818 72 42.7 36.7 0 19 9
1980 NYG 16 94 4,211 3,445 63 44.8 36.6 0 16 13
1981 NYG 16 97 4,198 3,397 62 43.3 35.0 0 19 12
1982 NYG 9 49 2,096 1,829 73 42.8 37.3 0 16 3
1983 NYG 16 84 3,386 3,003 66 40.3 35.3 1 29 5
1984 NYG 16 90 3,598 2,919 54 40.0 31.4 3 22 10
1985 NYJ 16 74 2,978 2,499 66 40.2 33.8 0 23 8
1986 NYJ 16 85 3,353 3,068 55 39.4 36.1 0 27 6
1987 NYJ 12 64 2,444 2,224 58 38.2 34.8 0 12 6
Career 205 1,154 47,567 39,594 73 41.2 34.0 9 231 113

Playoffs

Year Team Punting
GP Punts Yds Net Yds Lng Avg Net Avg Blk Ins20 TB
1981 NYG 2 8 349 311 51 43.6 38.9 0 2 0
1984 NYG 2 10 381 357 47 38.1 35.7 0 5 0
1985 NYJ 1 5 192 180 49 38.4 36.0 0 1 0
1986 NYJ 2 17 646 556 55 38.0 30.9 1 1 1
Career 7 40 1,568 1,404 55 39.2 34.2 1 9 1
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