Damon Dunn

Damon Jerrel Dunn (born March 15, 1976) is an American politician, commercial real estate developer, minister, and former football player.

Damon Dunn
No. 87
Position:Wide receiver
Personal information
Born: (1976-03-15) March 15, 1976
Fort Worth, Texas
Height:5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight:182 lb (83 kg)
Career information
High school:Arlington (TX) Houston
College:Stanford
Undrafted:1998
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
  • First-team Academic All-Pac-10 (1997)
  • First-team All-Pac-10 (1995)
Career NFL statistics
Games played:5
Receiving yards:6
Receptions:1
Player stats at NFL.com

Early life

Dunn was born in 1976 in Fort Worth, Texas to a 16-year-old mother, Ramona Dunn. When Dunn was three years old his father, Texas Longhorns starting wide receiver, Mike Lockett, was killed in a car accident.[1][2] Dunn grew up in a trailer on his grandparents' farm.[3] Dunn was an honor student in Sam Houston High School in Arlington, Texas and an All-State Texas football player.[3][4]

College

After high school Dunn attended Stanford University on a football scholarship after being recruited by Bill Walsh. Dunn also ran track at Stanford. At Stanford Dunn was coached by Tyrone Willingham and Dunn has said he viewed him as a father figure, having grown up without a male role model in his life. While at Stanford Dunn set numerous records and was awarded a NCAA Academic Scholarship, All-Pac-10 Honors and Academic All-Pac-10 Honors, and the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame Award.[4] During his career at Stanford Dunn participated as an associate pastor in the Jerusalem Baptist Church, where he managed youth ministries.[1]

NFL career

Dunn graduated from Stanford in 1998 with a degree in public policy.[4] He was not picked in the 1998 NFL Draft.[5] The season after he graduated from Stanford, Dunn was on the practice squad of the National Football League team Jacksonville Jaguars.[6] Dunn then played for the Cleveland Browns in 1999. The next year, Dunn played in the Berlin Thunder of NFL Europe, the New York Jets of the NFL, and the Browns in 2000.[7] In 2001, Dunn played for the XFL team Los Angeles Xtreme; the XFL folded after that season.[8] Dunn joined Dallas Cowboys training camp before the 2001 NFL season.[6] He left the NFL after being injured there.[3]

Other ventures

After retiring from the NFL, Dunn and a former Stanford roommate became partners in an Irvine, California-based real estate business, which developed several shopping centers.[3]

Politics

California Secretary of State

In 2009, Dunn announced that he would run for California Secretary of State challenging incumbent Democrat Debra Bowen. The Los Angeles Sentinel quoted Dunn: "There are a lot of African Americans that are conservative fiscally, but we don't have the welcoming face in the Republican Party."[9]

In March 2010, notorious "birther" Orly Taitz qualified to run for the office of California Secretary of State. At the same time, she unsuccessfully challenged the eligibility of her Republican Party primary opponent, Dunn, claiming that he was pretending to be a Republican. While playing for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Dunn had registered to vote as a Democrat in 1999 but that registration expired in 2005.[10]

On May 12, 2010, Pamela Barnett (named plaintiff from Taitz's lawsuit Barnett v. Obama) filed a lawsuit in the Sacramento County Superior Court alleging that Dunn was not eligible to run for Secretary of State.[11][12][13]

The San Francisco Chronicle endorsed Dunn for the June 2010 primary.[14] Ronnie Lott, a Hall of Fame NFL player, endorsed Dunn the following month.[15]

Taitz was defeated by Dunn in the June 8 primary by a margin of about three to one,[16] losing by over 900,000 votes.[17]

On June 17, 2010, Taitz filed a lawsuit in the Orange County Superior Court contesting the election results, again alleging Dunn's ineligibility.[18] On March 17, 2011, the judge ruled against Taitz.[19] On May 1, 2012, a California Court of Appeal affirmed the superior court's ruling.[20][21]

Mayor of Long Beach

In 2014 Dunn ran for Mayor of Long Beach.[22] He qualified for the runoff by finishing second in the primary election, and faced Robert Garcia on June 3.[23]

Dunn lost the election to Robert Garcia, former vice-mayor on June 3, 2014.[24]

Electoral history
California Secretary of State election, 2010
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Debra Bowen (incumbent) 3,786,174 53.1
Republican Damon Dunn 2,751,863 38.6
Green Ann Menasche 204,236 2.9
Libertarian Christina Tobin 157,974 2.2
American Independent Merton D. Short 121,023 1.6
Peace and Freedom Marylou Cabral 120,338 1.6
Total votes 7,141,608 100.00
Democratic hold

Personal life

While in the NFL, Dunn worked with the Make-a-Wish Foundation visiting kids with terminal diseases. Dunn started the Fighting Giants Ministry that ministers to children with life changing injuries. Dunn has also worked with St. Augustine Soup Kitchen, the Cops-N-Kids program and the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. Dunn served as president of his local Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter and has spoken nationally at FCA events. Dunn is also a licensed Baptist minister and a member of Antioch Church of Long Beach. He lives in Long Beach, California.[3]

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References
  1. Barnes, Evan (December 10, 2009). "Damon Dunn: Republican for State Office". Los Angeles Sentinel. Retrieved December 30, 2010.
  2. DeVaughn, Mark (January 11, 2010). "Damon Dunn for CA Sec. of State!". The Bootleg. Scout.com. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved December 30, 2010.
  3. Skelton, George (December 24, 2009). "Stanford football hero warms up for a statewide run". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 30, 2010.
  4. "1997 Graduated Senior Bios". GoStanford.com. CBS Sports. Archived from the original on 2011-08-19. Retrieved December 30, 2010.
  5. "The Positions: WR". CNNSI.com. April 13, 1998. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
  6. FitzGerald, Tom (August 7, 2001). "Dunn is a Cowboy with a tale to tell". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
  7. http://www.nfl.com/players/damondunn/profile?id=DUN527300
  8. "Damon Dunn". all-xfl.com. Retrieved December 30, 2010.
  9. "Damon Dunn: Republican for State Office". LA Sentinel. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
  10. Activist who challenges Obama's citizenship is booted from Tax Day Tea Party, Los Angeles Times, Seema Mehta, April 13, 2010. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
  11. Wisckol, Martin (May 12, 2010). "Lawsuit would benefit Obama birthplace lawyer". The Orange County Register. Archived from the original on 2010-05-15. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
  12. Weigel, David (March 10, 2010). "Orly Taitz Challenges the Eligibility of an African-American Politician". The Washington Independent. Archived from the original on 2010-03-22. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
  13. Kornhaber, Spencer (March 8, 2010). "Orly Taitz's Claims About Damon Dunn's Eligilibity: False!". OC Weekly. Archived from the original on 2010-05-14. Retrieved May 4, 2010.
  14. "Chronicle endorsements". San Francisco Chronicle. June 8, 2010. p. A15.
  15. Marinucci, Carla (July 28, 2010). "CA GOP Sec of State candidate Damon Dunn, former NFL player, lands endorsement of Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott". San Francisco Chronicle Politics Blog. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
  16. "Mercury News (AP): "Dunn to face Bowen for Calif secretary of state"". San Jose Mercury News. June 8, 2010. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
  17. California Secretary of State's website. Retrieved June 21, 2010. Archived June 9, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  18. Kornhaber, Spencer (July 1, 2010). "UPDATED: Orly Taitz Continues Jihad Against Damon Dunn (And, Now, Us)". OC Weekly. Archived from the original on 2010-08-12. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
  19. Coker, Matt (March 18, 2011). "Donald Trump Gives Orly Taitz Sloppy Wet Kiss". OC Weekly. Archived from the original on March 20, 2011. Retrieved March 18, 2011.
  20. "Docket". California Appellate Courts. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
  21. Moxley, R. Scott (May 2, 2012). "Orly Taitz Booted From California Court of Appeal in Election Fraud Case". OC Weekly. Archived from the original on May 5, 2012. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  22. Stewart, Joshua (May 29, 2014). "In a liberal city, candidates don't want to be a Republican". Orange County Register. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
  23. Bradley, Eric (April 9, 2014). "Robert Garcia wins, Damon Dunn second as Long Beach mayor race goes to runoff". Long Beach Press Telegram. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  24. Robert Garcia beats Damon Dunn, becomes Long Beach’s youngest mayor, Long Beach Press Telegram, June 4, 2014. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
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