No. 35, 31, 36 | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Position: | Running back | ||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||
Date of birth: | November 1, 1949 | ||||||||
Place of birth: | Oxford, Nebraska | ||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||
Weight: | 215 lb (98 kg) | ||||||||
Career information | |||||||||
High school: | McCook (NE) | ||||||||
College: | Nebraska | ||||||||
NFL Draft: | 1972 / Round: 1 / Pick: 23 | ||||||||
Career history | |||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
|
|||||||||
Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
|
|||||||||
Player stats at PFR |
Rushing yards: | 1285 |
---|---|
Average: | 3.6 |
Touchdowns: | 5 |
Player stats at NFL.com |
Jeffrey Bruce "Jeff" Kinney (born November 1, 1949) is a former American football player. He played professional as a running back for the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills for five seasons in the National Football League (NFL). At 6'2" and 215 lb., Kinney was selected by the Chiefs in the first round of the 1972 NFL Draft with the 23rd overall pick. He is an alumnus of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
Born in Oxford, Nebraska, and raised in McCook, Kinney graduated from McCook High School in 1968 and played quarterback.
He played college football at Nebraska under head coach Bob Devaney, with future head coach Tom Osborne as offensive coordinator. A three-year starter (1969–71), Kinney was the tailback (I-back) on the national championship teams of 1970 and 1971, and the Huskers' leading rusher in 1969 and 1971. He wore #35, often in a tatters, as tear-away jerseys were common for collegiate offensive backs in the early 1970s.
In the "Game of the Century" against the unbeaten Oklahoma Sooners in Norman on Thanksgiving Day 1971, Kinney rushed for 171 yards, 151 in the second half, on 31 carries (5.5 avg.) and scored four touchdowns, the final one with less than two minutes remaining to put Nebraska ahead 35–31, the final score.