Joe Senser
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| No. 81 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Tight end | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | August 18, 1956 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died | May 7, 2026 (aged 69) Maple Plain, Minnesota, U.S. | ||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||
| Listed weight | 235 lb (107 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Milton Hershey School (Hershey, Pennsylvania) | ||||||||
| College | West Chester | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1979: 6th round, 152nd overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Joseph Spence Senser (August 18, 1956 – May 7, 2026) was an American professional football player who was a tight end for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the West Chester Golden Rams and was selected by the Vikings in the sixth round of the 1979 NFL draft.
Senser earned a berth in the Pro Bowl after the 1981 season. He played in all 16 games in 1981, setting career highs in receptions (79), yards (1,004), yards per catch (12.7) and touchdowns (8).[1] A serious knee injury forced Senser to miss the entire 1983 NFL season, but he returned in 1984.
Biography
[edit]Senser was a 1974 graduate of the Milton Hershey School, a home for underprivileged children and the prime benefactor of Milton Hershey's legacy. At West Chester University, he also played collegiately for the Golden Rams basketball team. In 1976–77, his .699 field goal percentage led all of NCAA Division I college basketball.[2][3] It set the then-NCAA record for field goal percentage, breaking the previous mark of .667 held by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kent Martens and Al Fleming.[4][5]
He was the color commentator for Minnesota Vikings Radio Network in 1993–94 and from 2001 to 2006. He was hired by WCCO Radio to be the color commentator for University of St. Thomas football (NCAA Division III) broadcasts beginning in 2011.
Senser was part owner of Joe Senser's Restaurant & Sports Theater which had 4 locations in Bloomington, Eagan, Plymouth and Roseville, Minnesota. All locations are now closed. He was married with four daughters and one granddaughter. One of his daughters is singer Brittani Senser.
On August 23, 2011, a Mercedes SUV registered to Senser was involved in a fatal hit-and-run accident near the Augsburg University campus in Minneapolis.[6] On September 2, 2011, the Senser family's attorney released a statement that "the driver in this incident was Ms. Amy Senser",[7][8] who was his wife. She was convicted of felony criminal vehicular homicide and sentenced to forty-one months in prison.[9][10]
In May 2016, the state attorney general asked the Hershey Trust Company to remove Senser and two other long-serving board members. The attorney general cited "apparent violations" by the firm of a previous agreement to reform.[11]
On November 26, 2016, WCCO television news reported that Senser was undergoing physical therapy for a stroke suffered earlier in the year.
Senser died on May 7, 2026, at the age of 69.[12]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Joe Senser: Career Stats". National Football League. Retrieved July 10, 2012.
- ↑ Geoghegan, Neil (August 19, 2021). "CCHOF: Senser one of NFL's first tight ends from basketball background". Daily Local News. Retrieved May 7, 2026.
In 1976-77, he led all of major college basketball with a .699 field goal percentage.
- ↑ "2022-23 DIVISION I MEN'S BASKETBALL RECORDS" (PDF). NCAA. 2022. p. 41. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 17, 2023. Retrieved May 7, 2026.
- ↑ "Notre Dame Overwhelms La Salle Five, 113 to 77". The New York Times. AP. February 27, 1977. Retrieved May 7, 2026.
- ↑ NCAA 2022, p. 13.
- ↑ Abby Simons (September 9, 2011). "SUV at center of fatal hit-run off I-94 belongs to Joe Senser". Star Tribune. Minneapolis/St. Paul. Archived from the original on November 10, 2011. Retrieved September 2, 2011.
- ↑ Katie Minitz (September 8, 2011). "Amy Senser of Edina named as driver in fatal hit-and-run". Edina Sun-Current. pp. D1–2, 10. Retrieved July 10, 2012.
- ↑ David Chanen (September 3, 2011). "Senser's wife was driver in deadly hit-and-run accident". Star Tribune. Minneapolis/St. Paul.
- ↑ "Phanthavong's Family Members React To Senser Ruling". CBS Minnesota. July 9, 2012. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
- ↑ "Offender Information: Amy Margaret Senser". Minnesota Department of Corrections. July 9, 2012. Archived from the original on December 4, 2013. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
- ↑ Fernandez, Bob (May 3, 2016). "AG wants to remove 3 leaders of Hershey Trust". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
- ↑ Peters, Craig (May 7, 2026). "Vikings Mourn Passing of Former TE & Broadcaster Joe Senser". Minnesota Vikings. Retrieved May 7, 2026.
External links
[edit]- Joe Senser at IMDb
- 1956 births
- 2026 deaths
- American men's basketball players
- American football tight ends
- Minnesota Vikings announcers
- Minnesota Vikings players
- National Conference Pro Bowl players
- West Chester Golden Rams football players
- West Chester Golden Rams men's basketball players
- Basketball players from Philadelphia
- Players of American football from Philadelphia
- Milton Hershey School alumni
- 20th-century American sportsmen