David Verser (born March 1, 1958) is an American former 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

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

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).

Career

He played football at the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States. Two branch campuses are in the Kansas City metropolitan area on the Kansas side: the university's medical school and hospital ...

, where, during his senior year, he led the Jayhawks in receiving with 21 receptions for 463 yards and five touchdowns. He earned a degree in social work. Verser was selected in the first round by the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...

in the

1981 NFL draft The 1981 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held during April 28–29, 1981, at the New ...

. He had 23 receptions in four seasons as a backup receiver. In 1981, he caught six passes for 161 yards (26.8 yards per catch) and scored two touchdowns, and he returned 29 kicks for 691 yards, a 23.8 average. In the 1981 AFC championship game, known as the

Freezer Bowl In National Football League (NFL) lore, the Freezer Bowl was the 1981 AFC Championship Game between the San Diego Chargers and the Cincinnati Bengals. The game was played on January 10, 1982, at Cincinnati's Riverfront Stadium, and televised ...

, he had a 40-yard kickoff return that set up a Bengals touchdown. He played in

Super Bowl XVI Super Bowl XVI was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion San Francisco 49ers and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Cincinnati Bengals to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion ...

, which the Bengals lost to the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

, 26-21, but had a dismal performance returning 5 kickoffs for just 52 yards. He also infamously missed a blocking audible that contributed to a failed 4th and goal conversion attempt from the 49ers 1-yard line. During the 1982 through 1984 seasons, Verser was a backup wide receiver and kick returner for the Bengals. After the

1985 NFL draft The 1985 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. The NFL draft, draft was held April 30 and May 1, 1985 NFL season, 1985, at the Omni Park Central Hotel in New York City, New ...

, he was traded to the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

and later signed with the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...

, for whom he played one game and returned four kicks in 1985. He was out of football in 1986, and in 1987 played two games for the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

, with one rush for nine yards. He finished his NFL career with 65 kickoff returns for 1,371 yards, and 23 receptions for 451 yards and three touchdowns. He also had 8 carries for 51 yards. After leaving football and with a degree in social work, he became a social worker, worked for the

Hamilton County, Ohio Hamilton County is located in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 830,639, making it the List of counties in Ohio, third-most populous county in Ohio. The coun ...

Juvenile Court, then he became a police officer with the

Cincinnati Police Department The Cincinnati Police Department is the primary law enforcement agency of Cincinnati, Ohio. The department has 1,053 sworn police officer, officers and 119 non-sworn employees. History When Cincinnati incorporated as a village in 1802, a ...

. He retired from the department after 12 years.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Verser, David 1958 births Living people Players of American football from Kansas City, Kansas American football wide receivers Kansas Jayhawks football players Cincinnati Bengals players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players Cleveland Browns players University of Kansas alumni