- Jason Witten
Infobox NFLactive
currentteam=Dallas Cowboys
currentnumber=82
currentposition=Tight end
birthdate=birth date and age|1982|5|6
birthplace=Elizabethton, Tennessee
heightft=6
heightin=5
weight=262
debutyear=2003
debutteam=Dallas Cowboys
highlights=
* 4xPro Bowl selection (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007)
* All-Pro selection (2007)
* Cowboys record 15 receptions in a game
college=Tennessee
draftyear=2003
draftround=3
draftpick=69
pastteams=
*Dallas Cowboys (2003-present)
statweek=5
statseason=2008
statlabel1=Receptions
statvalue1=383
statlabel2=Receiving Yards
statvalue2=4,425
statlabel3=Touchdowns
statvalue3=23
nfl=WIT559021Christopher Jason Wittencite web|title=Witten on Pro-Football-Reference |work=rbref.com |url=http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/W/WittJa00.htm |accessdate=2007-12-19] (born
May 6 ,1982 inElizabethton, Tennessee ) is anAmerican football player who currently plays as atight end for theDallas Cowboys of the NFL. He playedcollege football at theUniversity of Tennessee . In his first of three years at the University of Tennessee, Witten went from being a defensive end prospect, to a record breaking tight end, due to a shortage at the position.Fact|date=September 2008 He went on to post school records for receptions (39) and receiving yards (493).Fact|date=September 2008As a child, he was a contestant on the
Nickelodeon game show,Nickelodeon GUTS .Fact|date=September 2008NFL career
In
2004 Witten was selected to thePro Bowl , thanks to his 87 catches, which were eleventh most in history by a tight end and a Cowboys team record for the position. Witten was also named to his second and third Pro Bowls for his performance in the2005 and2006 regular seasons. He was named as an injury replacement forNew York Giants tight endJeremy Shockey for the2007 Pro Bowl. Witten was named a starter for the2008 Pro Bowl thanks to a high production year in 2007.At the end of the
2006 NFL season Jason Witten became just the tenth tight end in NFL history to post three consecutive seasons with at least 60 receptions.Witten had a career-year during the
2007 NFL season . He set the Cowboys-single season tight end record for receptions in a season with 96, while also becoming only the third tight end in NFL history with 96 or more catches. OnDecember 9 ,2007 versus theDetroit Lions , Jason Witten's 15 receptions tied an NFL record held by Hall of Famer, Kellen Winslow Sr., for most receptions in a game by a tight end in NFL history. In the 14th game of the year, Witten became the first Dallas tight end ever to gain over 1,000 receiving yards in a season. Witten was also one of the NFL-record 13 Cowboys players selected to the Pro Bowl. [cite web|title=Ellis Helps Cowboys Stretch Pro Bowlers To 13 |url=http://cbs11tv.com/local/Greg.Ellis.Cowboys.2.640929.html |accessdate=2008-04-15] Additionally, he made the 2007 All-Pro team along with teammatesTerrell Owens andDeMarcus Ware .Witten, along with
Hines Ward , Jason Taylor, andBrian Waters was nominated for the 2007Walter Payton Man of the Year Award , Jason Taylor was the winner.He recently launched the Jason Witten SCORE Foundation, established in part to provide support and assistance for families and individuals affected by domestic violence. Witten appeared in an NFL/United Way public-service announcement (PSA), stressing the importance of volunteering. The spot was filmed at Witten's annual free football camp in his hometown of Elizabethton, Tenn., where more than 1,000 children attended in 2007.
Witten starred in another PSA with
Antonio Gates and Saints running backReggie Bush for the NFL's Play 60 program, which emphasizes the importance of getting kids up and active for at least 60 minutes a day.He resides in
Southlake, Texas , located in the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex, with his wife, Michelle, an Emergency Room Nurse at Dallas' Parkland Hospital, and their sons, C.J and Cooper.References
External links
* [http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=pasquarelli_len&id=2100665&num=0 ESPN Profile of Witten's second season]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
