Kenny Duckett
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| Position: | Wide receiver | ||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Born: | October 1, 1959 Winston-Salem, North Carolina | ||||
| Died: | April 15, 1998 (aged 38) Winston-Salem, North Carolina | ||||
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||
| Weight: | 184 lb (83 kg) | ||||
| Career information | |||||
| High school: | R.J. Reynolds (NC) | ||||
| College: | Wake Forest | ||||
| NFL draft: | 1982 / round: 3 / pick: 68 | ||||
| Career history | |||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||
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Kenny Duckett (October 1, 1959 – April 15, 1998) was an American football wide receiver who played in the National Football League for the New Orleans Saints and Dallas Cowboys. He played college football for Wake Forest University.
Early years
Duckett attended Richard J. Reynolds High School, where he was diagnosed with diabetes in the tenth grade. He continued to play football despite warnings from his doctors, problems maintaining weight and his healing capacity being affected by his illness.
As a senior running back he rushed for over 900 yards and scored 20 touchdowns, receiving All-state and Winston-Salem Player of the Year honors. He also practiced baseball (was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers) and basketball.
College career
He accepted a scholarship from Wake Forest University. He broke his ankle returning a kickoff in the third game of his freshman season and was redshirted. The next year he was switched from running back to wide receiver, but again broke the same ankle the week before the start of the season and missed 5 weeks. The injury affected his speed and he had to work to regain his previous form.
As a junior he registered 50 receptions (second in the ACC), 656 receiving yards (third in the ACC) and 12 receiving touchdowns (ACC record and ranked third nationally). In his last year he posted 37 receptions for 457 yards and 7 touchdowns.
He finished his college career third on school's all-time receiving list with 108 receptions for 1,507 yards and 19 touchdowns, 62 kick-offs returns for 1,251 yards and 27 punt returns for 212 yards. At the time he also set school records for most kickoff returns (62), most touchdown receptions in a season (12), most career touchdown receptions (19).
Professional career
New Orleans Saints
Duckett was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the third round (68th overall) of the 1982 NFL Draft. he was mainly as a kickoff returner and backup wide receiver. In 1985, he was placed on injured reserve list in August and was later waived on October 15.[1][2] He left the team with 64 kickoff returns for 1,338 yards, 503 receiving yards and 4 receiving touchdowns.
Dallas Cowboys
On December 5, 1985, he was signed as a free agent by the Dallas Cowboys to return kickoffs.[3] He was released on August 18, 1986.[4]
Personal life
Duckett contributed extensively to the Forsyth Chapter of the American Diabetes Association. In 1993, he started suffering from kidney failure as a result of his diabetes condition. On April 15, 1998, he was found dead at his home at the age of 38, due to renal failure.[5]
References
- ^ http://www.nytimes.com/1985/08/28/sports/transactions-220871.html
- ^ http://www.nytimes.com/1985/10/16/sports/transactions-083530.html
- ^ "Eugene Register-Guard - Búsqueda en el archivo de Google Noticias". google.com.
- ^ http://www.nytimes.com/1986/08/19/sports/transactions-168886.html?pagewanted=all
- ^ "Raiders' Dt Chester Set Free". philly-archives.