J. D. Hill (born October 30, 1948) is an American former professional

player Player may refer to: Role or adjective * Player (game), a participant in a game or sport ** Gamer, a player in video and tabletop games ** Athlete, a player in sports ** Player character, a character in a video game or role playing game who is ...

who was a wide receiver for seven seasons 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

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

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

. 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 ...

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...

. He was the first wide receiver selected in 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 ...

at 4th in the first round by the Bills. His son,

Lonzell Hill Lonzell Ramon Hill (born September 25, 1965) is a former American football wide receiver who played four seasons in the NFL for the New Orleans Saints. His father, J. D. Hill, also played wide receiver in the NFL. Career In 2007, Hill became t ...

, also played wide receiver in the NFL. Another son, Shelby Hill, was a wide receiver for Syracuse University. In 2014 Hill and seven other players were named as plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the NFL. It alleges he, and more than 400 others were illegally given narcotics to mask the pain so they could play in games. "I became addicted and turned to the streets after my career and was homeless. Never took a drug in my life, and I became a junkie in the NFL" he said.

References

1948 births Living people Players of American football from Stockton, California American football wide receivers Arizona State Sun Devils football players Buffalo Bills players Detroit Lions players American Conference Pro Bowl players All-American college football players {{widereceiver-1940s-stub