| Jessie Hester | |
| Number: | 84, 89, 86 |
| Position: | Wide receiver |
| Birth Date: | January 21, 1963 |
| Birth Place: | Belle Glade, Florida, U.S. |
| Height Ft: | 5 |
| Height In: | 11 |
| Weight Lb: | 175 |
| High School: | Glades Central (FL) |
| College: | Florida State |
| Draftyear: | 1985 |
| Draftround: | 1 |
| Draftpick: | 23 |
| Pastteams: | |
| Statlabel1: | Receptions |
| Statvalue1: | 373 |
| Statlabel2: | Receiving yards |
| Statvalue2: | 5,850 |
| Statlabel3: | Receiving touchdowns |
| Statvalue3: | 29 |
| Pfr: | HestJe00 |
Jessie Lee Hester (born January 21, 1963) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for 11 years in the National Football League (NFL). Hester played for the Los Angeles Raiders, Atlanta Falcons, Indianapolis Colts, and the Los Angeles / St. Louis Rams from 1985 to 1995. He played college football at Florida State.
Hester was a football star at Glades Central High School in Belle Glade, Florida.
He played college football at Florida State University.[1] He finished his college career with 107 catches for 2,100 yards and 21 touchdowns. He was a taken with the 23rd pick in the first round of the 1985 NFL draft.[2]
In his career, Hester played in 147 games and caught 373 receptions for 5,850 yards and 29 touchdowns.
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | |||
| RAI | 16 | 16 | 32 | 665 | 20.8 | 59 | 4 | ||
| RAI | 13 | 2 | 23 | 632 | 27.5 | 81 | 6 | ||
| RAI | 10 | 0 | 1 | 30 | 30.0 | 30 | 0 | ||
| ATL | 16 | 3 | 12 | 176 | 14.7 | 41 | 0 | ||
| IND | 16 | 14 | 54 | 924 | 17.1 | 64 | 6 | ||
| IND | 16 | 16 | 60 | 753 | 12.6 | 49 | 5 | ||
| IND | 16 | 16 | 52 | 792 | 15.2 | 81 | 1 | ||
| IND | 16 | 16 | 64 | 835 | 13.0 | 58 | 1 | ||
| RAM | 16 | 15 | 45 | 644 | 14.3 | 41 | 3 | ||
| STL | 12 | 7 | 30 | 399 | 13.3 | 38 | 3 | ||
| 147 | 105 | 373 | 5,850 | 15.7 | 81 | 29 | |||
After retiring from the NFL, Hester returned to Belle Glade, Florida to become the head football coach at his alma mater, Glades Central High School. He also owns a home in Wellington, Florida.
On December 17, 2010, Hester was fired from his position of Head Coach at Glades Central High School after guiding the team to a record of 36-4 over three seasons. Hester had led the Raiders to the playoffs for three consecutive years and appearances in two consecutive state championship games, which they lost. In 2011, he went 3-7 as head football coach at Suncoast High School.
Author Bryan Mealer's book Muck City focuses on Hester's life in Belle Glade and the 2010 Glades Central Raiders team he coached. The book was released in October 2012.
In the spring of 2012, Hester became Athletic Director for Lake Worth Community High School. In December 2012, Hester was named football coach. He was fired after a domestic incident. He returned to coach at Glades Central for a few years afterwards.[3]