Jay Leslie Pennison (born September 9, 1961 in Houma, Louisiana

Houma, Louisiana

Houma is a city in and the parish seat of Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, and the largest principal city of the Houma–Bayou Cane–Thibodaux Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's powers of government have been absorbed by the parish, which is now run by the Terrebonne Parish...

) is a former professional

Professional sports

Professional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, are sports in which athletes receive payment for their performance. Professional athleticism has come to the fore through a combination of developments. Mass media and increased leisure have brought larger audiences, so that sports organizations...

 American football

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...

 center

Center (American football)

Center is a position in American football and Canadian football . The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team's offense...

 who played in the United States Football League

United States Football League

The United States Football League was an American football league which was in active operation from 1983 to 1987. It played a spring/summer schedule in its first three seasons and a traditional autumn/winter schedule was set to commence before league operations ceased.The USFL was conceived in...

 (USFL) and 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...

 (NFL).

Early years

Pennison is a graduate of South Terrebonne High School

Terrebonne Parish School District

Terrebonne Parish School District is a school district headquartered in unincorporated Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, United States, adjacent to the city of Houma.The district serves residents in Terrebonne Parish.-Zoned:*8-12**H. L...

 class of 1979. The next year he walked on to Nicholls State University

Nicholls State University

Nicholls State University, founded in 1948, is a public university located in Thibodaux, Louisiana, USA. Nicholls is part of the University of Louisiana System of universities. Originally called Francis T. Nicholls Junior College, the institution split from the Louisiana State University System in...

 as a tight end

Tight end

The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...

 but was moved to center, the position he played his sophomore

Tenth grade

In majority of the world,Tenth grade is the tenth year of school post-kindergarten. The variants of "10th grade" in various nations is described below.-Australia:...

 and junior

Eleventh grade

Eleventh Grade is the eleventh, and for some countries final, grade of secondary schools. Students are typically 16 or 17 years of age, depending on the country and the students' birthdays.-Brazil:...

 seasons in high school

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....

. Pennison was a redshirt 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...

 due to his smaller size.

Professional career

Upon graduating college, he signed as a undrafted

Undrafted

An undrafted sportsperson or undrafted free agent is specific type of sportsperson who plays, or attempts to play, in a professional sports league without first being selected in a draft....

 free agent

Free agent

In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....

 for the Washington Redskins

Washington Redskins

The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...

 but was one of the last preseason cuts. Pennison went to play center for the Jacksonville Bulls

Jacksonville Bulls

The Jacksonville Bulls were a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. They were members of the United States Football League during its final two seasons, 1984 and 1985...

 of the USFL. When the USFL folded in 1986, Pennison got drafted by 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...

 in the NFL supplemental draft. Pennison went on to start

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...

 all 16 games that season. Pennison started 5 years on arguably one of the best offensive lines in the 1980s, with Bruce Matthews Hall of Fame

Pro Football Hall of Fame

The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...

 Class of 2007, Dean Steinkuhler

Dean Steinkuhler

-College career:Steinkuhler attended the University of Nebraska, where he won the Outland Trophy, given to the nation's top offensive lineman, in 1983. This marked the third consecutive time a Cornhusker had won the award as Dave Rimington had won back to back Outland Trophies in 1981 and 1982...

, Mike Munchak

Mike Munchak

Michael Anthony Munchak is the head coach of the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League. He played college football as a offensive lineman for Penn State University from 1978 to 1981. After his career at Penn State, He was drafted in the first round of the 1982 NFL Draft by the Houston...

 Hall of Fame Class of 2001, Kent Hill

Kent Hill

Kent Angelo Hill is a former American football offensive lineman who played nine seasons in the National Football League, mainly for the Los Angeles Rams. He was selected to five Pro Bowls. He was selected in the first round of the 1979 NFL draft out of Georgia Tech....

 1986-1987, Bruce Davis 1987-1989. The Oilers went to the playoffs 4 out of the 5 years that Pennison was with the team.