Jessie Hester
{{Short description|American football player (born 1963)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name = Jessie Hester
| number = 84, 89, 86
| position = Wide receiver
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1963|01|21|mf=y}}
| birth_place = Belle Glade, Florida, U.S.
| height_ft = 5
| height_in = 11
| weight_lb = 175
| high_school = Glades Central (FL)
| college = Florida State
| draftyear = 1985
| draftround = 1
| draftpick = 23
| pastteams =
- Los Angeles Raiders ({{NFL Year|1985|1987}})
- Atlanta Falcons ({{NFL Year|1988|1989}})
- Indianapolis Colts ({{NFL Year|1990|1993}})
- Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams ({{NFL Year|1994|1995}})
| statlabel1 = Receptions
| statvalue1 = 373
| statlabel2 = Receiving yards
| statvalue2 = 5,850
| statlabel3 = Receiving touchdowns
| statvalue3 = 29
| pfr = HestJe00
}}
Jessie Lee Hester (born January 21, 1963) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for 11 years in the National Football League (NFL). Hester played for the Los Angeles Raiders, Atlanta Falcons, Indianapolis Colts, and the Los Angeles / St. Louis Rams from 1985 to 1995. He played college football at Florida State.
Early life
Hester was a football star at Glades Central High School in Belle Glade, Florida.
College career
He played college football at Florida State University.{{cite web | url=https://www.nolefan.org/football/hester_jesse.html | title=Jessie Hester }} He was a Second Team All-First Independent in 1982, First Team All-South independent selection in 1984. He finished his college career with 107 catches for 2,100 yards and 21 touchdowns. He was a taken with the 23rd pick in the first round of the 1985 NFL draft.{{Cite web |title=1985 NFL Draft Listing |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1985/draft.htm |access-date=2023-10-09 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}
Professional career
In his career, Hester played in 147 games and caught 373 receptions for 5,850 yards and 29 touchdowns.
NFL career statistics
| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
! colspan="2"| Legend |
| Bold
| Career high |
= Regular season =
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" | |||||||
| rowspan="2"| Year
!rowspan="2"| Team !colspan="2"| Games !colspan="5"| Receiving | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | |
| 1985 | RAI
| 16 || 16 || 32 || 665 || 20.8 || 59 || 4 | ||||||
| 1986 | RAI
| 13 || 2 || 23 || 632 || 27.5 || 81 || 6 | ||||||
| 1987 | RAI
| 10 || 0 || 1 || 30 || 30.0 || 30 || 0 | ||||||
| 1988 | ATL
| 16 || 3 || 12 || 176 || 14.7 || 41 || 0 | ||||||
| 1990 | IND
| 16 || 14 || 54 || 924 || 17.1 || 64 || 6 | ||||||
| 1991 | IND
| 16 || 16 || 60 || 753 || 12.6 || 49 || 5 | ||||||
| 1992 | IND
| 16 || 16 || 52 || 792 || 15.2 || 81 || 1 | ||||||
| 1993 | IND
| 16 || 16 || 64 || 835 || 13.0 || 58 || 1 | ||||||
| 1994 | RAM
| 16 || 15 || 45 || 644 || 14.3 || 41 || 3 | ||||||
| 1995 | STL
| 12 || 7 || 30 || 399 || 13.3 || 38 || 3 | ||||||
| colspan="2"| | 147 | 105 | 373 | 5,850 | 15.7 | 81 | 29 |
= Playoffs =
Coaching career
After retiring from the NFL, Hester returned to Belle Glade, Florida to become the head football coach at his alma mater, Glades Central High School. He also owns a home in Wellington, Florida.
On December 17, 2010, Hester was fired from his position of Head Coach at Glades Central High School after guiding the team to a record of 36–4 over three seasons. Hester had led the Raiders to the playoffs for three consecutive years and appearances in two consecutive state championship games, which they lost. In 2011, he went 3–7 as head football coach at Suncoast High School.
Author Bryan Mealer's book Muck City focuses on Hester's life in Belle Glade and the 2010 Glades Central Raiders team he coached. The book was released in October 2012.
In the spring of 2012, Hester became Athletic Director for Lake Worth Community High School. In December 2012, Hester was named football coach. He was fired after a domestic incident. He returned to coach at Glades Central for a few years afterwards.{{cite web | url=https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/sports/high-school/football/2019/11/05/glades-central-football-coach-jessie-hester-will-not-return-next-season/2362177007/ | title=Glades Central football coach Jessie Hester will not return next season }}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{1985 NFL Draft}}{{RaidersFirstPick}}
{{Raiders1985DraftPicks}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hester, Jessie}}
Category:Players of American football from Belle Glade, Florida
Category:American football wide receivers
Category:Florida State Seminoles football players
Category:Los Angeles Raiders players
Category:Atlanta Falcons players
Category:Indianapolis Colts players
Category:Los Angeles Rams players
Category:St. Louis Rams players
Category:Sportspeople from Wellington, Florida
Category:21st-century African-American sportsmen