Wide Receiver
No. 82
William and Mary
"One of pro football's premier receivers after two seasons, Knight's third season was one of injury and frustration. He stretched a ligament in his left knee during the first veteran practice, and three weeks later tore cartilage which required surgery on August 17. David missed the first seven regular season games and suffered muscle pulls en route to recovery. He played briefly at Miami on November 9, and in five of the last six Jets games of 1975 did not catch a pass.
In 1974, Knight fulfilled all the hopes the Jets had for him, catching 40 passes for 579 yards, a 14.5 average, and four touchdowns. He started at right wide receiver and finished second behind Jerome Barkum in Jets receiving stats and eighth in the AFC while catching passes in 13 of 14 games. Rated one of Namath's favorite targets for 'big situation' passes, David caught touchdown passes against Baltimore, Houston, the Giants and New England. He had a career [day] against the Patriots, catching seven for 117 yards.
David owns a reputation as one of the NFL's most sure-handed receivers in the NFL- coaches say he dropped only one pass during the entire 1974 season. Drafted 11th in 1973, he does not have burning speed but has a great knack for finding the open spot and holding on after he's hit, and runs outstanding patterns. Until his 1975 injuries, Knight had not missed a game in his two years.
Knight won AP All-East honors and was two-time All-Southern Conference. He caught 133 passes for 1,995 yards and nine touchdowns- he had six touchdown receptions as a sophomore. Knight played in the East-West and North-South Shrine Games, the Coaches' All-America Game and the 1971 Tangerine Bowl.
He holds a B.S. in business administration. Born in Trieste, Italy, his hometown is Alexandria, Virginia. His brother also played wide receiver at William & Mary. David idolized Oakland's Fred Biletnikoff during his early career."
-1976 New York Jets Media Guide
No comments:
Post a Comment