Winston Venabale (Born March 31, 1987) is an American football player who played for Boise State University. He is the son of former Major League Baseball player Max Venable as well as the younger brother of current San Diego Padres center fielder Will Venable.


High school and College career

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Venable attended the St. Thomas Moore school in Oakdale, CT. He then went on to Glendale Community College before transferring to Boise State in the spring of 2009. After transferring, Venable immediately earned a spot on the Broncos roster for the upcoming season.[1] He first made an impact in an early season game against Fresno State when he recorded the first score of the game off a 30 yard interception returned for a touchdown.[2] He is remembered by many fans for his hit on Fresno quarterback Ryan Colburn later in that same game, in which he launched himself head first, leaping over a would-be blocker to get his first career sack.[3]

After an undefeated regular season the Broncos were matched up against fellow undefeated TCU to play in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. Despite being a relatively low scoring game, the final minutes became exciting after a fake punt attempt by the Broncos led to a score. With a 17-10 lead, 1:06 remaining on the clock and TCU on their own 1-yard line, all the Broncos had to do was prevent a touchdown. But TCU lead by quarterback Andy Dalton covered nearly 60 yards in under 45 seconds, setting themselves up for a potential game tying score. However, on the ensuing play Dalton threw a pass towards the left sideline which was intercepted by Venable to seal the victory.[4]

Professional career

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On July 27, 2011, following the resolution of a labor dispute between the NFL Players Association and team owners, Venable was signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent.[5]

References

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  1. ^ "Winston Venable Bio". Retrieved 7/27/2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  2. ^ "Boise St. Broncos vs Fresno St, Bulldogs - Recap". Retrieved 7/28/2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  3. ^ "Winton Venable's hit on Ryan Colburn". Retrieved 7/28/2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  4. ^ "Boise St. Broncos vs TCU Horned Frogs - Recap". Retrieved 7/28/2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  5. ^ "Winston Venable signs with Chicago Bears". Retrieved 7/28/2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)