Witten in 2015
|
|||||||||
No. 82 Dallas Cowboys | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Position: | Tight end | ||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||
Date of birth: | May 6, 1982 | ||||||||
Place of birth: | Elizabethton, Tennessee | ||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | ||||||||
Weight: | 263 lb (119 kg) | ||||||||
Career information | |||||||||
High school: | Elizabethton (TN) | ||||||||
College: | Tennessee | ||||||||
NFL Draft: | 2003 / Round: 3 / Pick: 69 | ||||||||
Career history | |||||||||
|
|||||||||
Roster status: | Active | ||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2016 | |||||||||
|
Receptions: | 1,089 |
---|---|
Receiving yards: | 11,888 |
Touchdowns: | 63 |
Player stats at NFL.com |
Christopher Jason Witten (born May 6, 1982) is an American football tight end for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Tennessee, and was drafted by the Cowboys in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft. Witten ranks second all-time in career receptions and receiving yards by an NFL tight end, trailing only Tony Gonzalez.
Witten is the youngest of three brothers, Ryan and Shawn, and was raised in Washington D.C., but attended Elizabethton High School in Elizabethton, Tennessee. Witten's father, a 6'8", 300 lb. mailman, was abusive toward his mother, Kim, and his older brothers after he became addicted to alcohol and drugs when Jason was 6. When he was 11, Witten moved to Elizabethton to live with his grandparents. His grandfather Dave Rider was also the coach of the football team, where he was a two-way player, playing linebacker and tight end.
He became a three-year starter playing both linebacker and tight end, while helping his team reach the state semifinals three times. As a senior linebacker, he finished the season with 163 tackles (registering a career school record 450), nine sacks, two interceptions, five forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and two blocked kicks. That year he received several accolades: All-American, All-State (also as a junior), USA Today Player of the Year for Tennessee, East Tennessee Player of the Year, Region Defensive Player of the Year and runner-up for the Mr. Football award. He had 26 receptions and 14 touchdowns on offense. He also played basketball, where he averaged 15 points and 12 rebounds per-game.