Vince Kendrick

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Vince Kendrick
No. 20
Running back
Personal information
Date of birth: (1952-03-18) March 18, 1952
Place of birth: Miami, Florida
Height: 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)Weight: 23 lb (10 kg)
Career information
High school: Miami Springs High School
Miami Springs, Florida
College: University of Florida
NFL Draft: 1974 / Round: 4 / Pick: 96
Debuted in 1974 for the Atlanta Falcons
Last played in 1976 for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Career history
 As player:
 As coach:
Career NFL statistics
Stats at NFL.com
Stats at pro-football-reference.com
Stats at DatabaseFootball.com

Vincent Kendrick (born March 18, 1952) is a former American college and professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for two seasons during the 1970s. Kendrick played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he played professionally for the Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL.

Early years

Kendrick was born in Miami, Florida in 1952 to Green Lester and Pearlie Mae Kendrick .[1] He attended Miami Springs High School in Miami Springs, Florida,[2] where he played high school football for the Miami Springs Golden Hawks.

College career

Kendrick received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coach Doug Dickey's Florida Gators football team from 1971 to 1973.[3] As a senior team captain in 1973, he rushed 127 times for 567 yards and five touchdowns.[3] In his three-year college career, he totaled 1,269 yards on 279 attempts in an injury-plagued career spent primarily blocking for tailback Nat Moore.[4]

Kendrick graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in broadcasting in 1980.

Professional career

The Atlanta Falcons selected Kendrick in the fourth round (96th pick overall) of the 1974 NFL Draft,[5] and he played for the Falcons for a single season in 1974,[6] mainly as a backup and on special teams. He sat out 1975 after suffering a knee injury in a preseason game against the New York Jets. One of many injured Falcons, he was left unprotected for the 1976 NFL Expansion Draft, and was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers expansion team. In Tampa Bay, he found himself in competition with his Florida Gators successor, Jimmy DuBose, for the fullback spot on the Bucs' roster.[7] He scored the Bucs' first franchise touchdown, in an exhibition game against the Falcons, but was never able to regain his pre-injury form and was released after the season opener against the Houston Oilers.[8]

Life after the NFL

Kendrick returned to Gainesville after his two seasons in the NFL, first as a graduate assistant for coach Doug Dickey, and then as an assistant coach for new head coach Charley Pell, working with the running backs.[4] After his first wife died, Kendrick and his young son Vinnie briefly lived in the football dormitory.[4] Kendrick left coaching after the 1983 season, and eventually married his second wife, Altermease Kendrick, owner of My Choice Community Development, Inc. He worked as the community service director for the city of Deerfield Beach, Florida.[4] Vince volunteers his wisdom and talent with his wife as they embark on starting a charter school (My Choice Academy) in Lake Park, Florida. Together they have four children; Robert Sr., Paula, Vinnie, and Alexis. They also have six grandchildren Brittany, Robert Jr., Devin, JeMiah, Jocelyn, and Naima.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Pro-Football-Reference.com, Players, Vince Kendrick. Retrieved March 8, 2011.
  2. ↑ databaseFootball.com, Players, Vince Kendrick. Retrieved March 8, 2011.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 2011 Florida Gators Football Media Guide, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 99, 124, 138–140, 183 (2011). Retrieved August 30, 2011.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Jack Hairston, Tale from the Gator Swamp, Sports Publishing, LLC, Champaign, Illinois, pp. 173–177 (2002).
  5. ↑ Pro Football Hall of Fame, Draft History, 1974 National Football League Draft. Retrieved March 18, 2011.
  6. ↑ National Football League, Historical Players, Vince Kendrick. Retrieved March 18, 2011.
  7. ↑ Patrick Zier, "Bucs Field Full Squad, Vince Kendrick Included," The Ledger (May 16, 1976).
  8. ↑ Patrick Zier, "Tampa Area Finally Goes Big Time," The Ledger (January 2, 1977).

Bibliography

  • Carlson, Norm, University of Florida Football Vault: The History of the Florida Gators, Whitman Publishing, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia (2007). ISBN 0-7948-2298-3.
  • Golenbock, Peter, Go Gators! An Oral History of Florida's Pursuit of Gridiron Glory, Legends Publishing, LLC, St. Petersburg, Florida (2002). ISBN 0-9650782-1-3.
  • Hairston, Jack, Tales from the Gator Swamp: A Collection of the Greatest Gator Stories Ever Told, Sports Publishing, LLC, Champaign, Illinois (2002). ISBN 1-58261-514-4.
  • McCarthy, Kevin M., Fightin' Gators: A History of University of Florida Football, Arcadia Publishing, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina (2000). ISBN 978-0-7385-0559-6.
  • McEwen, Tom, The Gators: A Story of Florida Football, The Strode Publishers, Huntsville, Alabama (1974). ISBN 0-87397-025-X.
  • Nash, Noel, ed., The Gainesville Sun Presents The Greatest Moments in Florida Gators Football, Sports Publishing, Inc., Champaign, Illinois (1998). ISBN 1-57167-196-X.
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