Gery Palmer
 Palmer in 1975 | |||||
| No. 71, 73 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Tackle, Guard, Defensive tackle | ||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Born: | December 25, 1950 Weimar, Texas, USA | ||||
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||
| Weight: | 260 lb (118 kg) | ||||
| Career information | |||||
| High school: | Center High School (Kansas City, MO) | ||||
| College: | Kansas | ||||
| NFL draft: | 1973 / Round: 4 / Pick: 83 | ||||
| Career history | |||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||
Gery Dean Palmer (born December 25, 1952) was an American football offensive lineman who played for the Baltimore Colts and Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Kansas.
Palmer was a starting defensive tackle during his collegiate days but was moved to the offensive side of the ball by the Colts after they drafted him in the 4th round of the 1973 NFL draft.[1] Although judged by the club as showing "excellent promise" at the position due to his size and quickness, he was deemed not yet ready for the NFL and was relegated to the Colts' "taxi squad" for the duration of the 1973 season.[1]
Returning to the Colts for 1974 season with hopes of making the final roster, Palmer suffered a season-ending knee injury in a preseason game against the Cleveland Browns held in Tampa, Florida.[1]
Palmer was back in Colts' camp ahead of the 1975 season but was cut from the team ahead of the season.[2] He returned home to Lawrence, Kansas, and took a job selling used cars.[2] It was there that the Kansas City Chiefs found him, signed him to a free agent contract and took a brief look at him before releasing him from the team.[2]
Chief right guard Tom Condon went down due to injury, however, and the Chiefs scrambled to re-sign Palmer to fill the hole in the roster.[2] Palmer got his first NFL start on November 23, 1975, against the Detroit Lions, even going in for two plays for his new club at defensive tackle during the game's overtime period after three Chiefs defensive linemen had come out of the game due to injuries.[2] The Lions ran directly at the newcomer Palmer twice, on third and fourth down, but Palmer stood his ground and made both tackles, acquitting himself well in what would be his team's 24–21 loss.[2]