Joseph Spence Senser (born August 18, 1956) 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

tight end The tight end (TE) is an offense (sports), offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a receiver (football), receiv ...

for the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

of 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). A 6'4", 240 lbs. tight end from

West Chester University West Chester University (also known as West Chester, WCU, or WCUPA, and officially as West Chester University of Pennsylvania) is a public research university located in and around West Chester, Pennsylvania. The university is accredited by the ...

, Senser was selected in the sixth round of the

1979 NFL draft The 1979 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 May 3–4, 1979, at the Waldorf Astoria ...

by the

. He ranks third in Vikings history among tight ends for catches (165) and touchdowns (16), and earned a berth in the

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 ...

after the 1981 season. He played in all sixteen games in 1981, setting career highs in receptions (79), yards (1,004), yards per catch (12.7) and touchdowns (8). He was also a onetime leader in

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. ...

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statistics for field goal percentage. A serious knee injury forced Senser to miss the entire 1983 NFL season, but he returned in 1984.

Biography

Senser is a 1974 graduate of the Milton Hershey School, a home for underprivileged children and the prime benefactor of Milton Hershey's legacy. Senser was the

color commentator A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main (play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The person may also be referred to as a summariser (outside North America) ...

for the Minnesota Vikings Radio Network in 1993–94 and from 2001 to 2006. He was hired by WCCO Radio to be the color commentator for University of St. Thomas football (NCAA Division III) broadcasts beginning in 2011. Senser was part owner of Joe Senser's Restaurant & Sports Theater which had locations in Bloomington and Roseville, Minnesota. Both locations are now closed. He is married with four daughters and one granddaughter. One of his daughters is singer Brittani Senser. On August 23, 2011, a Mercedes SUV registered to Senser was involved in a fatal hit-and-run accident near the Augsburg University campus in Minneapolis. On September 2, 2011, the Senser family's attorney released a statement that "the driver in this incident was Ms. Amy Senser", who is his wife. She was convicted of felony criminal vehicular homicide and sentenced to forty-one months in prison. In May 2016, the state attorney general asked the

Hershey Trust Company The Hershey Trust Company is an American trust company based in Hershey, Pennsylvania, established in 1905. Its sole business is the management of several charitable trusts endowed by Milton S. Hershey. The largest is the Milton Hershey School ...

to remove Senser and two other long-serving board members. The attorney general cited "apparent violations" by the firm of a previous agreement to reform. On November 26, 2016, WCCO television news reported that Senser was undergoing physical therapy for a stroke suffered earlier in the year.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Senser, Joe 1956 births Living people American men's basketball players American football tight ends Minnesota Vikings announcers Minnesota Vikings players National Conference Pro Bowl players NFL announcers West Chester Golden Rams football players West Chester Golden Rams men's basketball players Basketball players from Philadelphia Players of American football from Philadelphia Milton Hershey School alumni 20th-century American sportsmen