John Hennessy (American football)

Last updated

John Hennessy
No. 63
Position: Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1955-03-12) March 12, 1955 (age 69)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:243 lb (110 kg)
Career information
High school: DePaul College Prep
College: Michigan
NFL draft: 1977  / round: 10 / pick: 256
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career NFL statistics
Sacks:2.0
Fumble recoveries:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

John William Hennessy (born March 12, 1955) is an American former professional football player. He played college football at the linebacker position for the University of Michigan from 1974 to 1976. He also played in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Jets from 1977 to 1979.

Contents

Early life

Hennessy was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1955. He attended high school at Gordon Tech, now known as DePaul College Prep in Chicago. [1]

University of Michigan

Hennessy played college football as a defensive tackle for Bo Schembechler's University of Michigan Wolverines football teams from 1974 to 1976. [2] [3] [4] He started all 12 games at defensive tackle for the 1976 Michigan Wolverines football team. The 1976 Michigan team won the Big Ten Conference championship, advanced to the 1977 Rose Bowl, and finished the season ranked No. 3 in both the AP and UPI Polls. [4]

Professional football

Hennessy was drafted by the New York Jets in the 10th round (256th overall pick) of the 1977 NFL draft. As a rookie in 1977, he appeared in 14 games (two as a starter) for the Jets. The following year, he was a starter at linebacker in all 16 regular season games for the 1978 New York Jets. In 1979, he again appeared in all 16 games for the Jets, though none as a starter. [1]

In May 1980, Hennessy was claimed by the Green Bay Packers after being placed on waivers by the Jets. [5] [6] He was released the Packers in late July 1980. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave Brown (cornerback)</span> American football player and coach (1953–2006)

David Steven Brown was an American professional football player who was a cornerback for 15 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the Pittsburgh Steelers (1975), Seattle Seahawks (1976–1986), and Green Bay Packers (1987–1989). He was selected as a second-team All-NFL player in 1984 and a second-team All-AFC player in 1985. His 62 career interceptions ranks tied for tenth in NFL history, with only five players having more interceptions in a career since his career ended in 1989. His 50 interceptions with the Seahawks remains a club record.

Sam Lee-Arthur Sword is a former American football player.

Roger John Anderson is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons from 1978 to 1989.

Michael Lee Kenn is an American former professional football player who spent his entire 17-year career as an offensive tackle for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL) from 1978 to 1994. He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines and was selected by the Falcons in the first round of the 1978 NFL draft with the 13th overall pick. Standing 6'7" and 277 lb, Kenn started all 251 NFL games in which he played. He holds the Falcons' franchise record for games started and games played. He was selected as a first-team All-Pro player in 1980, 1983 and 1991 and was invited to play in the Pro Bowl five consecutive years from 1980 to 1984.

Erick Scott Anderson is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL).

Thomas Arthur Keating was an American professional football defensive tackle. He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines from 1961 to 1963 and played 12 seasons in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL) from 1964 to 1975. He was an AFL All-Star in 1966 and 1967, a key to the 1967 Oakland Raiders' defensive line that led the team to a 13–1 record and the 1967 AFL Championship, and was considered "the premier tackle in the old American Football League". He was known for his use of a distinctive four-point stance in which he lined up with both hands on the ground.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Trgovac</span> American football player and coach (born 1959)

Michael John Trgovac is an American football coach and a former player. He previously served as the defensive line coach for the Green Bay Packers, Carolina Panthers, Washington Redskins, and Philadelphia Eagles and Las Vegas Raiders. Trgovac was a member of the Packers' coaching staff that led the team to the NFL championship in Super Bowl XLV in 2011. Born in Youngstown, Ohio, Trgovac played college football as a middle guard for the University of Michigan from 1977 to 1980. He received All-Big Ten Conference honors in both 1979 and 1980. After graduating from Michigan, Trgovac held various college coaching positions from 1984 to 1994.

John Felix Rowser was an American football player, a defensive back in the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons with the Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Denver Broncos.

Mel Tyrae Owens is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for nine seasons with the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Michigan from 1977 to 1980. He was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the first round of the 1981 NFL draft. He compiled 26.5 quarterback sacks.

Brian Milton Carpenter is a former American football cornerback in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Giants (1982), the Washington Redskins (1983-1984), and the Buffalo Bills (1984). He played college football as a defensive back at the University of Michigan from 1978 to 1981.

Kevin Craig Brooks is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions. He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines. He was selected by the Cowboys in the first round of the 1985 NFL draft.

Walt Downing is an American former professional football player. He played professional football as an offensive guard for the San Francisco 49ers from 1978 to 1983. He played for Bill Walsh and was a member of the 1981 San Francisco 49ers team that won the franchise's first Super Bowl. He also played for the Denver Gold in the USFL. Downing played college football for the Michigan Wolverines under head coach Bo Schembechler from 1975 to 1977. He was a co-captain of their 1977 team and was selected that year as a first-team All-American.

Ronald Bernard Simpkins is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines from 1976 to 1979. He became Michigan's all-time career tackle leader in 1979 and was a consensus first-team selection for the 1979 College Football All-America Team. He later played in the NFL for the Cincinnati Bengals and the Green Bay Packers (1988).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1975 Michigan Wolverines football team</span> American college football season

The 1975 Michigan Wolverines football team was an American football team that represented the University of Michigan in the 1975 Big Ten Conference football season. In it seventh season under head coach Bo Schembechler, Michigan compiled an 8–2–2 record, outscored all opponents by a total of 324 to 130, and was ranked No. 8 in the final AP and UPI polls.

Matthew A. Dyson is an American football coach and a former player. He is currently the head coach of the George Mason University football team. He played college football as an outside linebacker for the University of Michigan from 1991 to 1994. He was selected as a first-team All-Big Ten linebacker as well as Honorable Mention All-American in 1992. He was the defensive player of the game in the 1994 Holiday Bowl. He was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the fifth round of the 1995 NFL draft and appeared in four games during the 1995 Oakland Raiders season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1974 Michigan Wolverines football team</span> American college football season

The 1974 Michigan Wolverines football team was an American football team that represented the University of Michigan in the 1974 Big Ten Conference football season. In their sixth year under head coach Bo Schembechler, the Wolverines compiled a 10–1 record, outscored opponents 324 to 75, and were ranked #3 in final AP Poll. Michigan won the first ten games of the 1974 season in convincing fashion, including blowout victories over Colorado (31-0), Navy (52-0), Minnesota (49-0), and Purdue (51-0). In the final game of the season, #2 Michigan faced #3 Ohio State. The Wolverines lost by a score of 12-10, as place-kicker Mike Lantry missed a last-minute field goal that would have given Michigan a victory.

Michael Anthony Joseph Jolly is a former American football player. He played professional football as a defensive back for the Green Bay Packers from 1980 to 1983. He also played college football for the University of Michigan from 1976 to 1979. He started at weak side cornerback for Michigan in 35 of 36 games from 1977 to 1979 and was selected as a first-team All-Big Ten Conference player in both 1978 and 1979.

Gregory Alan Morton is a former American football player. He played professional football as a defensive lineman for the Buffalo Bills during the 1977 NFL season. He also played college football at the University of Michigan from 1973 to 1976. He was a starting defensive tackle for the Michigan Wolverines football team in 34 of 35 games from 1974 to 1976. He was honored by the ABC television network as college football's defensive player of the year for 1976. At the end of his collegiate career, Morton ranked third in Michigan's all-time record book in both career tackles and career tackles for loss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carl Russ</span> American football player (born 1953)

James Carlton Russ is a former American football player. He played professional football as a linebacker for the Atlanta Falcons and New York Jets from 1975 to 1977. He also played college football at the University of Michigan from 1972 to 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fred Grambau</span> American gridiron football player (1950–2017)

Frederick E. Grambau was an American football defensive end. He played college football for the University of Michigan from 1969 to 1972 and professionally for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats from 1973 to 1975.

References

  1. 1 2 "John Hennessy". pro-football-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC.
  2. "1974 Football Team". Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan.
  3. "1975 Football Team". Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan.
  4. 1 2 "1976 Football Team". Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan.
  5. "Jets sign five". The Bonham Daily Favorite (UPI story). May 30, 1980.
  6. "Jets sign Schremp; Packers claim player". The Milwaukee Journal. May 30, 1980. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
  7. "Packers". Gadsden Times. July 23, 1980.