Preston Jackson Dennard (born November 28, 1955, in
Cordele, Georgia
Cordele is a city in and the county seat of Crisp County, Georgia, United States. The population was 11,147 at the 2010 census.
Cordele calls itself the Watermelon Capital of the World.
History
Cordele was incorporated on January 1, 1888, and ...
) is a former professional
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 ...
wide receiver in the
NFL
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 major ...
for the
Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...
,
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...
and
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
. 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 New Mexico
The University of New Mexico (UNM; es, Universidad de Nuevo México) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1889, it is the state's flagship academic institution and the largest by enrollment, with over 25,400 ...
.
College career
A stellar three-sport athlete in high school in Tempe, Ariz., Dennard exploded onto the college scene at the University of New Mexico in 1974. He had been recruited out of Marcos de Niza high school. He became the first Lobo freshman to garner first team All-WAC honors. In 1975, he beat out a Freshman receiver from Arizona State named John Washington, who would later change his last name to his father's name. John Jefferson. Dennard finished third in the nation in receiving. He was first team all-league in 1976. By his senior year, Dennard held every receiving record at UNM. He caught 142 passes for 2,257 yards, numbers that still rank high in the Lobo record book.
1974 was the first year that Dennard saw game action. That season he caught 15 passes for 171 yards as New Mexico finished 4-6-1 under head coach
Bill Mondt
William E. Mondt (born c. 1936) is a former American football player and coach. He played college football as a linebacker and offensive guard for the Colorado Buffaloes from 1956 to 1958 and was the head coach of the New Mexico Lobos from 1974 to ...
. The following season, the team improved to 6-5 and the inconsistency at quarterback had been resolved. Dennard had his best season, stats wise, as he hauled in 59 passes for 962 yards and 6 touchdowns. while Dennard emerged on the field, New Mexico struggled to win, losing seven games in both Dennard's junior and senior years.
Professional career
Dennard then spent nine seasons in the NFL, playing for Los Angeles, Buffalo, and Green Bay. His career numbers were 232 receptions for 3,665 yards and 30 touchdowns. He was a starter for the Rams in the 1980 Super Bowl and was twice nominated for the NFL Man of the Year award.
Dennard made the Rams as undrafted free agent in 1978. Appearing mostly as a special teams player, Dennard did catch three passes for 35 yards for a Rams team that finished 12-4, but was crushed 28-0 in the conference championship by 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 ...
. Dennard started 11 games in 1979, playing alongside Willie Miller and
Billy Waddy
Billy Waddy (February 19, 1954 – January 21, 2022) was an American professional football player who played wide receiver for seven seasons for the Los Angeles Rams and the Minnesota Vikings.
Waddy was a legitimate deep threat, who averaged 16 ...
. That season Dennard caught 32 passes for 766 yards and four touchdowns. He played in the playoffs, catching 2 passes for 32 yards in the Super Bowl loss to the
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
. It would be the only time that Dennard played in the Super Bowl. Dennard was emerging as a favorite target for Rams quarterback
Vince Ferragamo
Vince Anthony Ferragamo (born April 24, 1954) is an American former gridiron football player. He played professionally as a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) and the Canadian Football League (CFL).
Early years
Born in Torrance, ...
during this time. One of the most memorable plays occurred during the 1980 season, when Ferragamo found Dennard for a 34-yard touchdown strike to put the Rams up 28-0 over the Cowboys a game the Rams would go on to win 38-14. However, the Cowboys avenged the loss weeks later in a wild card game, beating the Rams 34-13.
The Rams' fortunes changed when Ferragamo opted for the Canadian Football League. The Rams turned to
Pat Haden
Patrick Capper Haden (born January 23, 1953) is the former athletic director at the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles from August 2010 to June 2016. He played quarterback for the USC Trojans before playing professionally in ...
and an aging
Dan Pastorini
Dante Anthony Pastorini (born May 26, 1949) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the Houston Oilers. He played college football at Santa Clara University and wa ...
at quarterback and fell to 6-10. Despite the uncertainty at quarterback, Dennard still posted impressive numbers, catching 49 passes for 821 yards and four touchdowns. The 1982 season, marred by a players strike, was a forgettable one as the Rams fell to 2-7. Dennard rebounded the next season under new head coach John Robinson. Ferragamo returned from the CFL and the Rams returned to the NFC championship. However, the lost to the
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
51-7 in the playoffs, Dennard accounting for the Rams' only score. It was to be Dennard's last meaningful game in a Rams uniform. Shortly before the 1984 season was to begin, the Rams traded Dennard to the Buffalo Bills for safety Chris Williams. The Bills were on tough times, with starting quarterback
Joe Ferguson
Joseph Carlton Ferguson Jr. (born April 23, 1950) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons, primarily with the Buffalo Bills. He played college football at Arkansas.
Early year ...
in the twilight of his career and backed up by
Joe Dufek
Joseph Edward Dufek (born August 23, 1961) is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent in 1983. He played college football at Yale.
Career
Dufek w ...
and
Matt Kofler
Mathew Joseph Kofler (August 30, 1959 – December 19, 2008) was an American professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) from 1982 to 1985. He played for the Buffalo Bills and the Indianapolis Colts. ...
. The Bills stumbled to an 0-11 record before they upset the Dallas Cowboys 14-3. Dennard did not catch a pass that game, but finished the season with 7 touchdown receptions. The next season, Dennard signed with the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
. Alongside receivers
James Lofton
James David Lofton (born July 5, 1956) is an American former professional football player and coach. He is a former coach for the San Diego Chargers but is best known for his years in the National Football League as a wide receiver for the Gre ...
and
Phillip Epps, Dennard was mostly a third receiver, but still managed to haul in 13 passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns. He caught a touchdown pass from
Jim Zorn
James Arthur Zorn (born May 10, 1953) is a former American football player and coach. Zorn was a left-handed quarterback, and is best known as the starting quarterback of the Seattle Seahawks for their first eight seasons. He was the quarterback ...
in the Packers 38-14 win over the
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
, and the final touchdown pass of his career, again from Zorn, in the Packers 34-24 loss to the
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...
.
Personal life
After football, Dennard has engaged in private enterprises. He attended and graduated from the Columbia School of Broadcasting and has managed his own public speaking career. He coached at Cal State Fullerton and UNM for a short time, then went to work as a broadcaster.
Dennard has volunteered for countless charities and served on a variety of boards. He is known throughout the Albuquerque community not only for his sports celebrity but also for his generous contributions to youth leadership programs, sports camps and clinics, celebrity tournaments, and drug prevention. In 2018, the Rams honored their past by honoring Dennard during a day of legends before a preseason game against the
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...
.
[ ]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dennard, Preston
1955 births
Living people
American football wide receivers
New Mexico Lobos football players
Los Angeles Rams players
Buffalo Bills players
Green Bay Packers players
Players of American football from Georgia (U.S. state)
People from Cordele, Georgia