Dan Ross (American football)
No. 89, 84, 85, 81 | |||
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Position: | Tight end | ||
Personal information | |||
Born: | Malden, Massachusetts, U.S. | February 9, 1957||
Died: | May 16, 2006 Haverhill, Massachusetts, U.S. | (aged 49)||
Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||
Weight: | 238 lb (108 kg) | ||
Career information | |||
High school: | Everett (Everett, Massachusetts) | ||
College: | Northeastern | ||
NFL draft: | 1979 / Round: 2 / Pick: 30 | ||
Career history | |||
Career highlights and awards | |||
Career NFL statistics | |||
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Daniel Richard Ross (February 9, 1957 – May 16, 2006) was an American professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Cincinnati Bengals (1979–1983, 1985), Seattle Seahawks (1985), and Green Bay Packers (1986). He also played for the New Orleans/Portland Breakers of the United States Football League (USFL) from 1984 to 1985.
Early life
Ross attended Everett High School in Everett, Massachusetts, where, as a tight end, he starred on the football team.
College career
Ross played college football at Northeastern University in Boston from 1975 to 1978. He was named first-team selection on the College Football All-America Team in his senior year of 1978 while serving as team captain. He also earned the Bulger Lowe Award as the outstanding player in New England and the Harry Agganis Award as New England's outstanding senior.[1]
Ross left Northeastern as the Huskies' all-time leader in
NFL career
After graduating college in 1979, he was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals with the 30th pick in the second round of the
Ross had an outstanding performance in the
In addition to his impressive Super Bowl performance, Ross was the Bengals' leading receiver in both playoff wins that year, with six receptions for 71 yards in their 28-21 win over the Buffalo Bills and five receptions for 69 yards in their AFC title win over the San Diego Chargers, a game known as the Freezer Bowl and the coldest game ever played in the NFL.
Ross went on to make his first and only Pro Bowl selection in 1982 on the strength of 47 receptions for 508 yards and three touchdowns in the nine-game season shortened by a players strike.
In 1984, Ross briefly left the NFL to play for the
He returned to play for the Bengals in 1985, and finished the season with the Seattle Seahawks.
Ross joined the Green Bay Packers for the following season, and then retired in 1987.
In his eight NFL seasons, Ross recorded 290 receptions for 3,419 receiving yards and 19 touchdowns.
Ross later said that as a veteran of a small college not known for its football program, he was grateful for a chance to play in the big leagues. "Just getting drafted was a thrill. You don't expect it from the school I went to. At the time, you don't expect to play in the National Football League, and especially somebody taking you with the 30th overall pick. It's like 'oh geez they must see something I don't'."[3]
Personal life
Ross later became president and co-owner of WPWB, an independent TV station in
In 2004, he was enshrined into the College Football Hall of Fame. Northeastern University also recognized the achievement with a halftime ceremony honoring Ross at the October 9, 2004, home game against Villanova University. He was the first Northeastern University player enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.[1]
Dan Ross died at age 49 on May 16, 2006, after collapsing at his home in Atkinson, New Hampshire, shortly after returning from jogging. He died at Merrimack Valley Hospital in Haverhill, Massachusetts.[4]
He was survived by his wife, Joan, and two children, Jillian, then 23, and Dan Jr., then 22.[5]
Trivia
Ross's record 11 receptions in a Super Bowl was eventually shared by three other players:
It was finally broken in Super Bowl XLVIII by Demaryius Thomas, who caught 13 passes.
Ross' record of receiving yards in a Super Bowl (104) by a tight end was broken by Travis Kelce's 133 yards in Super Bowl LV
References
- ^ a b c "Tight Ends Ross, Young To Receive On-Campus Salutes". footballfoundation.org. October 8, 2004.
- ^ "Northeastern University Athletics - Northeastern to honor Jackie Spellman Sunday". gonu.com. Archived from the original on February 20, 2014.
- ISBN 1-882203-38-0page 141
- ^ Associated Press, "Super Bowl record-setter Ross dies at 49"
- ^ "USATODAY.com - Former NFL, Northeastern tight end Ross dead at 49".
External links
- Dan Ross at the College Football Hall of Fame
- Career statistics and player information from NFL.com · Pro Football Reference