No. 57 | |||||||
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Position: | Linebacker | ||||||
Personal information | |||||||
Born: | Toledo, Oregon, U.S. | April 7, 1957||||||
Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||
Weight: | 230 lb (104 kg) | ||||||
Career information | |||||||
High school: | Gresham (OR) | ||||||
College: | Wyoming | ||||||
NFL draft: | 1979 / round: 2 / pick: 37 | ||||||
Career history | |||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Player stats at PFR |
Ken Fantetti (born April 7, 1957) is an American former professional football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Detroit Lions from 1979 through 1985.
Fantetti was born in Toledo, Oregon, in 1957 and played college football at the University of Wyoming from 1975 to 1978. As a senior in 1978, he had 124 tackles, including 73 unassisted tackles, and was selected as an All-American by the Football Writers Association of America. [1] He had 15 unassisted tackles and nine assists in a 1978 game against Utah. He was also selected as the Western Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 1978. [1]
He was selected by the Detroit Lions in the second round (37th overall pick) of the 1979 NFL draft. [2] At the time, Lions head coach Monte Clark called Fantetti "a deluxe hitter -- which means he's something special. He's an old fashioned, rough and tough, hard-nosed football player." [3] Fantetti played in 95 games for the Lions from 1979 to 1985. [2]
In 2008, Fantetti opened a barbecue restaurant called Big Ken's BBQ in Portland, Oregon. [4] [5]
He was inducted into the University of Wyoming Athletics Hall of Fame in 2003. [1] Fantetti's biography at the Hall of Fame describes him as one of "greatest impact players" and "devastating linebackers" in Wyoming history. [1]
Billy Ray Sims is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for five seasons from 1980 to 1984. Sims played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners, where he was a two-time consensus All-American, and won the Heisman Trophy in 1978. He was the first overall pick in the 1980 NFL draft, selected by the Detroit Lions. After three pro-bowl selections, his career was prematurely ended by a knee injury suffered in 1984.
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Percy Lee Snow is an American former football linebacker. He played college football for the Michigan State Spartans from 1986 to 1989. As a senior, he was a consensus All-American and won both the Butkus Award and the Lombardi Award. He was a first-round draft pick of the Kansas City Chiefs and played three seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2013.
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Matthew Jason Russell is an American professional football executive and former player who is a senior personnel executive for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He formerly served as the director of player personnel for the Denver Broncos of the NFL. Russell played as a linebacker in the NFL for a single season. He played college football for the Colorado Buffaloes, earning consensus All-American honors and winning the Butkus Award as the top linebacker in America. He played professionally for the NFL's Detroit Lions from 1997 to 1999.
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