JoJo Townsell
American football player (born 1960)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Joseph Ray Townsell (born November 4, 1960) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL) and United States Football League (USFL).[1]
Reno, Nevada, U.S.
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| Position | Wide receiver | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born | November 4, 1960 Reno, Nevada, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Listed height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||||||||||
| Listed weight | 180 lb (82 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school | Hug (Reno, Nevada) | ||||||||||
| College | UCLA (1979–1982) | ||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1983: 3rd round, 78th overall pick | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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Early life
Townsell attended Hug High School in Reno, Nevada, where he earned all-Zone and all-State honors; in 2004, he was inducted into the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association Hall of Fame.[2]
College career
Townsell attended University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he was a sociology major.[3] He played college football for the UCLA Bruins as a four-year starter from 1979 to 1982.[4]
On October 25, 1980, he had a 100-yard kickoff return touchdown in a 32–9 UCLA win against California.[5]
On September 11, 1982, he set a UCLA record with four receiving touchdowns in one game, a 41–10 UCLA win against Long Beach State.[6] For the 1982 season, he was named second-team All-Pac-10.[7]
Professional career
In April 1983, Townsell was selected by the New York Jets in the third round of the 1983 NFL draft, and participated in Jets mini-camps.[8][9] However, in June 1983, he signed a four-year, $110,000 per year, contract with the Los Angeles Express of the USFL.[10][11] Two days after signing, in his first USFL game, Townsell had the game-winning receiving touchdown in a 17–13 Express win against the Arizona Wranglers.[12][3]
On April 14, 1984, he had a USFL-record 249 receiving yards in a game against the Memphis Showboats.[13][14]
In August 1985, he bought out his USFL contract and signed a three-year contract with the Jets.[11][15]
On December 13, 1986, Townsell recorded a 93-yard kickoff return touchdown, in a 24–45 Jets loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.[16]
In 1989, Townsell led the Jets with 787 receiving yards, and 5 receiving touchdowns.[17] He was named the Jets MVP for the 1989 season.[18]
In week 5 of the 1990 season, Townsell suffered a turf toe injury; in June 1991, he had surgery to remove a bone in his big toe.[19]
Townsell retired from professional football on October 25, 1991.[19]
