| No. 29 | |||||||||
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| Position: | Safety | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | (1967-04-18)April 18, 1967 (age 57) Bartow, Florida, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 187 lb (85 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Lakeland (FL) Kathleen | ||||||||
| College: | Albany State (GA) | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1990: 9th round, 221st pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Kenneth Dwayne Gant (born April 18, 1967) is a formerAmerican footballsafety in theNational Football League (NFL) for theDallas Cowboys andTampa Bay Buccaneers. He wonSuper Bowl XXVII andSuper Bowl XXVIII, both over theBuffalo Bills. He playedcollege football atAlbany State University.
Gant attendedKathleen High School inLakeland, Florida. He received a football scholarship fromAlbany State University, where although he came in as an offensive player, he was converted to the defensive side and became a four-year starter atcornerback.[1]
As a freshman, he posted 15 tackles, 3 interceptions and one pass defensed. As a sophomore, he tallied 33 tackles, 3 interceptions and 6 passes defensed. As a junior, he recorded 55 tackles, 3 sacks and 6 passes defensed. He also made 7 tackles againstFort Valley State University.
As senior, he registered 55 tackles, 5 interceptions (third in the conference) and one blocked punt. He had 6 tackles and one interception againstSavannah State University. In his college career he only missed one game, finishing with 158 tackles, 14 interceptions, 17 passes defensed and 4 fumble recoveries.[2]
Gant was selected by theDallas Cowboys in the ninth round (221st overall) of the1990 NFL draft. During training camp he was tried atcornerback, but the team eventually moved him tosafety. As a rookie, he was activated from theinjured reserve list on October 1.
In1991, from hisgunner position he led the Cowboysspecial teams with 25 tackles (18 solo). He also registered 14 defensive tackles and 3 passes defensed. He started atleft cornerback in the eleventh game against theNew York Giants. He was a kickoff returner in the last 9 games of the season.
In1992, he was moved fromcornerback tostrong safety and the defense led theNFL in preventing third-down conversions, allowing opponents a conversion rate of 27.2 percent. He finished with 13special teams tackles (second on the team), three sacks, ninequarterback pressures, three interceptions (tied for the team lead), three forced fumbles (tied for the team lead), 10 passes defensed, one blocked punt and led backup players in defensive tackles (54). In1993, he was third on the team with 17special teams tackles.[3] He also was a kickoff returner in the first 4 games of the season. In the playoffs against theAtlanta Falcons, he forced 2 fumbles in the third quarter to help set up 2touchdowns.
In1993, he missed most oftraining camp after suffering a separated left shoulder in preseason against theDetroit Lions. He played in 12 games, collecting 17special teams tackles (fourth on the team), one interception, 11 passes defensed (second on the team) and led backup players in defensive tackles (43).
In1994, he had 15special teams tackles, one interception, 4 passes defensed and 15 defensive tackles.[4]
Gant was a member of the CowboysSuper Bowl XXVII andSuper Bowl XXVIII championship teams. He was nicknamed "The Shark" because during the1992 season, before everykickoff and after making big plays, he would perform a celebratory dance dubbed "The Shark Dance". Typically, he would strut around, flapping his elbows while holding his hand over his head to simulate a shark's dorsal fin, a move that he learned from teammateKevin Smith, who called it "the Shark Fin" from his days atTexas A&M University, wheredefensive backs used it to celebrate.[5]
On March 23,1995, Gant signed as afree agent with theTampa Bay Buccaneers. He appeared in 16 games with 3 starts, collecting 28 defensive tackles, 2 passes defensed and 11special teams tackles (second on the team).
In1996, he appeared in 16 games as a backup, tallying 11special teams tackles (third on the team). In1997, he appeared in 9 games as a backup, registering 4special teams tackles. He was waived on November 28.[6]
In 1999, Gant played for theMobile Admirals in the short-livedRegional Football League.[7]
Gant is married and has two children. He resides inDallas, Texas, where he is the founder and pastor of Faith Works Ministries International.[8]