__FORCETOC__ Jerry Lee Overton (born January 24, 1941 ) 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 with ...

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to risk management, the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are ...

in 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) 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 club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at the

University of Utah The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of De ...

Early years

Overton attended

Mar Vista High School Mar Vista Senior High (MVH), in Imperial Beach, California, United States, is a high school established in 1951. Mar Vista has an award-winning marine science academy called Poseidon. Students spend grades 9-12 in the academy. It is frequently c ...

, where he practiced football and

track Track or Tracks may refer to: Routes or imprints * Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity * Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across * Desire path, a line worn by people taking the shorte ...

. He accepted a football scholarship from the

. As a sophomore, he registered 10 receptions (second on the team) for 193 yards (third on the team), a 19.3-yard average (second on the team), 2 receiving

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Ameri ...

s (tied for the team lead) and 30 carries for 119 yards. As a junior, he tallied 7 receptions (third on the team) for 80 yards (third on the team), one receiving

, 27 carries for 158 yards (5.9-yard average) and 2 rushing

s. He ranked 18th in the nation in kickoff returns, with a 30-yard average. As a senior, he was limited with injuries, posting 18 receptions for 190 yards, one receiving

and 36 carries for 182 yards (5.1-yard average).

Professional career

Overton was selected by the

in the 15th round (202nd overall) of the

1963 NFL Draft The 1963 National Football League draft was held at the Sheraton in Chicago, Illinois, on Monday, December 3, 1962. The first overall selection was quarterback Terry Baker of Oregon State, the Heisman Trophy winner, taken by the Los Angeles Ram ...

. As a rookie, he was tried at flanker, before being moved to

. In

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...

, he 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 th ...

with a broken leg he suffered in a skiing accident . He couldn't recover his previous form and was released on August 13,

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lyndo ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Overton, Jerry 1941 births Living people American football wide receivers Dallas Cowboys players People from Imperial Beach, California Players of American football from San Diego County, California Utah Utes football players