Jimmy Kennedy (football player)

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Jimmy Kennedy
Date of birth November 15, 1979 (age 27)
Place of birth Flag of United States Yonkers, New York
Position(s) Defensive tackle
College Penn State
NFL Draft 2003 / Round 1/ Pick 12
Statistics
Team(s)
2003–present St. Louis Rams

Jimmy Wayne Kennedy (born November 15, 1979 in Yonkers, New York) is a professional American football player. He currently plays defensive tackle for the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League.

Contents

[edit] NFL

The 6 ft. 4 in,, 320 lb. defensive tackle was the first round pick (#12 overall) of the St. Louis Rams in the 2003 NFL Draft. With two solid defensive tackles, Ryan Pickett and Damione Lewis, taken in 2001, Kennedy did not make a start his rookie season, and made only 1 tackle, and 1 assist that season. The following year, Kennedy played in the final 11 games of the season, starting 6 of them. During this time, he posted 16 tackles. By 2005, Kennedy had earned a spot as the Rams' nose tackle, and started the first 9 games of the season. With a chance to finally play, Kennedy made a respectable 33 tackles, 3 sacks, and 1 forced fumble.

[edit] Penn State

Kennedy was named a first team All-America by The NFL Draft Report, The Sporting News, and Walter Camp and third-team honors from the Associated Press. A four-year starter at Penn State University, Kennedy was named the 2002 Big Ten Defensive Lineman-of-the-Year and was a two-time first-team All-Big Ten selection. A semifinalist for the Lombardi Award, Kennedy finished his career with 213 tackles, 14 sacks, and 39 tackles-for-loss. Kennedy also played basketball for the Nittany Lions for one year.

He earned a Bachelor of Science in rehabilitation services in 2002.

[edit] Early years

Kennedy attended Roosevelt High School in Yonkers, where he was a three-year starter on both offense and defense. Under Coach Tony DeMatteo, Kennedy earned All-American, all-city, all-conference, all-state, and team MVP honors. He also won a local High School Heisman trophy.

[edit] Trivia

He is known to his teammates by his nickname, "The Bear."