John Warren (American football)

John Warren
No. 5
Position:Punter
Personal information
Born: (1960-11-08) November 8, 1960 (age 64)
Jesup, Georgia, U.S.
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:207 lb (94 kg)
Career information
High school:Wayne County
(Jesup, Georgia)
College:Tennessee
Undrafted:1983
Career history
Career NFL statistics
Punts:60
Punt yards:2,350
Longest punt:54
Stats at Pro Football Reference

John Sheppard Warren (born November 8, 1960) is a former American football punter in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at the University of Tennessee.

Early life

Warren attended Wayne County High School. He was considered the state's best punter. Additionally, he also was the team's placekicker.

He practiced baseball and was drafted out of high school by the Cincinnati Reds.

College career

After receiving Division I NCAA scholarships offers from different schools, he settled on the University of Tennessee. His best season came as a freshman, registering 52 punts for 2,106 yards and a 40.5-yard average.

As a sophomore, he tallied 58 punts for 2,327 yards and a 40.1-yard average.

In his last two years he was a backup behind All-American Jimmy Colquitt, with Warren handling the directional punts.[1]

He finished his college career with 42 games appearances, 133 punts, 5,289 punt yards and a 39.8-yard average.[2] He also practiced baseball.

Professional career

Warren was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Dallas Cowboys after the 1983 NFL draft.

In the 70's and early 80's, the Cowboys had the luxury that they didn't need to carry a punter on their roster, because quarterback Danny White could perform that task at a high level. After he was injured in the 1982 NFC championship and placekicker Rafael Septién was forced to be the punter replacement,[3] the team decided to carry Warren as the punter for the 1983 season.[4] As a rookie, he shared punting duties with White. His best game was against the St. Louis Cardinals, when he averaged 46-yards on five punts, including a long of 54 yards. He was placed on the injured reserve list after suffering a right knee injury, while covering one of his punts in the eighth game against the Los Angeles Raiders.[5] He was replaced with Jim Miller.[6]

In 1984, he became part of a revolving door at the punter position, where he was released and signed on different times during the season after White was given his old punting job back. He appeared in 3 games, posting 21 punts for 799 yards and a 38-yard average.

On August 19, 1985, he was waived after being passed on the depth chart by Mike Saxon.[7]

References

  1. ^ "Competition at punter". 247sports.com. August 10, 2009. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  2. ^ "Tennessee Career Football Statistics". Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  3. ^ "Redskins Get Respect By Beating Dallas". Kingman Daily Miner. Associated Press. January 23, 1983. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
  4. ^ Rabun, Mike (August 30, 1983). "The Dallas Cowboys Monday relieved Danny White of his punting chores". UPI. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
  5. ^ "Pro Football". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. October 26, 1983. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
  6. ^ "SPORTS PEOPLE ; Cowboys Sign Punter". The New York Times. November 19, 1983. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
  7. ^ "Cowboys cut Lattany". Corpus Christi Caller-Times. August 20, 1985. Retrieved October 5, 2024.