David Andrew Szott (born December 12, 1967) is a former professional

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

offensive lineman. Szott was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the seventh round of the 1990 NFL Draft. Szott played 14 years in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

for the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The ...

, the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

, and the New York Jets, before retiring from football in February 2004. He remained with the Jets as an offensive line coach and in player development. Szott became the team's chaplain in 2006. Szott played college football at Penn State for legendary football coach

Joe Paterno Joseph Vincent Paterno (; December 21, 1926 – January 22, 2012), sometimes referred to as JoePa, was an American college football player, athletic director, and coach. He was the head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions from 1966 to 2 ...

. Szott grew up in Clifton,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, and was a standout player at Clifton High School in New Jersey. He was also a standout high school

wrestler Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat spor ...

in New Jersey placing fourth in the heavyweight division of the 1986 USA Wrestling Junior Freestyle Tournament. Szott was undefeated until the round robin portion where he was pinned by eventual champion John Matyiko of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. Szott then was pinned by Carl Presley of

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

in the semi-finals and settled for fourth place while losing by fall to Jon Morris of Virginia.

Personal life

Szott and his wife, Andrea, have two children, the older, Shane, suffers from

cerebral palsy Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, stiff muscles, weak muscles, and tremors. There may be problems with sens ...

. He is a tireless fundraiser for charitable causes related to the disorder. Josh, the youngest is 20 years old and plays wide receiver for Colgate University.

References

External links

"NY Jets' Dave Szott Honored as 'Hometown Hero'"

United Way United Way is an international network of over 1,800 local nonprofit fundraising affiliates. United Way was the largest nonprofit organization in the United States by donations from the public, prior to 2016. United Way organizations raise funds ...

Press Release, May 1, 2003 1967 births Living people American football offensive guards Clifton High School (New Jersey) alumni Kansas City Chiefs players New York Jets players New York Jets coaches Penn State Nittany Lions football players Sportspeople from Clifton, New Jersey Sportspeople from Passaic, New Jersey Players of American football from Passaic County, New Jersey Washington Redskins players {{offensive-lineman-1960s-stub