Dave Jennings (American football)

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Dave Jennings
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
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Punts:1,154
Punting yards:47,567
Average punt:41.2
Longest punt:73
Player stats at NFL.com · 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.[1] 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[edit]

Jennings played both college football and college basketball and graduated from St. Lawrence University in 1974.[2][3][4] As a high school student, he did not play football.[5] He lettered in both football and basketball at St. Lawrence, and was inducted to the St. Lawrence Saints hall of fame in 1988.[5][3]

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.[5] 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.[1] 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.[6] He then moved to commenting on Giants games from 2002 until 2007, when he was replaced by former Giants linebacker Carl Banks.[7] During this time, Jennings worked as a game analyst alongside fellow WFAN Giants announcers Bob Papa and Dick Lynch.[7][8] 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.[7][9]

Dave Jennings was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1995, and publicly revealed his condition in 2005.[2][10] 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.[7] He was inducted into the Giants' Ring of Honor in 2011 as one of the best punters in the franchise's history.[11] Jennings died due to complications with Parkinson's on June 19, 2013, eleven days after his 61st birthday.[11]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Dave Jennings". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on December 16, 2010. Retrieved November 9, 2010.
  2. ^ a b Raissman, Bob (June 19, 2005). "His Secret Pain. After 10 years, Jennings reveals battle with Parkinson's". Daily News. New York. Retrieved 2022-05-12.
  3. ^ a b "Dave Jennings (1988) - Hall of Fame". St. Lawrence University Athletics. Retrieved 2022-05-12.
  4. ^ Grimsley, Will (February 17, 1979). "Gridders Make Like Oarsmen". The Press-Courier. Oxnard. p. 13. Retrieved November 9, 2010.
  5. ^ a b c "Giant Punter Beacon Guest". The Evening News. Newburgh. December 4, 1975. p. 2D. Retrieved November 9, 2010.
  6. ^ Vacchiano, Ralph (June 20, 2013). "Dave Jennings, former All-Pro punter for the NY Giants, dead at 61". Daily News. New York. Archived from the original on June 23, 2013. Retrieved November 9, 2010.
  7. ^ a b c d Raissman, Bob (September 6, 2007). "Banks enters radio booth". Daily News. New York. Archived from the original on September 10, 2007. Retrieved November 9, 2010.
  8. ^ "Pro Football; Jennings Joins Giants in Booth". The New York Times. July 27, 2002. Archived from the original on May 27, 2015. Retrieved November 9, 2010.
  9. ^ "The MikeFrancesa.com Mike's On & WFAN Message Board Forum". www.mikefrancesa.com. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  10. ^ "Former Giants, Jets Punter And Broadcaster Dave Jennings Dies At 61". CBS New York. CBS. June 29, 2013. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  11. ^ a b "Former Giants punter Dave Jennings succumbs to Parkinson's disease". USAToday.com. Gannett Satellite Media, LLC. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
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