Ken Fantetti (born April 7, 1957) is an American former professional football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Detroit Lions from 1979 through 1985.
| No. 57 | |||||||||
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| Position: | Linebacker | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | April 7, 1957 Toledo, Oregon, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 230 lb (104 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Gresham (OR) | ||||||||
| College: | Wyoming | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1979 / round: 2 / pick: 37 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Fantetti was born in Toledo, Oregon, in 1957 and played college football at the University of Wyoming from 1975 to 1978. As a senior in 1978, he had 124 tackles, including 73 unassisted tackles, and was selected as an All-American by the Football Writers Association of America.[1] He had 15 unassisted tackles and nine assists in a 1978 game against Utah. He was also selected as the Western Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 1978.[1]
He was selected by the Detroit Lions in the second round (37th overall pick) of the 1979 NFL draft.[2] At the time, Lions head coach Monte Clark called Fantetti "a deluxe hitter -- which means he's something special. He's an old fashioned, rough and tough, hard-nosed football player."[3] Fantetti played in 95 games for the Lions from 1979 to 1985.[2]
In 2008, Fantetti opened a barbecue restaurant called Big Ken's BBQ in Portland, Oregon.[4][5]
He was inducted into the University of Wyoming Athletics Hall of Fame in 2003.[1] Fantetti's biography at the Hall of Fame describes him as one of "greatest impact players" and "devastating linebackers" in Wyoming history.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d "UW Athletics Hall of Fame". Wyoming Athletics. Archived from the original on January 7, 2011. Retrieved May 4, 2010.
- ^ a b "Ken Fantetti profile". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved May 4, 2010.
- ^ Larry Paladino (May 1, 1979). "Lions Pleased With Draft Picks". Ludington Daily News.
- ^ "Member profile: Ken Fantetti". Go Big Network. Archived from the original on January 24, 2013. Retrieved May 4, 2010.
- ^ "Big Ken's BBQ". Yelp. Retrieved May 4, 2010.