Daniel James Amendola (/æmənˈdoʊlə/; born November 2, 1985) is an American football wide receiver and punt returner for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Texas Tech. He was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2008, and joined the Patriots as a free agent in March 2013. Amendola has also been a member of the Philadelphia Eagles and the St. Louis Rams.
Amendola attended The Woodlands High School in The Woodlands, Texas, a suburb of Houston, playing football under coach Weldon Willig. He completed his high school career by leading his team to its first-ever Texas state championship game. Although they lost the championship to North Shore High School, Amendola finished his senior season with 1,045 receiving yards, 129 rushing yards, and eight touchdowns.
Amendola finished his college career at Texas Tech with 204 receptions for 2,246 yards and 15 touchdowns. He also returned 116 punts for 1,283 yards and one touchdown, giving him an average of 11.06 yards per return, which ranks Amendola third all-time in school history in punt returns and yardage, behind only Wes Welker and Tyrone Thurman. Amendola's best year was his senior year, in which he was overshadowed by teammate Michael Crabtree, but still recorded 109 catches for 1,245 yards and 6 touchdowns.