Damon Dunn

Damon Dunn
No. 87
Position: Wide receiver
Personal information
Date of birth: March 15, 1976
Place of birth: Fort Worth, Texas
Height: 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight: 182 lb (83 kg)
Career information
High school: Arlington (TX) Houston
College: Stanford
Undrafted: 1998
Career history
*Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
  • First-team Academic All-Pac-10 (1997)
  • First-team All-Pac-10 (1995)
Career NFL statistics
Games played: 5
Receiving yards: 6
Receptions: 1
Stats at NFL.com

Damon Jerrel Dunn (born March 15, 1976) is a politician, commercial real estate developer, minister, and former football player.

Early life

Dunn was born in 1976 in Fort Worth, Texas to a 16-year-old mother, Ramona Dunn. When Dunn was three years old his father, Texas Longhorns starting wide receiver, Mike Lockett, was killed in a car accident.[1][2] Dunn grew up in a trailer on his grandparents' farm.[3] Dunn was an honor student in Sam Houston High School in Arlington, Texas and an All-State Texas football player.[3][4]

College

After high school Dunn attended Stanford University on a football scholarship after being recruited by Bill Walsh. Dunn also ran track at Stanford. At Stanford Dunn was coached by Tyrone Willingham and Dunn has said he viewed him as a father figure, having grown up without a male role model in his life. While at Stanford Dunn set numerous records and was awarded a NCAA Academic Scholarship, All-Pac-10 Honors and Academic All-Pac-10 Honors, and the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame Award.[4] During his career at Stanford Dunn participated as an associate pastor in the Jerusalem Baptist Church, where he managed youth ministries.[1]

NFL career

Dunn graduated from Stanford in 1998 with a degree in public policy.[4] He was not picked in the 1998 NFL Draft.[5] The season after he graduated from Stanford, Dunn was on the practice squad of the National Football League team Jacksonville Jaguars.[6] Dunn then played for the Cleveland Browns in 1999. The next year, Dunn played in the Berlin Thunder of NFL Europe, the New York Jets of the NFL, and the Browns in 2000.[7] In 2001, Dunn played for the XFL team Los Angeles Xtreme; the XFL folded after that season.[8] Dunn joined Dallas Cowboys training camp before the 2001 NFL season.[6] He left the NFL after being injured there.[3]

Other ventures

After retiring from the NFL, Dunn and a former Stanford roommate became partners in an Irvine, California-based real estate business, which developed several shopping centers.[3]

Politics

In 2009, Dunn announced that he would run for California Secretary of State challenging incumbent Democrat Debra Bowen.[3] The Los Angeles Sentinel quoted Dunn: "There are a lot of African Americans that are conservative fiscally, but we don't have the welcoming face in the Republican Party."[9] While playing for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Dunn registered to vote as a Democrat in 1999; that registration expired in 2005.

The San Francisco Chronicle endorsed Dunn for the June 2010 primary.[10] Ronnie Lott, a Hall of Fame NFL player, endorsed Dunn the following month.[11]

In 2014 Dunn ran for Mayor of Long Beach. He qualified for the runoff by finishing second in the primary election, and faces Robert Garcia on June 3.[12]

Dunn lost the election to Robert Garcia, former vice-mayor on June 3, 2014.[13]

Personal life

While in the NFL, Dunn worked with the Make-a-Wish Foundation visiting kids with terminal diseases. Dunn started the Fighting Giants Ministry that ministers to children with life changing injuries. Dunn has also worked with St. Augustine Soup Kitchen, the Cops-N-Kids program and the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. Dunn served as president of his local Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter and has spoken nationally at FCA events. Dunn is also a licensed Baptist minister and a member of Antioch Church of Long Beach. He lives in Long Beach, California.[3]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Barnes, Evan (December 10, 2009). "Damon Dunn: Republican for State Office". Los Angeles Sentinel. Retrieved December 30, 2010.
  2. ↑ DeVaughn, Mark (January 11, 2010). "Damon Dunn for CA Sec. of State!". The Bootleg. Scout.com. Retrieved December 30, 2010.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Skelton, George (December 24, 2009). "Stanford football hero warms up for a statewide run". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 30, 2010.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "1997 Graduated Senior Bios". GoStanford.com. CBS Sports. Retrieved December 30, 2010.
  5. ↑ "The Positions: WR". CNNSI.com. April 13, 1998. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 FitzGerald, Tom (August 7, 2001). "Dunn is a Cowboy with a tale to tell". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
  7. ↑ http://www.nfl.com/players/damondunn/profile?id=DUN527300
  8. ↑ "Damon Dunn". all-xfl.com. Retrieved December 30, 2010.
  9. ↑ "Damon Dunn: Republican for State Office". LA Sentinel. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
  10. ↑ "Chronicle endorsements". San Francisco Chronicle. June 8, 2010. p. A15.
  11. ↑ Marinucci, Carla (July 28, 2010). "CA GOP Sec of State candidate Damon Dunn, former NFL player, lands endorsement of Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott". San Francisco Chronicle Politics Blog. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
  12. ↑ Bradley, Eric (April 9, 2014). "Robert Garcia wins, Damon Dunn second as Long Beach mayor race goes to runoff". Long Beach Press Telegram. Retrieved April 9, 2014.
  13. ↑ |url= http://www.presstelegram.com/20140604|Robert Garcia beats Damon Dunn, becomes Long Beach’s youngest mayor|work=Long Beach Press Telegram|accessdate=April 9, 2014|date=June 4, 2014

External links