Duke Preston

Raymond Newton Preston III (born June 12, 1982, in San Diego, California) is a former American football center for the Buffalo Bills and Dallas Cowboys. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at Illinois.

Duke Preston
No. 69, 75
Position:Center
Personal information
Born: (1982-06-12) June 12, 1982
San Diego, California
Height:6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:311 lb (141 kg)
Career information
High school:San Diego (CA) Mt. Carmel
College:Illinois
NFL Draft:2005 / Round: 4 / Pick: 122
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career NFL statistics
Games played:59
Games started:20
Fumble recoveries:2
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Early years

Preston graduated from Mt. Carmel High School in San Diego, where he practiced football and baseball.

College career

Preston accepted a football scholarship from the University of Illinois. He was a three-year starter at center and only allowed one sack in his last two seasons. He started 35 straight games.

Professional career

Buffalo Bills

Preston was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the fourth round (122nd overall) of the 2005 NFL Draft.[1] He competed for the starting position to help fill the void left with the departure of Trey Teague. As a rookie, he played in all 16 games,[2] starting one game for the injured Chris Villarrial, while playing on special teams. He was also named to The Sporting News All-Rookie Team.

In 2006, Preston appeared in all 16 games for the Bills while starting in 8 of the contests.[3] In 2007, Preston failed to start in any games for the Bills, but made appearances in 13 of the club's 16 games.[4]

In 2008, Preston started a career-high 11 games, all at center, sharing time with Melvin Fowler. He has also played some guard and right tackle for the Bills making appearances in 15 of the teams 16 contests.

During the four years Preston spent with the Bills, he appeared in 59 of the teams 64 contests while getting a starting nod in 20 of them. After the 2008 season, Preston became an unrestricted free agent. In 2009, Preston and Fowler were replaced by Geoff Hangartner.

Green Bay Packers

On March 30, 2009, he was signed as a free agent by the Green Bay Packers.[5] He was released on August 25.[6]

Dallas Cowboys

On August 26, 2009, he signed with the Dallas Cowboys, declining offers from the Cleveland Browns and Oakland Raiders.[7] He was released on October 10, to make room for Chauncey Washington who was signed from the practice squad. He was re-signed on October 12, after Washington was waived. He was declared inactive in 15 regular season games and 2 playoff games.

On May 8, 2010, Preston announced his retirement from professional football.

Personal life

His father, Ray Preston, was a standout football player at Syracuse University, and had a nine-year NFL career with the San Diego Chargers. He has one sister Casie currently living and teaching in Indianapolis.

After football, he earned a master's degree in Christian Education from the Dallas Theological Seminary. In 2013, he was hired as the program director for the University of Notre Dame's Student Welfare and Development.[8] In 2015, he was hired by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the team's director of player engagement.[9]

References
  1. "2005 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  2. "2005 Buffalo Bills Starters, Roster, & Players - Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 15, 2018.
  3. "2006 Buffalo Bills Starters, Roster, & Players - Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 15, 2018.
  4. "2007 Buffalo Bills Starters, Roster, & Players - Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 15, 2018.
  5. "Packers.com » News » Press Releases » March 30, 2009: Packers Sign Free Agent Duke Preston". Archived from the original on April 3, 2009. Retrieved March 31, 2018. Packers Sign Free Agent Duke Preston
  6. "Source: Wells staying put, Pack to release Preston | National Football Post". Archived from the original on August 28, 2009. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
  7. Tom Pelissero [@TomPelissero] (August 26, 2009). "That didn't take long. RT @BradBiggs Duke preston agrees to terms with dallas, chooses cowboys over cleveland and oakland" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  8. "Duke Preston Named Program Director For Notre Dame Student Welfare And Development". January 24, 2013. Retrieved September 15, 2018.
  9. "In tragic times, Bucs rely on bonds Duke Preston forms". November 6, 2015. Retrieved September 15, 2018.
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