Steve Tannen (American football)
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Miami, Florida, U.S.
| No. 21 | |||||||||
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| Position | Defensive back | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | July 23, 1948 Miami, Florida, U.S. | ||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||
| Listed weight | 194 lb (88 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Southwest Miami | ||||||||
| College | Florida (1966-1969) | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1970: 1st round, 20th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Steven Olson Tannen (born July 23, 1948) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive back in the National Football League (NFL) for five seasons during the early 1970s. Tannen played college football for the University of Florida, and was recognized as an All-American. He was a first-round pick in the 1970 NFL draft, and played his entire professional career for the New York Jets of the NFL.
Tannen is Jewish,[1][2] was born in Miami, Florida,[3] and attended Southwest Miami High School.[4] He was an outstanding track and field athlete in the Florida Relays as a senior in high school, competing in the high hurdles, pole vault, high jump and the 440 relay, as well as starring in high school football for the Southwest Miami Eagles. In 2007, 41 years after he graduated from high school, the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) recognized Tannen as one of the "100 Greatest Players of the First 100 Years" of Florida high school football.[5]
College career
Tannen accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played defensive back for coach Ray Graves' Florida Gators football team from 1967 to 1969.[6] He developed a reputation for tough play and being brash and cocky.[7] Tannen was a first-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) selection in 1968, a first-team All-American in 1969, and the recipient of the Gators' Fergie Ferguson Award recognizing the "senior football player who displays outstanding leadership, character and courage."[6] Memorably, Tannen blocked a punt in the 1969 Gator Bowl, which was returned for a touchdown and provided the Gators' margin of victory in their 14–13 upset win over the Tennessee Volunteers, and helped the Gators achieve their then best-ever record of 9–1–1.[8] A versatile athlete, Tannen finished his three-season college career with 11 interceptions, and led the team in punt return yardage as a senior.[6]
Tannen graduated from Florida with a bachelor's degree in business administration in 1972, and was later inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great."[9] In 2006, the sportswriters of The Gainesville Sun chose him as No. 15 among the 100 greatest players from the first 100 years of Florida Gators football.[10]