Greg Jennings
Encyclopedia
Gregory Jennings, Jr. is a professional American football
wide receiver
for the Green Bay Packers
of the National Football League
. He was drafted out of Western Michigan University
in the second round, 52nd overall, of the 2006 NFL Draft
.
where he was all conference in three sports—football
, basketball
and track
. Jennings played wide receiver, running back
, outside linebacker
and defensive back
as a three-time letterman for the football team. He was listed 11th on the "Fab 50" rankings of the Detroit Free Press
as a senior. Jennings finished seventh in voting for Mr. Basketball of Michigan
in 2000–01 and scored a school record 50 points in a losing effort against Benton Harbor as a senior.
. He finished his career there with 238 receptions for 3539 yards and 39 touchdowns. Jennings was a red-shirt freshman
. He missed 8 games due to a broken ankle bone. In the 8 games he did play, he caught 10 passes for 138 yards. In 2003, he was second on the Broncos with 56 catches for 1,050 yards and 14 touchdowns. He finished the 2003 season with 1,734 all-purpose yards. He was named to the second team All-Mid American team. In 2004, he led the Broncos with 74 catches for 1,092 yards and 11 touchdowns. He tallied 1,415 all-purpose yards. He was named to the All-MAC team. In 2005, he had 98 catches, and led the nation in catches per game, with 8.91. He had 1,259 yards with 14 touchdowns, and earned the 2005 MAC Offensive Player of the Year Award. His 5,093 all-purpose yards is a WMU record, and ranks 8th in MAC history. Jennings became only the 11th player to gain over 1,000 yards in at least three seasons of a college career. Jennings graduated from WMU in 2010 after completing the 16 credits he needed through self-instructional classes.
. Jennings signed to a four-year contract on July 25, 2006. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
reported the deal was worth $2.85 million, including a $1.24 million signing bonus
.
Jennings was named the starting
wide receiver, along with Donald Driver
, which put Robert Ferguson in the slot, for his first professional regular season game Green Bay Packers
by head coach
Mike McCarthy on September 2, 2006. Jennings led the NFL in receiving yardage during the 2006 preseason. He had 1 catch for 5 yards in his first game.
On September 24, 2006, he caught a 75-yard TD pass from Brett Favre
against the Detroit Lions
. It was Favre's 400th TD pass for his career, a milestone reached only by Favre and Dan Marino
. This was also Jennings' first 100-plus yard game, as he finished with 3 catches, 101 yds and 1 touchdown. Jennings was voted NFL Rookie of the Week for games played September 24–25, 2006, the only time he received this honor. Jennings was also named to the NFL All Rookie team at the end of the season.
On September 23, 2007, Jennings caught a game-winning 57-yard TD pass from Favre with less than two minutes to play to help beat the San Diego Chargers
31–24 at Lambeau Field
and improve the team's record to 3–0 in 2007. This was Jennings' 1st touchdown catch in 2007, as well as Favre's 420th career touchdown pass, tying him with Dan Marino
for the most TD passes in NFL history.
A week later on September 30, 2007, during a 23–16 victory over the Minnesota Vikings
, Jennings caught a 16-yard pass from Brett Favre that opened the scoring 10 minutes into the first quarter, and broke the all-time touchdown pass record Favre had shared with Dan Marino. On October 29, 2007, Jennings caught an 82-yard touchdown pass from Favre to defeat the Denver Broncos
19–13 in overtime, tying him for the second longest overtime touchdown in NFL history. Then the following week, he caught the game-winning touchdown pass that went for 60 yards to beat the Chiefs in Kansas City. Against the Cowboys on November 29, 2007, in a game broadcast on the NFL network, Jennings hauled in the first ever touchdown pass by quarterback Aaron Rodgers
.
Jennings and running back Ryan Grant
each had a touchdown during a 33–14 victory over the St. Louis Rams
on December 16, 2007, making it the first time two Packers players have each scored a touchdown in the same four consecutive games. Jennings collected 80 receptions for 1292 yards and 9 touchdowns in the 2008 season.
On June 23, 2009 Jennings received a new three year extension which will pay him $26.35 million and includes $16M guaranteed. It also includes a $11.25 million signing bonus. Jennings caught a game winning pass on September 13, 2009 on a 3rd and two play, where the Packers ran a play action fake and rolled Aaron Rodgers
out to the left, who then threw a long 50 yard pass to Greg Jennings to defeat the Chicago Bears
in the season opener. In the Packers 2009 Wild Card game against the Arizona Cardinals, Jennings had 8 receptions for 130 yards, scoring 1 touchdown. He has spent his entire career with the Packers.
In the 2010-2011 season, Jennings helped the packers go 10-6 in the regular season.
In Super Bowl XLV
, on February 6, 2011, Jennings caught four passes for 64 yards and scored two touchdowns in the Packers' 31–25 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers
.
. He portrayed a lab technician working at a crime scene. Jennings is also in discussions to appear on BET's The Game. He appeared as himself on the July 6, 2011, episode of Royal Pains
.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
for the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He was drafted out of Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University is a public university located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. The university was established in 1903 by Dwight B. Waldo, and as of the Fall 2010 semester, its enrollment is 25,045....
in the second round, 52nd overall, of the 2006 NFL Draft
2006 NFL Draft
The 2006 National Football League Draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with additional coverage offered by ESPNU and, for the first time, by...
.
High school career
Jennings attended Kalamazoo Central High SchoolKalamazoo Central High School
Kalamazoo Central High School is a public high school in Kalamazoo, Michigan serving students from ninth through twelfth grades. It was the first public high school in Michigan. It began operating in 1858 and graduated its first class of five men and three women in 1859. It moved to its current...
where he was all conference in three sports—football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and track
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
. Jennings played wide receiver, running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
, outside linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
and defensive back
Defensive back
In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
as a three-time letterman for the football team. He was listed 11th on the "Fab 50" rankings of the Detroit Free Press
Detroit Free Press
The Detroit Free Press is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, USA. The Sunday edition is entitled the Sunday Free Press. It is sometimes informally referred to as the "Freep"...
as a senior. Jennings finished seventh in voting for Mr. Basketball of Michigan
Mr. Basketball of Michigan
Each year the Hal Schram Mr. Basketball award is given to the person chosen as the best high school boys basketball player in the U.S. state of Michigan...
in 2000–01 and scored a school record 50 points in a losing effort against Benton Harbor as a senior.
College career
Greg Jennings attended Western Michigan UniversityWestern Michigan University
Western Michigan University is a public university located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. The university was established in 1903 by Dwight B. Waldo, and as of the Fall 2010 semester, its enrollment is 25,045....
. He finished his career there with 238 receptions for 3539 yards and 39 touchdowns. Jennings was a red-shirt freshman
Redshirt (college sports)
Redshirt is a term used in American college athletics that refers to a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen his or her period of eligibility...
. He missed 8 games due to a broken ankle bone. In the 8 games he did play, he caught 10 passes for 138 yards. In 2003, he was second on the Broncos with 56 catches for 1,050 yards and 14 touchdowns. He finished the 2003 season with 1,734 all-purpose yards. He was named to the second team All-Mid American team. In 2004, he led the Broncos with 74 catches for 1,092 yards and 11 touchdowns. He tallied 1,415 all-purpose yards. He was named to the All-MAC team. In 2005, he had 98 catches, and led the nation in catches per game, with 8.91. He had 1,259 yards with 14 touchdowns, and earned the 2005 MAC Offensive Player of the Year Award. His 5,093 all-purpose yards is a WMU record, and ranks 8th in MAC history. Jennings became only the 11th player to gain over 1,000 yards in at least three seasons of a college career. Jennings graduated from WMU in 2010 after completing the 16 credits he needed through self-instructional classes.
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers drafted Jennings in the 2nd round (52nd pick overall) of the 2006 NFL draft2006 NFL Draft
The 2006 National Football League Draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with additional coverage offered by ESPNU and, for the first time, by...
. Jennings signed to a four-year contract on July 25, 2006. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. It is the primary newspaper in Milwaukee, the largest newspaper in Wisconsin and is distributed widely throughout the state...
reported the deal was worth $2.85 million, including a $1.24 million signing bonus
Signing bonus
A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive to the employee, e.g., if the annual salary is lower than he or she desires...
.
Jennings was named the starting
Starting lineup
A starting lineup in sports is an official list of the set of players who will actively participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes or bench players.The starters are commonly the best...
wide receiver, along with Donald Driver
Donald Driver
Donald Jerome Driver is an American football wide receiver and children's author. He plays for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League...
, which put Robert Ferguson in the slot, for his first professional regular season game Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
by head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
Mike McCarthy on September 2, 2006. Jennings led the NFL in receiving yardage during the 2006 preseason. He had 1 catch for 5 yards in his first game.
On September 24, 2006, he caught a 75-yard TD pass from Brett Favre
Brett Favre
Brett Lorenzo Favre is a former American football quarterback who spent the majority of his career with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He was a 20-year veteran of the NFL, having played quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons , Green Bay Packers , New York Jets and Minnesota...
against the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
. It was Favre's 400th TD pass for his career, a milestone reached only by Favre and Dan Marino
Dan Marino
Daniel Constantine "Dan" Marino, Jr. is a retired American football quarterback who played for the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League...
. This was also Jennings' first 100-plus yard game, as he finished with 3 catches, 101 yds and 1 touchdown. Jennings was voted NFL Rookie of the Week for games played September 24–25, 2006, the only time he received this honor. Jennings was also named to the NFL All Rookie team at the end of the season.
On September 23, 2007, Jennings caught a game-winning 57-yard TD pass from Favre with less than two minutes to play to help beat the San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
31–24 at Lambeau Field
Lambeau Field
Lambeau Field is an outdoor football stadium in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the home of the NFL's Green Bay Packers. Opened in 1957 as City Stadium, it replaced the original City Stadium as the Packers' home field...
and improve the team's record to 3–0 in 2007. This was Jennings' 1st touchdown catch in 2007, as well as Favre's 420th career touchdown pass, tying him with Dan Marino
Dan Marino
Daniel Constantine "Dan" Marino, Jr. is a retired American football quarterback who played for the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League...
for the most TD passes in NFL history.
A week later on September 30, 2007, during a 23–16 victory over the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
, Jennings caught a 16-yard pass from Brett Favre that opened the scoring 10 minutes into the first quarter, and broke the all-time touchdown pass record Favre had shared with Dan Marino. On October 29, 2007, Jennings caught an 82-yard touchdown pass from Favre to defeat the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
19–13 in overtime, tying him for the second longest overtime touchdown in NFL history. Then the following week, he caught the game-winning touchdown pass that went for 60 yards to beat the Chiefs in Kansas City. Against the Cowboys on November 29, 2007, in a game broadcast on the NFL network, Jennings hauled in the first ever touchdown pass by quarterback Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Charles Rodgers is an American football quarterback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . Rodgers was selected in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft by the Packers...
.
Jennings and running back Ryan Grant
Ryan Grant
Ryan Brett Grant is a running back for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He was originally signed by the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2005 but was traded to the Packers shortly before the 2007 season in exchange for a future sixth-round draft pick...
each had a touchdown during a 33–14 victory over the St. Louis Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
on December 16, 2007, making it the first time two Packers players have each scored a touchdown in the same four consecutive games. Jennings collected 80 receptions for 1292 yards and 9 touchdowns in the 2008 season.
On June 23, 2009 Jennings received a new three year extension which will pay him $26.35 million and includes $16M guaranteed. It also includes a $11.25 million signing bonus. Jennings caught a game winning pass on September 13, 2009 on a 3rd and two play, where the Packers ran a play action fake and rolled Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Charles Rodgers is an American football quarterback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . Rodgers was selected in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft by the Packers...
out to the left, who then threw a long 50 yard pass to Greg Jennings to defeat the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the season opener. In the Packers 2009 Wild Card game against the Arizona Cardinals, Jennings had 8 receptions for 130 yards, scoring 1 touchdown. He has spent his entire career with the Packers.
In the 2010-2011 season, Jennings helped the packers go 10-6 in the regular season.
In Super Bowl XLV
Super Bowl XLV
Super Bowl XLV was an American football game between the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference champion Green Bay Packers to decide the National Football League champion for the 2010 season. The game was held at Cowboys Stadium in...
, on February 6, 2011, Jennings caught four passes for 64 yards and scored two touchdowns in the Packers' 31–25 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
.
Greg Jennings Foundation
This is a foundation started by Greg Jennings to attempt to benefit underprivileged children and youth organizations. The entire charity organization raises money through organizational events, donations, and fund raisers. The organization allows people, groups, and organizations from either Michigan or Wisconsin to apply for grant money. The mission statement for the foundation is as follows: "The Greg Jennings Foundation strives to partner with and assist other organizations in educating youth by providing the necessary resources in order for them to reach their academic potential." The headquarters of the foundation is found in Kalamazoo, Michigan. (http://www.gj85foundation.com/)Regular season statistics
| Season | Team | G | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Long | TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 2006 NFL season The 2006 NFL season was the 87th regular season of the National Football League.Regular season play was held from September 7 to December 31, 2006... |
Green Bay Packers 2006 Green Bay Packers season - Game summary :The Packers opened the regular season on September 10 with a 26-0 loss to the Chicago Bears, the Packers' first scoreless game since October 17, 1991.... |
14 | 11 | 45 | 632 | 14.0 | 75 | 3 |
| 2007 2007 NFL season The 2007 NFL season was the 88th regular season of the National Football League.Regular-season play was held from September 6 to December 30.... |
Green Bay Packers 2007 Green Bay Packers season The 2007 Green Bay Packers season was the franchise's 89th overall and 87th season in the National Football League. The Packers finished the regular season with an impressive 13-3 record. They received a bye for the first round of the playoffs, won their divisional round playoff game, and lost in... |
13 | 13 | 53 | 920 | 17.4 | 82 | 12 |
| 2008 2008 NFL season The 2008 NFL season was the 89th regular season of the National Football League, themed with the slogan "Believe in Now."Super Bowl XLIII, the league's championship game, was at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on February 1, 2009, with the Pittsburgh Steelers coming out victorious over the... |
Green Bay Packers 2008 Green Bay Packers season The 2008 Green Bay Packers season was the 88th season in the National Football League for the Packers and their 90th overall. They looked to continue success after posting a 13-3 record in 2007, but finished the season with a losing 6-10 record and missed the playoffs.- 2008 NFL Draft :The Packers... |
16 | 15 | 80 | 1,292 | 16.2 | 63 | 9 |
| 2009 2009 NFL season The 2009 NFL season was the 90th regular season of the National Football League.The preseason started with the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on August 9, 2009, and the regular season began September 10. The season ended with Super Bowl XLIV, the league's championship game, on February 7, 2010 at... |
Green Bay Packers 2009 Green Bay Packers season The 2009 Green Bay Packers season was the 89th season in the National Football League for the Green Bay Packers and the 91st season for the team overall... |
16 | 13 | 68 | 1,113 | 16.4 | 83 | 4 |
| 2010 2010 NFL season The 2010 NFL season was the 91st regular season of the National Football League.The regular season began with the NFL Kickoff game on NBC on Thursday, September 9, at the Louisiana Superdome as the New Orleans Saints, Super Bowl XLIV champions, defeated the Minnesota Vikings 14–9.Tom Brady,... |
Green Bay Packers 2010 Green Bay Packers season The 2010 Green Bay Packers season was the 90th season in the National Football League for the Packers and the 92nd season for the team overall. With a record of 10–6, the Packers entered the playoffs as the NFC's sixth seed... |
16 | 16 | 76 | 1,265 | 16.6 | 86 | 12 |
| 2011 2011 NFL season The 2011 NFL season, the 92nd regular season of the National Football League, began on Thursday, September 8, 2011 with the Super Bowl XLV champion Green Bay Packers defeating the New Orleans Saints 42–34 at Lambeau Field and will end with Super Bowl XLVI, the league's championship game, on... |
Green Bay Packers 2011 Green Bay Packers season The 2011 Green Bay Packers season is the franchise's 91st season in the National Football League, the 93rd season overall and the sixth under head coach Mike McCarthy... |
10 | 10 | 51 | 755 | 14.8 | 79 | 7 |
| Total | 84 | 77 | 373 | 5,977 | 16.0 | 86 | 47 |
Acting career
On May 5, 2010, Jennings made an appearance on the CBS prime time hit show Criminal MindsCriminal Minds
Criminal Minds is an American police procedural drama that premiered September 22, 2005, on CBS. The series follows a team of profilers from the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit based in Quantico, Virginia. The BAU is part of the FBI National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime...
. He portrayed a lab technician working at a crime scene. Jennings is also in discussions to appear on BET's The Game. He appeared as himself on the July 6, 2011, episode of Royal Pains
Royal Pains
Royal Pains is a USA Network television series that premiered on June 4, 2009, starring Mark Feuerstein, Paulo Costanzo, Jill Flint and Reshma Shetty. The series is based in part on actual concierge medicine practices of independent doctors and companies...
.