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 ...

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 {{tightend-1950s-stub