No. 22 | |||||||||||
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Position: | Wide receiver, Return specialist | ||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||
Born: | Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. | November 19, 1972||||||||||
Height: | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||||||||||
Weight: | 180 lb (82 kg) | ||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||
High school: | P.D. Jackson-Olin (Birmingham) | ||||||||||
College: | Alabama | ||||||||||
NFL draft: | 1994 / round: 2 / pick: 40 | ||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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David Lee Palmer (born November 19, 1972) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver and return specialist for seven seasons with the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide. Palmer was a member of the 1992 Alabama team that won a national championship, and he earned consensus All-American honors in 1993. He was selected by the Vikings in the second round of the 1994 NFL draft.
Palmer was born in Birmingham, Alabama. [1] He attended P.D. Jackson-Olin High School in Birmingham, [2] where he was the star quarterback and played a variety of other positions for the Mustang high school football team.
While attending the University of Alabama, Palmer played for the Alabama Crimson Tide football from 1991 to 1993, where he wore jersey No. 2 and earned the nickname "The Deuce." He was recruited to play wide receiver, but his athletic abilities permitted him to fill a variety of roles. He often took snaps directly under center and ran to the right side of the line, making him one of the first "wildcat" quarterbacks. Palmer became the team's first 1,000-yard receiver in a single season. Following his junior season, Palmer was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American and was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, for which he finished third in the voting.
He caught 102 passes in three seasons for 1,611 yards, a 15.8-yard average per attempt, with 11 touchdowns. He rushed 86 times for 598 yards and a touchdown, averaging 7 yards per carry. He completed 15 of 20 passes for 260 yards, an average of 13 yards per catch, with two touchdowns and three interceptions. He returned 83 punts for 865 yards and four touchdowns and ran back 36 kickoffs for 841 yards. [3]
Due to an injury during the Iron Bowl, Palmer chose not to return to Tuscaloosa for his final season of college eligibility, and turned pro after the 1993 season.
Palmer was a second-round pick (40th overall) for the Minnesota Vikings in the 1994 NFL draft. [4] Palmer spent seven seasons (1994–2001) in the NFL, all with the Vikings. [5] His career highlights include leading the league in punt returns during the 1995 season. For his career he returned two punts and one kickoff for touchdowns, as well as one rushing and one receiving. [5]
Timothy John Dwight Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver and return specialist for 10 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Iowa Hawkeyes, and was a two-time All-American. He was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth round of the 1998 NFL draft, and he played professionally for the Falcons, San Diego Chargers, New England Patriots, New York Jets and Oakland Raiders of the NFL.
Anthony “AC” Carter is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for 13 years in the United States Football League (USFL) and National Football League (NFL). He made three-consecutive Pro Bowls for the Minnesota Vikings and was honored by Minnesota as one of the 50 Greatest Vikings of all time. Carter played college football for the Michigan Wolverines, finishing his career as a three-time All-American, and a two-time unanimous All-American selection. He is currently third all-time in receiving yards, and second all-time in receiving touchdowns for the University of Michigan.
Derrick Scott Alexander is an American college football coach and former professional player. He is the head football coach for Avila University, a position he has held since 2023. He played as a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL).
Joshua Cribbs is an American former professional football wide receiver and return specialist who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Kent State Golden Flashes and was signed by the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent after the 2005 NFL draft. Cribbs is tied for the second most NFL career record with eight kickoff returns for touchdowns, and also the NFL record with two kickoffs of 100 yards or more returned for touchdowns in a single game. He has also played for the New York Jets, the Oakland Raiders and the Indianapolis Colts. He was most recently a special teams coaching intern for the Cleveland Browns.
Harry Ingle Martin IV is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) during the late 2000s. Martin played college football for the Florida Gators and Furman Paladins, and thereafter, he was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round of the 2006 NFL draft. He was also a member of the Tennessee Titans, Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos of the NFL, and the New York Sentinels of the United Football League (UFL). After his playing career, Martin became the head football coach for Christ Presbyterian Academy, a private preparatory school in Nashville, Tennessee.
Harry Vincent Gilmer Jr. was an American professional football halfback and quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Washington Redskins and Detroit Lions. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1993.
Reggie Devon Barlow is an American former professional football player and coach who is currently the head coach for the DC Defenders of the United Football League (UFL). Barlow served as the head football coach at Alabama State University from 2007 to 2014 and at Virginia State University from 2016 to 2021. He played professionally as wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons, five for the Jacksonville Jaguars, two for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and one with the Oakland Raiders. He was used as a secondary wide receiver and punt returner. In 1997, Barlow led the NFL in punt return yards with 555 yards on 43 returns.
Kevin Ray Williams, Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys, Arizona Cardinals, Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers. He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes, earning first-team All-American honors in 1991.
A return specialist or kick returner is a player on the special teams unit of a gridiron football team who specializes in returning punts and kickoffs. There are few players who are exclusively return specialists; most also play another position such as wide receiver, defensive back, or running back. The special teams counterpart of a return specialist is a kicking specialist.
The 1998 Music City Bowl was a postseason college football game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and Virginia Tech Hokies. It was the inaugural competition of the annual Music City Bowl. The University of Alabama represented the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and Virginia Tech represented the Big East. The game was the final competition for each team in the 1998 college football season. The game ended as a 38–7 victory for Virginia Tech.
Javier E. Arenas is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). Arenas played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, earned consensus All-American honors, and was a member of a BCS National Championship team. He was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the second round of the 2010 NFL draft. He was also a member of the Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, New York Jets, and Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL), and the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League (CFL).
Captain Lesean Munnerlyn is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the South Carolina Gamecocks for three years. He was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL draft. Munnerlyn also played for the Minnesota Vikings.
Tyran Marquis Maze is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide from 2008 to 2011. In 2011, he became the lead receiver, punt returner, and kickoff returner for Alabama.
The 1935 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama in the 1935 college football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 42nd overall and 3rd season as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The team was led by head coach Frank Thomas, in his fifth year, and played their home games at Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa and Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama. They finished the season with a record of six wins, two losses and one tie.
Marcus John Sherels is a former American football cornerback and return specialist. He played college football at Minnesota, and was signed by the Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2010. Primarily known as a return specialist, Sherels is tied for first in Vikings franchise history with a 10.4 yard career punt return average and holds the franchise record with 5 career punt return touchdowns. He was also a member of the New Orleans Saints and Miami Dolphins.
Cordarrelle Patterson, nicknamed "Flash", is an American professional football running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). A versatile utility player, he plays running back, wide receiver, kickoff returner, and occasionally on defense. Patterson played college football for the Hutchinson Blue Dragons before transferring to the Tennessee Volunteers, where he earned first-team All-SEC honors. He was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the 2013 NFL draft. He has also been a member of the Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots, Chicago Bears, and the Atlanta Falcons.
The 2015 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama in the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It marked the Crimson Tide's 121st overall season, 82nd as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and its 24th within the SEC Western Division. The team played its home games at Bryant–Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. They were led by ninth-year head coach Nick Saban. They finished the season with a record of 14 wins and 1 loss, as SEC champions and as consensus national champions after they defeated Clemson in the College Football Playoff (CFP) National Championship Game. Alabama also secured its 10th Associated Press (AP) national title. Running back Derrick Henry became Alabama's second Heisman Trophy recipient. He led the nation in both rushing yards (2,219) and rushing touchdowns (28).
Leonard Leroy Willis is a former American football player. He played college football at Ohio State and was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the 4th round of the 1976 NFL draft. He was a wide receiver and kick returner for the Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints and Buffalo Bills from 1976 to 1979.
Jaylen Waddle is an American professional football wide receiver for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide and was selected sixth overall by the Dolphins in the 2021 NFL draft.
Will Reichard is an American professional football placekicker for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, where he became the all-time NCAA Division I FBS scoring leader.