David Beverly (football player)
Encyclopedia
David Edward Beverly is a former American football
punter
who played seven seasons in the National Football League
for the Houston Oilers
and the Green Bay Packers
. He played as quarterback and punter for Sweet Water High School
. At the final game of his junior season, he sustained what was thought to be a career-ending knee injury and was unable to play in his senior season.
He enrolled at Auburn University, where his father and all five of his siblings had graduated and, encouraged by his passion for sports, decided to join the football team as a walk-on.
During a freshman practice session, head coach Shug Jordan spotted Beverly’s high spiraling punts and asked a ballboy to bring him over to see him. That began a great punting career for David. While at Auburn, he earned three letters and was named to the 1971 All-Southeastern Conference Team. His net punt yardage averages are still records at Auburn.
After earning his degree, he played for one year for the Houston Oilers (now the Tennessee Titans) in 1974, then went to the Green Bay Packers (1975–80), where he was the starting punter for his tenure there. Even though he was a Southern boy punting in the frozen conditions at Green Bay, he still holds the all-time Packer records for career punts (495) and single-season punts (106), with three games in which he punted 10 times, second on the Green Bay list. When he retired, he held the record for fewest career punts blocked (274).
David was selected to the Auburn “Team of the Seventies,” and was named the best SEC punter of the last 25 years by sports writer Alf Van Hoose. He was also honored in 1973 with a David Beverly Day in Sweet Water
.
Beverly lives in Houston, Texas and works as an investment executive with Raymond James Financial. He and his wife, Jo Lynn, have two sons, David Beverly III and Bryan.
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...
punter
Punter (football position)
A punter in American or Canadian football is a special teams player who receives the snapped ball directly from the line of scrimmage and then punts the football to the opposing team so as to limit any field position advantage. This generally happens on a fourth down in American football and a...
who played seven seasons in 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...
for the Houston Oilers
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
and 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...
. He played as quarterback and punter for Sweet Water High School
Sweet Water High School
Sweet Water High School is a public high school that educates grades K–12 in the town of Sweet Water, Alabama, United States. It is operated by the Marengo County School System...
. At the final game of his junior season, he sustained what was thought to be a career-ending knee injury and was unable to play in his senior season.
He enrolled at Auburn University, where his father and all five of his siblings had graduated and, encouraged by his passion for sports, decided to join the football team as a walk-on.
During a freshman practice session, head coach Shug Jordan spotted Beverly’s high spiraling punts and asked a ballboy to bring him over to see him. That began a great punting career for David. While at Auburn, he earned three letters and was named to the 1971 All-Southeastern Conference Team. His net punt yardage averages are still records at Auburn.
After earning his degree, he played for one year for the Houston Oilers (now the Tennessee Titans) in 1974, then went to the Green Bay Packers (1975–80), where he was the starting punter for his tenure there. Even though he was a Southern boy punting in the frozen conditions at Green Bay, he still holds the all-time Packer records for career punts (495) and single-season punts (106), with three games in which he punted 10 times, second on the Green Bay list. When he retired, he held the record for fewest career punts blocked (274).
David was selected to the Auburn “Team of the Seventies,” and was named the best SEC punter of the last 25 years by sports writer Alf Van Hoose. He was also honored in 1973 with a David Beverly Day in Sweet Water
Sweet Water, Alabama
Sweet Water is a town in Marengo County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 234. It is home to Sweet Water High School, part of the Marengo County Public School System.-Geography:...
.
Beverly lives in Houston, Texas and works as an investment executive with Raymond James Financial. He and his wife, Jo Lynn, have two sons, David Beverly III and Bryan.