| No. 36, 45 | |||||
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| Position: | Placekicker | ||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Born: | July 12, 1935 Natchez, Mississippi, U.S. | ||||
| Died: | September 1, 2016 (aged 81) Tupelo, Mississippi, U.S. | ||||
| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||
| Weight: | 201 lb (91 kg) | ||||
| Career information | |||||
| High school: | Natchez (MS) | ||||
| College: | Ole Miss | ||||
| NFL draft: | 1957 / round: 22 / pick: 256 | ||||
| Career history | |||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||
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Jennings Paige Cothren (July 12, 1935 – September 1, 2016) was an American football fullback-placekicker who starred collegiately at the University of Mississippi before he became the first player to sign a contract with the New Orleans Saints in their National Football League (NFL) history although he would never play a game for the team. Known by his middle name, Cothren spent time with two NFL teams, the Los Angeles Rams (1957–58) and Philadelphia Eagles (1959).[1][2] In his career, he booted 81 consecutive extra points without a miss to join a select group to achieve the feat.
Cothren was inducted into the Ole Miss Athletics of Fame in 1988.