Dana Albert Nafziger (born October 26, 1953) is a former
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...
player who played five seasons with the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The cl ...
of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL).
Early life
Nafziger attended
Western High School Western High School may refer:
Schools in the United States
*Western High School (Anaheim, California) – Anaheim, California
* Western High School (Illinois) – Barry, Illinois
* Western High School (Florida) – Davie, Florida
* Western High S ...
in
Anaheim, California
Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most ...
.
College career
Playing
college football at
California Polytechnic State University, Nafziger was recognized as a skilled
blocking tight end and graduated with 63 career catches for 892 yards and seven touchdowns.
Following his senior season of 1976, he earned all-conference accolades from the
CCAA as well as
AP Little All-America status.
Professional career
Nafziger was signed by Tampa Bay in September 1977. While originally worked out as a prospective
linebacker
Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...
, the Buccaneers soon moved him to tight end and also utilized him heavily on
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 ...
. He was part of the
1979 Tampa Bay squad which advanced to the
NFC Championship Game, producing two sacks and a pair of fumble recoveries for the
Central Division champions that fall.
During the
1981 season, as the franchise again made the playoffs, Nafziger led the club with 22 special teams tackles for the year.
References
External links
Just Sports Stats
Living people
1953 births
American football tight ends
American football linebackers
Cal Poly Mustangs football players
California Polytechnic State University alumni
Tampa Bay Buccaneers players
People from Woodstock, Illinois
Players of American football from McHenry County, Illinois
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