John Denney John S . Denney ( born December 13 , 1978 ) is an American football long snapper for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League ( NFL ) . He played college football for Brigham Young University ( BYU ) , and was signed by the Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2005 . Early years . Denney was born to Craig and Sheri Denney in Denver , Colorado . He learned to play the violin at age 5 and was an Eagle Scout . A member of the LDS Church , Denney served a church mission to Morristown , New Jersey . As a child , he was a fan of the Denver Broncos . Denney was a three - year letterman at Horizon High School in Thornton , Colorado . As a senior , he earned first - team all - conference honors , second - team all - state honors and was his team ' s Special Teams Player of the Year . A three - time academic all - conference selection , Denney graduated from Horizon in 1997 with National Student - Athlete honors . College career . Ricks College . Despite being recruited by Northern Colorado , Chadron State and Mesa State , Denney chose to attend Ricks College . He earned All - Region 18 honors as a freshman and helped the school to a 44 - 14 win over Snow College in the Real Dairy Bowl . In that game , Denney recorded two sacks and two pass deflections . Brigham Young University . After a season at Ricks College , Denney transferred to Brigham Young University and was redshirted in 2001 . A neck injury sidelined Denney early during his sophomore season in 2002 , but he went on to start seven games at left defensive end for the team . He recorded 25 tackles ( eight solo ) on the season , including five - tackle performances against Colorado State and Utah . Additionally , Denney earned Academic All - Mountain West honors . As a junior in 2003 , Denney earned Academic All - Mountain West honors for the second straight season while starting 12 games at defensive end . He finished he season with 42 tackles ( seventh on the team ) , six tackles for a loss and 4 . 5 sacks . He was named the team ' s Defensive Player of the Game twice , against USC and Wyoming . Denney recorded 27 tackles ( 8 . 5 for losses ) during his senior season in addition to 4 . 5 sacks and a forced fumble . Following the season , he was chosen to play in the Hula Bowl . During his three - year career at BYU , Denney started 29 of the 32 games in which he played and recorded 94 tackles . He also handled long - snapping duties for the Cougars throughout his career . He majored in business management . Professional career . Miami Dolphins . After going undrafted in the 2005 NFL Draft , Denney was signed by the Miami Dolphins . He beat out incumbent Ed Perry for the team ' s long - snapping duties , holding the job the entire 2005 season . He was the only undrafted free agent for the Dolphins to appear in every game that season . He recorded five tackles on special teams during the year , including a season - high two stops against the San Diego Chargers on December 11 . In February 2006 , Denney underwent surgery on an injured elbow . He played in every game for the Dolphins for the second straight season , recording five tackles . Denney recorded two tackles and recovered a Brad Kassell fumble on a punt against the New York Jets on December 25 , leading to a game - tying Olindo Mare field goal in the fourth quarter . On March 22 , 2007 , the Dolphins re - signed Denney to a four - year contract through the 2010 season . That season , he appeared in all 16 games for the Dolphins for the third straight year and recorded three special teams tackles . Through his first three NFL seasons , Dolphins placekicker s made all 81 extra point attempts and 80 . 9 percent of the field goals ( 72 of 89 ) for which Denney was the snapper . Personal . Denney is the younger brother of Buffalo Bills defensive end Ryan Denney . Their younger brother , Brett , was also a defensive end for the Cougars . Denney and his wife Christy have three sons and one daughter - Austin , Brock , Westin , and Gracie . He lists his favorite movie as " The Endless Summer II " , favorite TV show as " Seinfeld " and favorite recording artist as Dave Matthews .