Who Is Jesse Palmer

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Jesse Palmer is a former professional Canadian football player, television personality, and businessman. He is best known for being the first-ever Bachelor on "The Bachelor" show and for hosting "The Pro Football Showdown", alongside Maria Taylor on ESPN and ABC.

Born in Toronto, Canada, on October 5, 1978, Palmer attended the University of Florida where he played college football from 1997 to 2000. He earned a B.A. in economics and was a member of the Florida Gators football team. As a senior, he was the MVP of the Orange Bowl as the Gators won on a last-second touchdown.

In 2001, Palmer was a fourth-round draft pick by the New York Giants. During his four-year career, he played in 22 games, starting five. He passed for 1,196 yards and three touchdowns with seven interceptions.

Palmer retired in 2005 and soon began making appearances in television. In the same year, he was one of 25 bachelors chosen for the debut season of ABC’s popular dating show, ‘The Bachelor’. Four years later, he served as bachelor a second time for ‘The Bachelorette’. He also appeared in celebrity game shows “Good Game”, “1 vs. 100”, “Show Me the Money”, and “Canada Sings”.

In 2014, Palmer joined ESPN as college football analyst and studio host. He appeared on a variety of studio shows and also hosted “The Pro Football Showdown” on Thursday nights. He currently serves as a sportscaster for Fox Sports.

In addition to television, Palmer is an entrepreneur and investor. He has served as a principal investor in software companies and founded his own sports marketing company, JPP Enterprises.

For his efforts, Palmer has been recognized by the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and the Queen of Canada Medal of Honour.