Waylon Prather
{{Short description|American football player and coach (born 1985)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name = Waylon Prather
| image =
| caption =
| number =
| position = Punter
| current_team =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1985|2|16}}
| birth_place = Felton, California, U.S.
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 3
| weight_lbs = 225
| high_school = San Lorenzo Valley
(Felton, California)
| college = San Jose State
| undraftedyear = 2008
| pastteams =
- New Orleans Saints ({{NFL Year|2008}})*
- New York Jets ({{NFL Year|2008}})*
- Arizona Cardinals ({{NFL Year|2009}})*
| pastcoaching =
- Cabrillo (2012–2013)
Wide receivers and tight ends coach - Harbor HS (CA) (2014–2015)
Head coach
| highlights =
- New Mexico Bowl champion (2006)
- First-team All-WAC (2006)
}}
Waylon Glenn Prather (born February 16, 1985) is an American football coach and former punter who coached wide receivers and tight ends coach at Cabrillo College and was the head coach at Harbor High School. He played college football at San Jose State and was signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 2008.
Prather has also been a member of the New York Jets.
Early life and college
Born in Felton, California, Prather graduated from San Lorenzo Valley High School in Felton in 2003. Prather redshirted 2003 and punted for the San Jose State Spartans football team from 2004 to 2007 and was part of the 2006 New Mexico Bowl championship team. He was a Western Athletic Conference Special Teams Player of the Week in 2005 and first-team All-WAC pick in 2006. Prather majored in kinesiology in San Jose State University and was a middle school student teacher in the spring of 2007{{cite web|title=#15 Waylon Prather|url=http://www.sjsuspartans.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=29304&SPID=2290&DB_OEM_ID=5600&ATCLID=202627|publisher=San Jose State Spartans|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120616154756/http://www.sjsuspartans.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=29304&SPID=2290&DB_OEM_ID=5600&ATCLID=202627|archivedate=June 16, 2012}} Prather graduated from San Jose State with a Bachelor of Science degree in kinesiology in May 2008.{{cite web|title=San Jose State University Athletics 2008 Commencement Student-Athlete & Current & Former Staff Participation|url=http://nmnathletics.com/downloads1/42305.pdf|publisher=San Jose State University|accessdate=February 15, 2015|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150215203059/http://nmnathletics.com/downloads1/42305.pdf|archivedate=February 15, 2015}}
Professional career
=New Orleans Saints=
Prather was signed by the Saints as an undrafted free agent on May 5, 2008, but was waived by the team on August 25.
=New York Jets=
Prather was signed to the Jets' practice squad on September 17, 2008. He was released a week later on September 24.
=Arizona Cardinals=
Prather was signed to a future contract by the Arizona Cardinals on December 30, 2008.
Coaching and teaching career
Prather became a personal trainer with LA Fitness and lived in San Diego County, California. He then moved to Santa Cruz County and began substitute teaching.{{cite web|title=Waylon Prather|url=http://www.linkedin.com/pub/waylon-prather/41/571/149|publisher=LinkedIn|accessdate=April 1, 2012}}
In 2012, Prather became wide receivers and tight ends coach at Cabrillo College, a junior college in Aptos, California.{{Cite web |url=http://www.cabrillo.edu/academics/athletics/football/coaches.html |title=Football - Cabrillo College |access-date=February 16, 2015 |archive-date=February 16, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150216162128/http://www.cabrillo.edu/academics/athletics/football/coaches.html |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |url=https://www.cabrillo.edu/salsa/listing.php?staffId=1863 |title=Cabrillo College: Waylon Prather |website=www.cabrillo.edu |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150216192153/https://www.cabrillo.edu/salsa/listing.php?staffId=1863 |archive-date=2015-02-16}}
Prather is now a physical education teacher at College Connection Academy in San Jose teaching 7th and 8th graders.
References
{{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Prather, Waylon}}
Category:American exercise instructors
Category:American football punters
Category:Cabrillo Seahawks football coaches
Category:San Jose State Spartans football players
Category:High school football coaches in California
Category:People from Aptos, California
Category:People from Felton, California
Category:Players of American football from Santa Cruz County, California