Dave Roller
Encyclopedia
David Euell Roller is a former American football
defensive lineman. While at Rhea Central High School in Dayton, David earned every honor including Parade Magazine's First Team All American and had 28 individual tackles in the first TSSAA All Star game in Nashville, TN, coached by Red Etter.
Roller played college football
for the University of Kentucky
Wildcats. David was nominated for defensive lineman of the week in his first collegiate game, as a sophomore, against Missouri and again against Tennessee his senior year. He was named to the first team All SEC in his junior and senior year as a Wildcat. In 2005, Mr. Roller was inducted into the University of Kentucky's inaugural Hall of Fame class along with George Blanda, Babe Parielli, Bear Bryant, Rick Pitno and many other UK athletes.
Roller later played professional football for 10 seasons, seven years in the National Football League
, 2 years in the Canadian Football League, and 18 months with the World Football League, until the league folded. Roller played for the New York Giants
(1971–1972), Green Bay Packers
(1975–1978) and Minnesota Vikings
(1979–1980).
Roller also played for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats
of the Canadian Football League
and for the Southern California Sun
of the World Football League
where he led the league in quarterback sacks in 1974 with 18 sacks and was defensive player of the year. Roller also signed with the Arizona Wranglers of the United States Football League (USFL) in 1982 after retiring with the Minnesota Vikings in 1981.
In March 1999 David was inducted into the Chattanooga's Sports Hall of Fame along with John Hannah of the New England Patriots and others by sportswriter Sam Woolwine of the Chattanooga News Free Press and other contributors.
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...
defensive lineman. While at Rhea Central High School in Dayton, David earned every honor including Parade Magazine's First Team All American and had 28 individual tackles in the first TSSAA All Star game in Nashville, TN, coached by Red Etter.
Roller played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
for the University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
Wildcats. David was nominated for defensive lineman of the week in his first collegiate game, as a sophomore, against Missouri and again against Tennessee his senior year. He was named to the first team All SEC in his junior and senior year as a Wildcat. In 2005, Mr. Roller was inducted into the University of Kentucky's inaugural Hall of Fame class along with George Blanda, Babe Parielli, Bear Bryant, Rick Pitno and many other UK athletes.
Roller later played professional football for 10 seasons, seven years 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...
, 2 years in the Canadian Football League, and 18 months with the World Football League, until the league folded. Roller played for the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
(1971–1972), 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...
(1975–1978) and 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...
(1979–1980).
Roller also played for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a Canadian Football League team based in Hamilton, Ontario, founded in 1950 with the merger of the Hamilton Tigers and the Hamilton Wildcats. The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Ivor Wynne Stadium...
of the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
and for the Southern California Sun
Southern California Sun
The Southern California Sun were an American football team based out of Anaheim, California that played in the World Football League in 1974 and 1975. Their records were 13-7 in 1974 and 7-5 in 1975. Their home stadium was Anaheim Stadium...
of the World Football League
World Football League
The World Football League was a short-lived gridiron football league that played in 1974 and part of 1975. Although the league's proclaimed ambition was to bring American football onto a worldwide stage, the farthest the WFL reached was placing a team – the Hawaiians – in Honolulu, Hawaii. The...
where he led the league in quarterback sacks in 1974 with 18 sacks and was defensive player of the year. Roller also signed with the Arizona Wranglers of the United States Football League (USFL) in 1982 after retiring with the Minnesota Vikings in 1981.
In March 1999 David was inducted into the Chattanooga's Sports Hall of Fame along with John Hannah of the New England Patriots and others by sportswriter Sam Woolwine of the Chattanooga News Free Press and other contributors.