Kellen Winslow Kellen Boswell Winslow Sr . ( born November 5 , 1957 ) is a former American professional football player in the National Football League ( NFL ) . A member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame , he is widely recognized as one of the greatest tight ends in the league ' s history . Winslow played his entire NFL career from 1979 to 1987 with the San Diego Chargers after being selected in the first round of the 1979 NFL Draft . He played college football for the University of Missouri , where he was a consensus All - American . He was also inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame . Winslow became the athletic director at Central State University in 2008 . Winslow was announced as the new vice president for athletics and wellness at Lakeland College ( Wisconsin ) on August 16 , 2012 . Early life . Winslow did not play high school football until his senior year . Until then , he was a self - described " nerd " who played chess . College career . Winslow played for the Missouri Tigers , and was a two - time all - conference selection in the Big Eight and a consensus All - American in 1978 . Professional career . He was drafted in the first round of the 1979 NFL Draft by the Chargers and played for them until 1987 , when he retired from football due to injury . After a knee injury prematurely ended his rookie season , Winslow , as part of Air Coryell , led the NFL in receptions in 1980 and 1981 , becoming the first tight end ever to lead the league in receptions in back to back seasons . He also exceeded the 1 , 000 yards receiving milestone in 3 different seasons , including setting an NFL single season record for receiving yards by a tight end with 1 , 290 yards in the 1980 season . The record stood until Rob Gronkowski totaled 1 , 327 in 2011 . In a 1981 regular season game , Winslow tied an NFL record by catching five touchdown passes . In a 1981 – 82 playoff game against the Miami Dolphins that became known as The Epic in Miami , Winslow caught a playoff record 13 passes for 166 yards and a touchdown , while also blocking a field goal with seconds remaining to send the game to overtime in one of the greatest single player efforts in NFL history . Winslow ' s yardage total stood as the playoff record for tight ends for 30 years until Vernon Davis ' s 180 yards in . What made Winslow ' s performance all the more memorable was that fact during the game he was treated for a pinched nerve in his shoulder , dehydration , severe cramps , and received three stitches in his lower lip . After the game , a picture of Winslow being helped off the field by his teammates became an enduring image in NFL Lore . Tight ends prior to Winslow were primarily blockers lined up next to an offensive lineman and ran short to medium drag routes . Winslow was put in motion so he would not be jammed at the line , or he was lined up wide or in the slot against a smaller cornerback . Former Chargers assistant coach Al Saunders said Winslow was " a wide receiver in an offensive lineman ' s body . " Chargers head coach Don Coryell said , " If we ' re asking Kellen to block a defensive end and not catch passes , I ' m not a very good coach Back then , defenses would cover Winslow with a strong safety or a linebacker , as zone defenses were not as popular . Strong safeties in those times were almost like another linebacker , a run defender who could not cover a tight end as fast as Winslow . Providing another defender to help the strong safety opened up other holes . Former head coach Jon Gruden called Winslow the first " joker " in the NFL . He could line up unpredictably in any formation from a three - point stance as a blocker to a two - point stance or being in motion as a receiver . Head coach Bill Belichick notes that the pass - catching tight ends who get paid the most money are " all direct descendants of Kellen Winslow " and that there are fewer tight ends now who can block on the line . Winslow played in five Pro Bowl s , was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1995 , and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2002 . In his nine NFL seasons , Winslow caught 541 passes for 6 , 741 yards and 45 touchdowns . Kellen was a consensus All - Pro in 1980 , 1981 , and 1982 . He is also a member of the NFL ' s 75th Anniversary All - Time Team . He was the San Diego Chargers ' honorary captain at Super Bowl XXIX , and one of seven participants in the game ' s pregame coin toss , joining fellow 75th Anniversary Team members Otto Graham , Mean Joe Greene , Ray Nitschke and Gale Sayers , as well as fellow PBHOF Class of 1995 members Steve Largent , then a U . S . Congressman , and Lee Roy Selmon . Winslow worked as a college football announcer with Fox Sports Net . In 2008 , he was appointed the Athletic Director of Central State University in Ohio . In 1999 , he was ranked number 73 on " The Sporting News " ' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players of all time . Football family . Winslow ' s son , Kellen Winslow II , also plays tight end in the NFL . Winslow II was drafted in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft from the Miami Hurricanes by the Cleveland Browns , the team the Chargers traded with to draft the elder Winslow in 1979 . He wore his father ' s jersey No . 80 when he played for the Cleveland Browns , as a sign of respect for his accomplishments .