David Tuthill Jennings (June 8, 1952 – June 19, 2013) was an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a punter in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL) from 1974 to 1987. He played for the New York Giants and the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

. He later worked as a radio color commentator for Jets and Giants games until 2007. He died of complications with

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...

in 2013.

Life and career

Jennings played both

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

and

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

and graduated from St. Lawrence University in 1974. As a high school student, he did not play

. 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

from 1984 to 1987. During his professional career, he went to the 1978, 1979, 1980, and 1982

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players. The format has changed ...

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

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

Regular season

Playoffs

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jennings, Dave 1952 births 2013 deaths American football punters New York Giants announcers New York Giants players New York Jets announcers New York Jets players National Conference Pro Bowl players NFL announcers St. Lawrence Saints football players Players of American football from New York City Deaths from Parkinson's disease in New Jersey