Dave Waymer

{{Short description|American football player (1958–1993)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}

{{Use American English|date=December 2023}}

{{Infobox NFL biography

| name = Dave Waymer

| number = 43, 44

| position = Safety

| birth_date = {{birth date|1958|7|1}}

| birth_place = Brooklyn, New York, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|1993|4|30|1958|7|1}}

| death_place = Mooresville, North Carolina, U.S.

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 1

| weight_lb = 195

| high_school = West Charlotte {{nowrap|(Charlotte, North Carolina)}}

| college = Notre Dame

| draftyear = 1980

| draftround = 2

| draftpick = 41

| pastteams =

• New Orleans Saints (1980–1989)
• San Francisco 49ers (1990–1991)
• Los Angeles Raiders (1992)

| highlights =

• Second-team All-Pro (1987)
• Pro Bowl (1987)
• New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame
• National champion (1977)

| statlabel1 = Interceptions

| statvalue1 = 48

| statlabel2 = Fumble recoveries

| statvalue2 = 18

| statlabel3 = Sacks

| statvalue3 = 1.0

| pfr = WaymDa00

}}

David Benjamin Waymer Jr. (July 1, 1958 – April 30, 1993) was an American professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL).

Waymer graduated from West Charlotte High School in 1976. He played college football for the Notre Dame, graduating in 1980, and was drafted in the 1980 NFL draft in the second round by the New Orleans Saints, where he played until 1989. He was offered a contract by the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League (USFL), but opted to remain in New Orleans, saying, "I always wanted to play there. I've got a lot of friends there, and that is where, hopefully, I'll finish out my career."May 19, 1985 [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E06E3DE133BF93AA25756C0A963948260 SPORTS PEOPLE; A Saint's Choice] The New York Times He played for the San Francisco 49ers in 1990 and 1991 and the Los Angeles Raiders in 1992.

During the 1993 offseason, Waymer died on April 30, 1993, at the age of 34, from a heart attack induced by cocaine use.May 19, 1993 [https://www.nytimes.com/1993/05/19/sports/sports-people-football-waymer-s-death-is-linked-to-cocaine.html?pagewanted=1 SPORTS PEOPLE: FOOTBALL; Waymer's Death Is Linked to Cocaine] The New York TimesJune 7, 1993 [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_n6_v84/ai_13825576/ Cocaine responsible for death of NFL's Dave Waymer] Original article from Jet Magazine{{cite web |author=Ralph Hickok |url=http://www.hickoksports.com/calendar/apr30.shtml |title=Hickok Sports: Sports Calendar - April 30 |publisher=Hickoksports.com |date=2008-11-06 |access-date=2013-05-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120206112228/http://www.hickoksports.com/calendar/apr30.shtml |archive-date=2012-02-06 |url-status=dead }}

The ABC/Wonderful World of Disney movie A Saintly Switch was dedicated to Waymer's memory in 1999.

On January 24, 2022, the SB Nation Saints blog Canal Street Chronicles featured Waymer in their "LIFE OF A SAINT" series. Family, friends and teammates come together to share their memories of the late Dave Waymer.{{cite web | url=https://www.canalstreetchronicles.com/2022/1/24/22895692/life-of-a-saint-dave-waymer | title=Life of a Saint: Dave Waymer | date=24 January 2022 }}