Happy birthday to former Heritage Hall, Texas Tech and long-time NFL receiver Wes Welker, born on this day in 1981 in Oklahoma City.
Welker was a McDonald's All-State selection, Gatorade Oklahoma Player of the Year, USA Today Oklahoma State Player of the Year and was The Oklahoman's Offensive Player of the Year as a senior running back at Heritage Hall, accounting for nearly 26-hundred all-purpose yards and 36 touchdowns, made 118 tackles on defense and also connected on 13 of 16 field goal attempts -- including a 57-yarder in a win over Alva.
He helped lead the Chargers to the Class 2A title in 1998 as a junior and a 12-1 record as a senior, finishing his career with 3,235 yards rushing, 2,551 yards receiving and 90 touchdowns.
At 5'9" and 185 pounds, Welker was overlooked by many schools, but that was a mistake as a scholarship opened up at Texas Tech and he went on to earn second team All-Big 12 as a junior and first team as a senior, finishing with 259 receptions for 3,069 yards and 21 touchdowns as well as the NCAA's all-time leader in punt return yardage with 1,761 yards and eight punt return touchdowns.
Welker went undrafted in 2004 before signing as a free agent with the San Diego Chargers, but was released early in the season and quickly signed with the Miami Dolphins.
In Miami, he became a productive asset, earning AFC Special Teams Player of the Week. He had a 71 yard punt return and a 95-yard kickoff return that went for a touchdown as a rookie.
In 2005, he was promoted to the Dolphins' third receiver spot and finished with 29 catches for 434 yards, but again was used mostly on special teams. A year later, he led Miami with 67 receptions for 687 yards and a touchdown.
In 2007, the New England Patriots traded for Welker, teaming him up with Tom Brady and the move paid immediate dividends when Welker led the NFL with 112 receptions. He would eclipse the 100-catch mark in five of his six seasons with the Patriots, leading the league again in 2009 and 2011 and earning five Pro Bowl selections.
In 2013, Welker signed with the Denver Broncos, where he played two seasons and had a career-best ten touchdown catches in 2013.
He completed his NFL career in 2015 with the St. Louis Rams, ending with several NFL records for receptions, longest receiving touchdown (99 yards) as well as several Dolphins and Patriots franchise records.
He was also inducted into the Texas Tech Ring of Honor in 2024 and was named to the New England Patriots All-Dynasty Team.
After his playing career, Welker began a coaching career with the Houston Texans as offensive and special teams assistant. He has also coached with San Francisco, Miami and Washington and is currently an offensive assistant with the Commanders.
Happy birthday Wes!
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