William V. James Chadwick Pennington, born on June 26, 1976, is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons.
Pennington Named AP's NFL Comeback Player
Pennington's journey to collegiate stardom was marked by perseverance and academic excellence. Here's a detailed look at his college career.
Early Years and Recruitment
Pennington's father, Elwood, was a physical education teacher and football coach at Halls High School, and his mother, Denise, was a teacher at the Webb School of Knoxville. He had a firm grip on reality. He was an excellent student.
Pennington had a choice of colleges. Middle Tennessee State and UT-Chattanooga recruited him. The Volunteers didn’t need him when he was coming out of Webb School. Webb coach David Meske used the wing-T and favored run over pass.
He went to camp at Marshall University, his parents’ alma mater, and coach Jim Donnan offered a scholarship. In August 1995, he was fourth-string quarterback, about to be redshirted for the second time. He had repeated eighth grade when he enrolled at Webb.
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Marshall University Career
Originally the Thundering Herd's fourth-string quarterback in 1995 and slated to be redshirted, Pennington led Marshall to the 1995 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game, which Marshall lost to Montana, 22-20. Circumstances changed at Marshall. Two QBs were injured.
The following year, Pennington was redshirted in favor of Eric Kresser, a transfer from the Florida Gators, who guided the Herd's return to the I-AA Championship game (a victory) in 1996. He sat out the next year while a new coach and a transfer quarterback did their thing.
Pennington returned to play in 1997 as Marshall moved from Division I-AA to Division I-A. The next year, Pennington led the Herd to a new experience, a bowl game, a rout of Louisville. He led Marshall to the school's first bowl game victory in a 48-29 rout of Louisville in the 1998 Motor City Bowl. Pennington was named the game's MVP.
In his senior year (1999), Marshall went undefeated at 13-0 as Pennington led the team to its third consecutive Mid-American Conference championship. As a senior, his team went 13-0 and back to the Motor City Bowl and a victory over BYU.
Pennington completed 433 passes for 4,006 yards and 38 touchdowns in 1999, leading the Herd to a perfect 13-0 season. Career numbers were 13,423 yards and 115 touchdowns. Perhaps you recall that Pennington was fifth in voting for the Heisman Trophy.
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Pennington set school records in several passing categories and established an NCAA season record for most touchdown passes (24) from a passer to a single receiver (Randy Moss), breaking the previous mark of 19. Randy Moss was Pennington's top receiver at Marshall.
Here is a table summarizing Pennington's key college statistics:
| Year | Division | Yards | Touchdowns |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Division I-AA | - | - |
| 1999 | Division I-A | 4,006 | 38 |
| Career Total | 13,423 | 115 |
Academic Achievements
In addition to his success on the football field, Pennington excelled academically, graduating with a degree in journalism, a 3.83 grade point average and becoming a finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship.
A two-time First Team Academic All-American, Pennington was named the 1999-2000 CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year and was a finalist for a prestigious Rhodes Scholarship.
Legacy and Post-College Career
Selected by the New York Jets as the 18th overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft, Pennington played seven seasons with the Jets, leading them to the playoffs three times. Pennington was a first-round draft choice of the New York Jets.
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He passed for nearly 18,000 yards and 102 touchdowns in 11 NFL seasons. Through the years, he took a lot of hits and was too often injured. Twice he was NFL comeback player of year. Pennington retired from the NFL in 2011.
Ever loyal to his alma mater, Pennington serves on Marshall’s Board of Governors, and he was inducted into Marshall’s W. In 2017, Pennington was named the head football coach at the Sayre School in Lexington, Kentucky, which restarted its high school football program after more than 40 years.
Pennington and his wife, Robin, founded the 1st and 10 Foundation, which seeks to build stronger communities and improve the quality of life in West Virginia, Tennessee and the New York Metropolitan areas. He and his college girlfriend, Robin Hampton, married in 2001. Chad and Robin used some to create the 1st and 10 Foundation with the mission to enhance communities where they have been.
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