Chris Anthony DeFrance (born September 13, 1956 in Waldo, Arkansas) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins. He also was a member of the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League. He played college football at Arizona State University.
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| Position: | Wide receiver | ||
| Personal information | |||
| Born: | (1956-09-13) September 13, 1956 (age 65) Waldo, Arkansas | ||
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||
| Weight: | 205 lb (93 kg) | ||
| Career information | |||
| High school: | Corcoran (CA) | ||
| College: | Arizona State | ||
| NFL Draft: | 1979 / Round: 6 / Pick: 164 | ||
| Career history | |||
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| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||
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| Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |||
DeFrance attended Corcoran High School. He moved on to Bakersfield College, where he was a Junior College All-American at wide receiver and helped his team reach the 1976 Junior Rose Bowl. In track, he practiced the long jump and triple jump, winning the conference championship in both events. He also ran the mile-relay.
In 1977, he transferred to Arizona State University, posting 11 receptions for 291 yards and 3 touchdowns. In the Fiesta Bowl against Penn State University, he came up big with 7 receptions for 144 yards.[1]
In 1978, although he missed spring practice with a broken foot, he came back to lead the team with 31 receptions for 617 yards and 5 touchdowns. In the Garden State Bowl, he had a 58-yard touchdown reception.
DeFrance was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the sixth round (164th overall) of the 1979 NFL Draft. He was waived on August 21.[2]
On August 29, 1979, he was claimed off waivers by the Washington Redskins. He was cut on October 9.
On February 6, 1980, he was signed as a free agent by the Chicago Bears. He was released on August 19.
On March 19, 1981, he was signed by the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League. In his first year he posted 64 receptions for 1,195 yards, an 18.7-yard average and 5 touchdowns, including a 100-yard touchdown reception. He had 3 straight 1,000+ receiving yards seasons and was a two-time CFL West All-Star.[3] In 1984, he missed the 1,000 yards plateau (917 yards) because of injuries.
In 1986, he was traded to the Montreal Alouettes in exchange for linebacker John Pointer. He was cut during training camp.
DeFrance finished his career with 328 receptions for 5,035 yards and 21 touchdowns.[4]
Dallas Cowboys 1979 NFL draft selections | |
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