Gerald Lind Sensabaugh Jr. (born June 13, 1983) 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

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

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). He played

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 ...

for the

North Carolina Tar Heels The North Carolina Tar Heels (also Carolina Tar Heels) are the college sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The name Tar Heel is a nickname used to refer to ...

and

East Tennessee State Buccaneers The East Tennessee State Buccaneers are the 17 intercollegiate athletics teams that represent East Tennessee State University (ETSU), located in Johnson City, Tennessee. ETSU's teams include men and women's basketball, cross country, golf, socce ...

. Sensabaugh was selected by the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

in the fifth round of the

2005 NFL draft The 2005 NFL draft, the 70th in league history, took place on April 23 and 24, 2005 NFL season, 2005. The draft was held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City and was televised for the 26th consecutive year, with coverage on E ...

. He also played for the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

Early life

Sensabaugh attended

Dobyns-Bennett High School Dobyns-Bennett High School is a high school (grades 9–12) in Kingsport, Tennessee, United States. It typically educates around 2,400 students, although enrollment for the 2022–23 academic year exceeded 2,500 students. As a part of Kingsport ...

, where he contributed to the Indians reaching 2 Class 5A Semifinals. As a junior, he was a two-way player, making 10 receptions for 166 yards and one touchdown. As a senior, he tallied 42 receptions for 420 yards and 7

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

s. He received All-Big Nine and All-Big East Conference honors at defensive back. In track, he won the

long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...

state championship in 2000, with a leap of 7.25 meters. He was also the runner-up in the

triple jump The triple jump, sometimes referred to as the hop, step and jump or the hop, skip and jump, is a track and field event, similar to long jump. As a group, the two events are referred to as the "horizontal jumps". The competitor runs down the tr ...

, with a leap of 14.05 meters.

College career

Sensabaugh accepted a football scholarship from

East Tennessee State University East Tennessee State University (ETSU) is a public research university in Johnson City, Tennessee. It was historically part of the State University and Community College System of Tennessee under the Tennessee Board of Regents, but since 2016, ...

. As a true freshman, he started eleven games at safety, registering 53 tackles (4 for loss), 3 sacks, 2 interceptions, 3 passes defensed and one forced fumble. He had 11 tackles and 2 sacks against

Charleston Southern University Charleston Southern University (CSU) is a private university in North Charleston, South Carolina, United States. It is affiliated with the South Carolina Baptist Convention (Southern Baptist Convention). History Charleston Southern Universit ...

. He made 8 solo tackles against

Georgia Southern University Georgia Southern University (informally known as Southern or Georgia Southern) is a public university, public research university in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The largest campus is in Statesboro, Georgia, Statesboro, with ...

. As a sophomore, he appeared in 11 games, starting 9 at

strong safety Safety (S), historically known as a safetyman, is a position in gridiron football on the defense. The safeties are defensive backs who line up ten to fifteen yards from the line of scrimmage. There are two variations of the position: the free sa ...

. He missed one contest with a broken thumb. He totaled 56 tackles (fifth on the team), 4 tackles for loss, one interception, 3 passes defensed, 2 forced fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries (second in the conference) and 2 blocked kicks. He returned a fumble for a 20-yard touchdown against

Wofford College Wofford College is a private liberal arts college in Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1854, it is one of the few four-year institutions in the southeastern United States founded before the American Civil War that still ope ...

. He returned an interception for a 32-yard touchdown against

Western Carolina University Western Carolina University (WCU) is a public university in Cullowhee, North Carolina, United States. It is part of the University of North Carolina system. The fifth oldest institution of the sixteen four-year universities in the UNC system, WCU ...

. As a junior, he started at

. He posted 74 tackles (fourth on the team), 2 sacks, 2 tackles for loss, 8 passes defensed, 3 forced fumbles, one fumble recovery for a touchdown and 5 blocked punts (school and conference record). He tied an

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

single-game record after blocking 3 punts against

. His blocked kicks led to 15 of his team's 22 total points. Finished fourth on the team with 74 tackles, had two tackles for losses, two sacks, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery • Broke up eight passes and had a team-high five blocked kicks • Tied an NCAA record with three blocked punts against Georgia Southern. As a senior in 2004, he transferred to the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the Public university, public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referre ...

, when

disbanded its football program. He started at

, registering 78 tackles (led the team), 3 sacks, 6.5 tackles for loss, one interception and 5 passes defensed.

Professional career

Pre-draft

At the 2005

NFL Scouting Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Foot ...

, Sensabaugh recorded a best ever in the vertical jump with a 46.0 (inches) vertical.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Sensabaugh was selected by the

in the fifth round (157th overall) of the

. He was a backup until passing Deke Cooper on the depth chart and starting at

the last 3 contests (including the playoffs). He had 31 defensive tackles and 6

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their position. Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

tackles (tied for seventh on the team). In

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

, he suffered an ankle injury in training camp that forced to miss all of the preseason. He made his first start of the season as team opened up in the nickel defense in the seventh game against the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

. He made six starts at

after Donovin Darius was placed on the

injured reserve list The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in t ...

on November 22. He posted 47 tackles, 2 interceptions (tied for second on the team), one fumble recovery, 11 special teams tackles (tied for third on the team) and one blocked punt. In 2007, he opened the season as the starter at

free safety Safety (S), historically known as a safetyman, is a position in gridiron football on the American football positions#Defense, defense. The safeties are defensive backs who line up ten to fifteen yards from the line of scrimmage. There are two var ...

. He was the starter at

in the second game against the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

, until suffering a shoulder injury in the first quarter. He played in only 2 games after being placed on the

on September 19. He had 8 tackles and one forced fumble. He was replaced with

Sammy Knight Sammy Dye Knight Jr. (born September 10, 1975) is an American former professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the USC Trojans and was signed by the New Orleans Saints as ...

. In

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

, he started 13 games (10 at

and 3 at

). He made 82 tackles (fifth on the team), 4 interceptions (tied for first on the team), 4 passes defensed, 2 quarterback hurries, 6

tackles (sixth on the team) and a blocked kick. Sensabaugh was arrested three times while a member of the Jaguars and wasn't re-signed after his rookie contract expired.

Dallas Cowboys

Based on the recommendation of assistant coach

Dave Campo David Cross Campo (born July 18, 1947) is an American football coach and former player. Campo served as the head coach for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL) from 2000 to 2002, compiling a record of 15 wins and 33 losses. He ...

, on March 10,

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

, the

signed him to a one-year contract to replace Roy Williams at

. He started 15 games at

, posting 81 tackles (sixth on the team), one interception, 10 passes defensed, 5

tackles and one blocked kick. In

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

, he appeared in 16 games with 14 starts at

. He recorded 86 tackles (fifth on the team), 2 sacks (tied for fifth on the team), 5 interceptions (tied for the team lead), 9 passes defensed (tied for third on the team) and 4

tackles. In

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

, he started 16 games at

. He finished with 77 tackles (third on the team), 2 interceptions, 4 passes defensed, 2 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries, 4

tackles and one blocked kick. Sensabaugh had signed one-year contracts until December 9, when he received a 5-year contract extension from the Cowboys after years of showing the versatility to play both

positions and

. In

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

, he started 15 games at

. He registered 62 tackles (ninth on the team), 6 passes defensed (tied for third on the team), one forced fumble, 5

tackles and it was the first year as a Cowboy that he didn't register an interception. On March 4,

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

, Sensabaugh was released from the Cowboys in an effort to save cap space. On May 9,

, he signed a one-day deal in order to allow him to retire a Dallas Cowboy. He became a starter upon being signed, missing only two games in his Cowboys career. Each season he dealt with the uncertainty of who would start alongside him at the other

position, having to play with different teammates including Ken Hamlin, Alan Ball, Abram Elam, Barry Church,

Danny McCray Danny DeWayne McCray (born March 10, 1988) is an American former professional football safety and special teamer. He was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2010. He played college football at Louisiana State University. ...

and Eric Frampton.

NFL career statistics

Personal life

Sensabaugh 's cousin,

Coty Sensabaugh Coty Sensabaugh (born November 15, 1988) is an American former professional football cornerback. He played college football at Clemson and was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL draft. College career Sensabau ...

, also played in the

. In 2014, he started fishing in the Bassmaster Open Series with Team Leiand and attempted to qualify for the Elite Series. In 2017, he coached football in David Crockett High School. In October, he was placed on administrative leave, due to an investigation into alleged misconduct. Sensabaugh opted to file a lawsuit against the county for false allegations.

Political life

In 2018, he ran for Mayor of

Sullivan County, Tennessee Sullivan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee on its northeast border. As of the 2020 census, the population was 158,163. Its county seat is Blountville. Sullivan County is part of the Kingsport–Bristol TN-VA Metro ...

as an independent where he lost to incumbent Richard Venable 17,307 - 7,507 votes. He also ran for an alderman of Kingsport, Tennessee position in 2021, but placed 8th with only 936 votes.

Electoral history

References

External links

East Tennessee State Buccaneers bio

North Carolina Tar Heels bio

Jacksonville Jaguars bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sensabaugh, Gerald 1983 births Living people Sportspeople from Kingsport, Tennessee American football safeties East Tennessee State Buccaneers football players North Carolina Tar Heels football players Jacksonville Jaguars players Dallas Cowboys players Players of American football from Tennessee High school football coaches in Tennessee