Jeff Jaeger
Encyclopedia
Jeff Todd Jaeger is a former American football
placekicker
who played in 12 National Football League
seasons and was an All-American kicker at the University of Washington
. In the NFL Jaeger played for the Cleveland Browns
, the Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders
, and the Chicago Bears
. In his rookie
season in 1987, Jaeger broke all of the Browns rookie scoring records with 75 points despite playing in only ten games. Jaeger led the Raiders in scoring during five consecutive seasons and consistently ranked in the top 10 in the league in scoring.
. Jaeger was not offered scholarships out of high school and chose to walk on to the University of Washington.
Chuck Nelson
in 1983 and earned Honorable Mention in the AP's
All-America team as a freshman. Jaeger would repeat as an AP honorable mention All-America selection in his sophomore season. Following Jaeger's junior year he was selected as a 2nd Team All-American by Football News. Following his senior season, in which the Huskies went 8-3-1, Jaeger was a consensus All-American, selected as a 1st Team All-American by both the AP and UPI.
Jaeger is still the all-time Washington Husky
scoring leader with 358 points and holds the NCAA record with 80 career field goals
(Jaeger finished with 21 more field goals than the second leading kicker in Husky
history). In his senior season, Jaeger converted 17 of 21 field goal attempts as well as 42 of 43 extra point tries. Perhaps most impressively Jaeger was 6 of 7 on field goal attempts of 40 yards or more.
in 1991. He tied the Raiders franchise record for longest field goal with a 54-yarder in 1992. In 1993, he led the NFL in scoring and set a new Raider record with 132 points. That same year he also led the NFL in FGs made and tied the all-time NFL mark for FG attempts. During the game against the Denver Broncos
, Jaeger kicked a 53-yard field goal to win the game. Although that kick was low, the ball managed to pass through the uprights.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
placekicker
Placekicker
Placekicker, or simply kicker , is the title of the player in American and Canadian football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals, extra points...
who played in 12 National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
seasons and was an All-American kicker at the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
. In the NFL Jaeger played for the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, the Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, and the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. In his rookie
Rookie
Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of their sport or has little or no professional experience. The term also has the more general meaning of anyone new to a profession, training or activity Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of...
season in 1987, Jaeger broke all of the Browns rookie scoring records with 75 points despite playing in only ten games. Jaeger led the Raiders in scoring during five consecutive seasons and consistently ranked in the top 10 in the league in scoring.
High school career
Jaeger was a standout kicker in Kent, WA for Kent-Meridian High SchoolKent-Meridian High School
Kent-Meridian High School is a high school located in Kent, Washington and part of the Kent School District. Its principal is Dr. Wade Barringer....
. Jaeger was not offered scholarships out of high school and chose to walk on to the University of Washington.
College career
At Washington, Jaeger took over for outgoing All-American placekickerPlacekicker
Placekicker, or simply kicker , is the title of the player in American and Canadian football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals, extra points...
Chuck Nelson
Chuck Nelson
Charles LaVerne Nelson is a former professional American football placekicker for five seasons for the Los Angeles Rams, Buffalo Bills, and the Minnesota Vikings in the National Football League. He played college football at the University of Washington...
in 1983 and earned Honorable Mention in the AP's
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
All-America team as a freshman. Jaeger would repeat as an AP honorable mention All-America selection in his sophomore season. Following Jaeger's junior year he was selected as a 2nd Team All-American by Football News. Following his senior season, in which the Huskies went 8-3-1, Jaeger was a consensus All-American, selected as a 1st Team All-American by both the AP and UPI.
Jaeger is still the all-time Washington Husky
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
scoring leader with 358 points and holds the NCAA record with 80 career field goals
Field goal (football)
A field goal in American football and Canadian football is a goal that may be scored during general play . Field goals may be scored by a placekick or the now practically extinct drop kick.The drop kick fell out of favor in 1934 when the shape of the ball was changed...
(Jaeger finished with 21 more field goals than the second leading kicker in Husky
Husky
Husky is a general name for a type of dog originally used to pull sleds in northern regions, differentiated from other sled dog types by their fast hard pulling style...
history). In his senior season, Jaeger converted 17 of 21 field goal attempts as well as 42 of 43 extra point tries. Perhaps most impressively Jaeger was 6 of 7 on field goal attempts of 40 yards or more.
Pro career
Jaeger was voted to his first Pro BowlPro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
in 1991. He tied the Raiders franchise record for longest field goal with a 54-yarder in 1992. In 1993, he led the NFL in scoring and set a new Raider record with 132 points. That same year he also led the NFL in FGs made and tied the all-time NFL mark for FG attempts. During the game against the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Jaeger kicked a 53-yard field goal to win the game. Although that kick was low, the ball managed to pass through the uprights.