Ronald Franklin "Jingle Joints" Sellers (born February 5, 1947) is a native of Jacksonville, Florida who was an All-American wide receiver at Florida State University (1966-1968) and a former professional player in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). While at FSU, he became the most prolific wide receiver of his era, establishing numerous NCAA and school records. Despite being limited to only 30 regular season games of eligibility, the two-time consensus All American still holds 17 receiving and scoring records at Florida State. Sellers was inducted into the FSU Hall of Fame and Ring of Honor and his #34 jersey has been retired by the school. In 1988 he became the first FSU player to become a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. He was the 6th overall selection in the 1969 NFL draft for the AFL's

Boston Patriots Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and financial center of New England, a region of the Northeastern United States. It has an area of and a ...

where he became an

AFL All-Star The American Football League All-Star game was the annual game which featured each year's best performers in the American Football League (AFL). The game was first played in 1961 and the final AFL All-Star game occurred in 1969, prior to the lea ...

. He also played for the NFL's

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 ...

and

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

Early life

Sellers attended Paxon High School in Jacksonville where he excelled in

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 ...

and

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

. He helped his team win the 1965 state basketball championship. In 2007, he was named to The State of Florida's "100 Greatest High School Football Players in Florida History".

Florida State University

1968 Florida State Seminoles football team

Sellers went on to star at

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...

as a

split end 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, WR gets its name from the player being split ...

and flanker in Bill Peterson's pro-style offense. In 1967 and 1968 he received

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

honors. He recorded 212 receptions for 3,598 yards (an NCAA record at the time) and 23

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. His number 34 jersey was retired by the school until he gave

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

Ernie Sims permission to use it while playing for the Seminoles. Sellers still holds 17 receiving and scoring records at Florida State University, including marks for single-season receptions (86), single-season receiving (1,496), single-game receptions (16), single-game receiving yards (270) and single-game receiving touchdowns (5). He holds the record for having 4 of the top 5 all-time games in receiving yardage in FSU history and eclipsed 200 receiving yards in a game 5 times during his college career. Sellers caught 13 or more passes in 7 collegiate contests overall and averaged more than 7 receptions and 119 receiving yards per game while wearing the Seminole uniform. Memorable games included a school record 5 touchdown receptions against Wake Forest in 1968 and a 13 catch performance in the 1967 contest in Birmingham versus Alabama in which FSU snapped a 17 game Crimson Tide winning streak in the 37-37 tie. In 1977 he was inducted into the Florida State University Hall of Fame. The school retired his #34 jersey while adding him to their Ring of Honor. Sellers is also a member of the Gator, Peach and Sun Bowl Halls of Fame. In 1988, he was the first FSU player to be inducted into the

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive Tourist attraction, attraction devoted to college football, college American football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players ...

. While there is some debate regarding the origin of the nickname ("Jingle Joints") he earned while at FSU, it is believed to have derived from a description of his distinctive running style and ability to perform sudden changes of direction while running routes.

NFL career

New England Patriots

Sellers was selected by the

in the first round (6th overall) of the 1969 NFL draft. He earned

honors as a rookie after making 27 receptions for 705 yards, with 6

s averaging 26.1 yards per reception.

Dallas Cowboys

On July 13,

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...

, he was traded to the

in exchange for a third round draft choice. That season, Sellers was promoted over Bob Hayes to take advantage of his big-play ability. He finished the year as the top receiver for Dallas with 31 receptions and 5 touchdowns, averaging 21.1 yards per catch. In the Divisional Playoff game versus San Francisco, Sellers caught the winning touchdown pass from Roger Staubach with under a minute remaining, overcoming a 15-point 4th quarter deficit. The team traded him along with a second round draft choice to the

, in exchange for Otto Stowe.

Miami Dolphins

1973 Events January * January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...

while battling injuries, he appeared in three games, catching two passes. He was released on September 10,

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...

. He remains as one of the few NFL players to have played for both Tom Landry and Don Shula.

Professional Career

Following his professional football career, Sellers founded Sellers Benefits Group in 1975, establishing it as a diversified insurance and consulting firm based in Florida. The company has since expanded to serve clients both statewide and nationally, providing services in risk management, insurance, and retirement planning. Under Sellers' leadership, the firm and its affiliated entities have secured licensure in 15 states, primarily across the southeastern United States. Sellers earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Risk Management from Florida State University in 1969. While playing for the New England Patriots in 1970, he obtained his Series 7 securities license and became a Registered Representative with Burgess & Leith in Boston. In 1983, he was awarded the Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) designation by The American College. The Sellers Benefits Group has developed strategic national partnerships focused on 401(k) consulting, life insurance, risk and insurance strategies, and business telecommunications solutions. The firm works closely with affinity-based organizations, including associations, group purchasing organizations (GPOs), group medical organizations (GMOs), private equity firms, and professional employer organizations (PEOs). The Sellers Family of Companies includes: Sellers Benefits Group, LLC, Key Retirement Solutions, LLC, Key Telecom Solutions, LLC, American Key Partners, LLC, and Connect 1234, LLC

Professional and Community Activities

Sellers has been extensively involved in professional and community activities, particularly those affiliated with Florida State University. He has served on the Florida State University Business School Advisory Board for over 20 years and was a longtime trustee of the FSU Foundation Board. In 1989, he chaired the FSU Capital Campaign Fund and served as Homecoming Grand Marshal. He was a member of the FSU Annual Fund Committee from 1991 to 1993, a founding board member of the University Center Club, and a member of the Presidential Search Committee in 1990. He was inducted into the Garnet & Gold Key Club in 1968 and named to Who's Who in American Colleges in 1969. He also served as president of the FSU Palm Beach County Seminole Boosters in 1990 and chaired the Palm Beach County Seminole Golf Tournament for four years. Beyond his university affiliations, Sellers was a board member of the State of Florida Golf Association and served as chairman and founder of the Treasure Coast Chapter of the National College Football Hall of Fame. He has held board positions with the Florida Chamber of Commerce, the Florida Economic Development Council, and the State of Florida Sports Hall of Fame. In the private sector, he served on the board of Flagler National Bank and the Florida Petroleum & Marketers Association. He was also president of Mayacoo Lakes Country Club in 1990.

Social and Leisure Activities

An avid golfer and tennis player, Sellers, along with former Cowboy teammate Lee Roy Jordan, captured the Professional Football Players Tennis Tournament doubles championship in Arizona. He holds a combined 11 club championships in golf at the Mayacoo Lakes Country Club in West Palm Beach, Florida and the Country Club of Sapphire Valley in Sapphire, North Carolina. While having resided in Boston, Massachusetts, Dallas, Texas, Miami, Florida, and Sapphire, North Carolina, Sellers has held a permanent residence and corporate office in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida since his retirement from the NFL in 1975.

References

External links

Florida State University Hall of Fame profile

Ron Sellers & Associates profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sellers, Ron 1947 births All-American college football players American Football League All-Star players American Football League players American football wide receivers Boston Patriots players College Football Hall of Fame inductees Dallas Cowboys players Florida State Seminoles football players Living people Miami Dolphins players New England Patriots players Paxon School for Advanced Studies alumni Players of American football from Jacksonville, Florida