- Damon Dunn
-
Damon Dunn No. 87 Wide receiver Personal information Date of birth: March 15, 1976 Place of birth: Fort Worth, Texas High School: Sam Houston (Arlington, Texas) Height: 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) Weight: 182 lb (83 kg) Career information College: Stanford Undrafted in 1998 Debuted in 1999 for the Cleveland Browns Last played in 2001 for the Los Angeles Xtreme Career history - Jacksonville Jaguars (1998)*
- Cleveland Browns (1999)
- New York Jets (2000)
- Cleveland Browns (2000)
- Berlin Thunder (2000)
- Los Angeles Xtreme (2001)
- Dallas Cowboys (2001)*
*Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards - First-team Academic All-Pac-10 (1997)
- First-team All-Pac-10 (1995)
Career NFL statistics as of 2000 Games played 5 Receiving yards 6 Receptions 1 Stats at NFL.com Damon Jerrel Dunn (born March 15, 1976) is a former American football player and Republican Party candidate for California Secretary of State in the 2010 election.
Contents
Early life
Dunn was born in 1976 in Fort Worth, Texas to a 16-year-old mother, Ramona Dunn. When Dunn was three years old his father, Texas Longhorns starting fullback Mike Lockett, was killed in a car accident.[1][2] Dunn grew up in a trailer on his grandparents' farm.[3] Dunn was an honor student in Sam Houston High School in Arlington, Texas and an All-State Texas football player.[3][4]
College
After high school Dunn attended Stanford University on a football scholarship after being recruited by Bill Walsh. Dunn also ran track at Stanford. At Stanford Dunn was coached by Tyrone Willingham and Dunn has said he viewed him as a father figure, having grown up without a male role model in his life. While at Stanford Dunn set numerous records and was awarded a NCAA Academic Scholarship, All-PAC 10 Honors and Academic All-Pac 10 Honors, and the NFL and College Hall of Fame Award.[4] During his career at Stanford Dunn participated as a associate pastor in the Jerusalem Baptist Church, where he managed youth ministries.[1]
NFL career
Dunn graduated from Stanford in 1998 with a degree in public policy.[4] He was not picked in the 1998 NFL Draft.[5] The season after he graduated from Stanford, Dunn was on the practice squad of the National Football League team Jacksonville Jaguars.[6] Dunn then played for the Cleveland Browns in 1999. The next year, Dunn played in the Berlin Thunder of NFL Europe, the New York Jets of the NFL, and the Browns in 2000.[7] In 2001, Dunn played for the XFL team Los Angeles Xtreme; the XFL folded after that season.[8] Dunn joined Dallas Cowboys training camp before the 2001 NFL season.[6] He left the NFL after being injured there.[3]
Other ventures
After retiring from the NFL, Dunn co-founded a successful real estate company doing work across the country.[3]
Secretary of State candidacy
In 2009, Dunn announced that he would run for California Secretary of State as a Republican, challenging incumbent Democrat Debra Bowen. He explained why he chose to be a Republican: "No entitlement program got me out of poverty. It was hard work."[3] Additionally, the Los Angeles Sentinel quoted Dunn: "There are a lot of African Americans that are conservative fiscally and socially as well, but we don't have the welcoming face in the Republican Party."[1] In the May 2009 special election, Dunn voted for the first time; he voted against all of the budget propositions 1A through 1E.[3] While playing for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Dunn registered to vote as a Democrat in 1999; that registration expired in 2005.[9]
Dunn stated that he was unfamiliar with the American electronic voting controversy when he announced his candidacy.[10] The San Francisco Chronicle endorsed Dunn for the June 2010 primary.[11] Ronnie Lott, a Hall of Fame NFL player, endorsed Dunn the following month.[12] In the election, which took place on November 2, 2010, Bowen won with 53.1% of the vote; Dunn finished with 38.6%; Dunn won his home county, taking Orange County 54.1% of the vote in Orange County.[13]
Personal life
While in the NFL, Dunn worked with the Make-a-Wish Foundation visiting kids with terminal diseases. Dunn started the Fighting Giants Ministry that ministers to children with life changing injuries. Dunn has also worked with St. Augustine Soup Kitchen, the Cops-N-Kids program and the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. Dunn served as president of his local Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter and has spoken nationally at FCA events. Dunn is also a licensed Baptist minister and a member of Saddleback Baptist Church.[14] He lives in Irvine, California.[3]
References
- ^ a b c Barnes, Evan (December 10, 2009). "Damon Dunn: Republican for State Office". Los Angeles Sentinel. http://www.lasentinel.net/Damon-Dunn-Republican-for-State-Office.html. Retrieved December 30, 2010.
- ^ DeVaughn, Mark (January 11, 2010). "Damon Dunn for CA Sec. of State!". The Bootleg. Scout.com. http://stanford.scout.com/2/936969.html. Retrieved December 30, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g Skelton, George (December 24, 2009). "Stanford football hero warms up for a statewide run". Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/print/2009/dec/24/local/la-me-cap24-2009dec24. Retrieved December 30, 2010.
- ^ a b c "1997 Graduated Senior Bios". GoStanford.com. CBS Sports. http://www.gostanford.com/sports/m-footbl/archive/stan-fb-arch-97senrbio.html. Retrieved December 30, 2010.
- ^ "The Positions: WR". CNNSI.com. April 13, 1998. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/nfl/events/1998/nfldraft/topplayers/byposition/WR.html. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
- ^ a b FitzGerald, Tom (August 7, 2001). "Dunn is a Cowboy with a tale to tell". San Francisco Chronicle. http://articles.sfgate.com/2001-08-07/sports/17615611_1_jada-priscilla-rain-game-melvin-mora. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
- ^ http://www.nfl.com/players/damondunn/profile?id=DUN527300
- ^ "Damon Dunn". all-xfl.com. http://www.all-xfl.com/losangelesxtreme/team/roster/DamonDunn.htm. Retrieved December 30, 2010.
- ^ Kornhaber, Spencer (March 8, 2010). "Orly Taitz's Claims About Damon Dunn's Eligilibity: False!". OC Weekly blogs. http://blogs.ocweekly.com/navelgazing/the-hilarious-haters/orly-taitzs-claims-about-damon/. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
- ^ Marinucci, Carla (November 12, 2009). "GOP candidate Damon Dunn only voted once". San Francisco Chronicle: pp. A1. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/11/12/MN1E1AI6MT.DTL.
- ^ "Chronicle endorsements". San Francisco Chronicle: p. A15. June 8, 2010. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/06/08/ED2B1DR7PM.DTL.
- ^ Marinucci, Carla (July 28, 2010). "CA GOP Sec of State candidate Damon Dunn, former NFL player, lands endorsement of Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott". San Francisco Chronicle Politics Blog. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/nov05election/detail?entry_id=68901. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
- ^ "Secretary of State results (November 2, 2010)". California Secretary of State. http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/sov/2010-general/32-secretary-of-state.pdf. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
- ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCNJQ5MhJIE
External links
- Damon Dunn at Pro-Football-Reference.com
Categories:- 1976 births
- Living people
- African American players of American football
- African American religious leaders
- American football wide receivers
- Berlin Thunder players
- California Republicans
- Cleveland Browns players
- Dallas Cowboys players
- Florida Democrats
- Jacksonville Jaguars players
- Los Angeles Xtreme players
- New York Jets players
- People from Arlington, Texas
- People from Fort Worth, Texas
- People from Irvine, California
- Players of American football from Texas
- Southern Baptist ministers
- Stanford Cardinal football players
- Undrafted National Football League players
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
