Former Vanderbilt Football Player Tragically Passes Away at 39 Years Old
Vanderbilt University, the football program, and the community as a whole received some heartbreaking news after it was announced that their former running back, Jeff Jennings, has tragically passed away at the age of 39 due to acute myeloid leukemia.
Per Cecil Joyce of The Tennessean, the announcement was made on a GoFundMe page organized by his uncle.
He was diagnosed with the disease in February.
Jennings played for the Commodores from 2004-2008 after his standout high school career at Jefferson County High where he amassed over 3,000 yards rushing and was an all-state running back and linebacker who led his team to Tennessee's 5A state quarterfinals in 2002.
He was also a multisport athlete, playing basketball and track and field before he turned his attention to football at the next level.
Jennings played in 10 of 11 games as a freshman, ending with 135 yards on the season and five touchdowns that trailed only quarterback Jay Cutler for the most on the team.
Carrying that momentum into his sophomore year, he started in 10 games where he totaled 448 yards and seven touchdowns before he suffered a knee injury that ended his season which kept him out of the entire 2006 campaign.
He returned for his senior season and appeared in 10 games again, wracking up 346 yards on the ground and two scores before his final year of college eligibility as a redshirt senior saw him gain just 80 yards and one touchdown on 34 carries.
Jennings left Vanderbilt with over 1,000 yards to his name and 15 touchdowns.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends during this difficult time.
