Notre Dame, 1974
• 1972 Second Team Academic All-America®
• 1973 First Team Academic All-America®
Dave Casper was inducted into the CoSIDA Academic All-America® Hall of Fame in 1993.
Famed tight end Dave Casper was nicknamed “The Ghost,” but he was definitely not invisible to his opponents. Casper was an incredibly talented athlete in high school, excelling at four sports. He played football, golf, baseball, and basketball, first at St. Edward High School in his native Elgin, Ill., and then at Chilton High School in Chilton, Wis. He was a senior standout on the Chilton High football team that went undefeated and unscored upon for the entire 1969-70 season.
Casper continued his football career at the University of Notre Dame where he was a three-year starter. He had a breakout season while playing offensive tackle as a junior when he was an honorable mention All-American, an Academic All-American and voted the Fighting Irish’s Most Valuable Player.
After switching to tight end his senior year, Casper received All-American honors while serving as captain of ND’s undefeated National Champion team in 1973. He graduated from Notre Dame in 1974 with a degree in economics and earned post-graduate scholarships from both the NCAA and the National Football Foundation.
Casper was the 45th player chosen in the 1974 NFL Draft and began his professional career with the Oakland Raiders. Throughout his 11-year career, Casper played for the Raiders, the Houston Oilers and the Minnesota Vikings. He was named to four consecutive All-Pro Teams (1976-1979) and made five consecutive Pro Bowl appearances (1977-1981).
Known for his humility, Casper also is regarded as one of the best tight ends to ever play the game. He caught 378 passes, including 52 for touchdowns, during his pro career.
Casper retired from the NFL after returning to the Raiders for one season in 1984 and now works at Northwestern Mutual in Concord, Calif. He was elected to the Academic All-America Hall of Fame in 1993 and received the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award in 1999.