Dennis Eugene Havig (born May 6, 1949) 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 ...

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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). After playing college football for the

Colorado Buffaloes The Colorado Buffaloes are the athletic teams that represent the University of Colorado. The university sponsors 17 varsity sports teams. Both the men's and women's teams are called the Buffaloes (Buffs for short) or, rarely, the Golden Buffalo ...

, he was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the eighth round of the

1971 NFL Draft The 1971 National Football League draft was held January 28–29, 1971, at the Belmont Plaza Hotel in New York City, New York. The Boston Patriots, who did not officially change their name to New England Patriots until after the draft, used th ...

. He later played for the

Houston Oilers The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston from its founding in 1960 to 1996 before relocating to Memphis, and later Nashville, Tennessee becoming the Tennessee Titans. The Oilers began play in 1960 a ...

and Green Bay Packers.

Early life

Havig was born on May 6, 1949, in

Powell, Wyoming Powell is a city in Park County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 6,314 at the 2010 census. Powell is an All-America City and home to Northwest College. History Powell was incorporated in 1909. Powell was named for John Wesley Powel ...

, and raised as a

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. He attended Powell High School and is their only alumnus to play in the NFL. He played three sports – football, basketball and track and field – and earned 10

varsity letter A varsity letter (or monogram) is an award earned in the United States for excellence in school activities. A varsity letter signifies that its recipient was a qualified varsity team member, awarded after a certain standard was met. Description ...

s. In football, he was a fullback and

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, ...

; he was named all-state at both positions and was given the honor by

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in consecutive years. He also twice was selected all-state as a

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

in basketball and served as co- captain in both sports as a senior. He earned the Wilford Mower Award as top student athlete in Western Wyoming and was named to the high school All-American team by the magazine ''Coach and Athletics''. Havig was extensively recruited to play college football and ultimately chose to play for the

College career

Havig played for the Colorado freshman team in 1967. He lettered and became a starter at

for the Buffaloes mid-season in 1968, helping them have a record of 4–6 that year. He retained his starting role as a

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in 1969 and helped them have a record of 8–3 while winning the

Liberty Bowl The Liberty Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in late December or early January since 1959. For its first five years, it was played at Philadelphia Municipal Stadium in Philadelphia before being held at Atlantic City ...

over the

Alabama Crimson Tide The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I as a me ...

. Colorado reached the Liberty Bowl again in the 1970 season, Havig's senior year, with a 6–5 record. He was chosen first-team All- Big Eight Conference that year, second-team All-American, and was also invited to the

Senior Bowl The Senior Bowl is a post-season college football all-star game played annually in late January or early February in Mobile, Alabama, which showcases the best NFL Draft prospects of those players who have completed their college eligibility. Pr ...

and to the

East–West Shrine Bowl The East–West Shrine Bowl is a postseason college football all-star game that has been played annually since 1925; through the January 2019 playing, it was known as the East–West Shrine Game. The game is sponsored by the fraternal group Sh ...

. Havig finished his collegiate career having been a three-year starter while earning three varsity letters.

Professional career

Havig was chosen in the eighth round (189th overall) of the

by the Atlanta Falcons. He did not make the team's final roster that year but stayed on their

taxi squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

. He was named the Falcons' full-time starter in 1972 before even having seen any playing time. He ended up starting all 14 games that year and helped Atlanta finish with a record of 7–7, being named to the NFL's All-Rookie team and being chosen the team's rookie of the year. He then appeared in 14 games, 13 starts, in the 1973 season, repeated those totals in the 1974 season, and started all 13 games in which he appeared for the Falcons in 1975. Havig was traded by the Falcons to the

in September 1976 in exchange for linebacker Guy Roberts. He played all 14 games for the Oilers that year, none as a starter. He was released by the team in August 1977. The following month, he was signed by the Green Bay Packers. He appeared in seven games for the team that year, between six and seven as a starter. He was released by the Packers in August 1978, ending his professional career. Havig finished his eight-season NFL career with 76 games played, 58 or 59 as a starter.

Later life

Havig had five children. He earned a

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during his NFL career and later went into the

insurance Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to hedge ...

business at the suggestion of Falcons

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

Pat Sullivan.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Havig, Dennis 1949 births Living people People from Powell, Wyoming Players of American football from Wyoming American football offensive guards Colorado Buffaloes football players Atlanta Falcons players Houston Oilers players Green Bay Packers players