Eric Sievers

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Eric Sievers
Arlington, Virginia)
College:Maryland
NFL draft:1981 / Round: 4 / Pick: 107
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career NFL statistics
Games played:128
Games started:53
Receptions:214
Receiving yards:2,485
Touchdowns:16
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Eric Scott Sievers (November 9, 1957 – April 10, 2024) was an American professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the San Diego Chargers. He played college football for the Maryland Terrapins before being selected by the Chargers in the fourth round of the 1981 NFL draft. Sievers was named to the NFL All-Rookie team in 1981. He played for ten NFL seasons from 1981 to 1990 for the Chargers, the Los Angeles Rams and the New England Patriots.

Early years and college

Born in

All-American honors in football from Parade and Scholastic Magazine.[4][5][2] He was inducted into the Virginia High School Hall of Fame in 1997.[2]

At the University of Maryland, College Park, Sievers established himself as a strong blocker, but he did not catch the ball much as the Terrapins did not pass often.[6][7]

Professional career

Sievers was selected by the

East–West Shrine Game, where they became friends.[8] In his first season in 1981, Sievers started 10 games while frequently replacing Kellen Winslow when the All-Pro tight end lined up outside as a wingback.[3][9][10] United Press International named Sievers to their NFL All-Rookie team.[9] In the postseason, the Chargers won their American Football Conference (AFC) divisional playoff game 41–38 in overtime over Miami.[11][12] A four-hour contest played under hot and humid conditions,[13][14] the game came to be known as the Epic in Miami and voted by the Pro Football Hall of Fame as the "NFL's Game of the '80s".[11][12] The enduring image of the game is an exhausted Winslow, who had 13 catches for 166 yards and blocked a game-winning field goal attempt at the end of regulation,[11] being carried off the field after the game by Sievers and teammate Billy Shields.[12][14][15] The Chargers fell one game short of the Super Bowl, losing the following week's AFC Championship Game 27–7 to Cincinnati in the coldest playoff game in NFL history at −59 °F (−51 °C) wind chill, dubbed the "Freezer Bowl".[13][16]

A solid blocker,

Plan B free agent.[17]

Sievers signed with the New England Patriots in 1989. Although Lin Dawson started at tight end, Sievers led all AFC tight ends that year with 54 receptions for 615 yards, both career highs.[1][17][29] In 1990, he injured his knee on November 4 against Philadelphia, and spent the remainder of the year on injured reserve. Sievers ended the season with eight catches for 77 yards in eight games with one start.[29] He signed with the Miami Dolphins as a Plan B free agent in 1991, but was waived during preseason.[30]

Later years

In 1994, Sievers partnered with host Charlie Jones on Chargers: Monday Night Live, a weekly Monday Night Football postgame show on KGTV channel 10 in San Diego.[31]

After a six-year battle with bladder cancer, Sievers died on April 10, 2024, at the age of 66.[19][32]

Notes

  1. Drew Gissinger, normally a tackle, had 1 playing tight end.[20][21] The Associated Press wrote in 2005 that the 1984 Chargers' tight ends had 163 catches.[22]

References

  1. ^ a b "Eric Sievers Stats". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Sanders, Rich (August 7, 2012). "Top 100: Eric Sievers, Washington-Lee, Football, 1976". Connection Newspapers. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Smith, Rick, ed. (1987). San Diego Chargers 1987 Media Guide. San Diego Chargers. pp. 58, 59. Retrieved April 13, 2024 – via Internet Archive.
  4. Newspapers.com
    .
  5. Newspapers.com
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  6. ^
    Newspapers.com
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  7. Newspapers.com
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  8. Newspapers.com
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  9. ^
    Newspapers.com
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  10. ^ Lockwood, Wayne (September 9, 1981). "Chargers Show Draws Varied 'Reviews'". The San Diego Union. p. C-2. Retrieved April 13, 2024 – via NewsBank. Pick 4B Eric Sievers started and played the entire game at tight end. Real tight end, that is, not the wingback position of Kellen Winslow.
  11. ^ a b c Weinberg, Dan. "One of the greatest". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  12. ^ a b c Popper, Daniel (July 17, 2021). "NFL 100: At 82, Kellen Winslow, the prototype for the modern tight end". The Athletic. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  13. ^ a b Reilly, Rick (October 25, 1999). "A MATTER OF LIFE AND SUDDEN DEATH THE 1982 PLAYOFF BETWEEN THE CHARGERS AND DOLPHINS WASN'T JUST A FOOTBALL GAME AND WASN'T A WAR, EXACTLY, BUT IT DID CHANGE A FEW PEOPLE'S LIVES". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  14. ^ a b "Miami, San Diego Go At It Again". Orlando Sentinel. January 10, 1993. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  15. ^ Harrison, Elliot. "Playing Through the Pain". NFL.com. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  16. ^ Gruver, Ed (2005). "Getting A Charge Out of the Postseason" (PDF). The Coffin Corner. 27 (3). Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  17. ^ a b c d Weyler, John (December 23, 1989). "A Role Player's Dream Season". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  18. ^ Canepa, Nick (April 13, 2024). "LT's allegations that OC threw playoff game still resonate in San Diego". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
  19. ^ a b Facinoli, Dave (April 14, 2024). "W-L graduate remembered as much more than just a star athlete". GazetteLeader. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
  20. ^ a b c "1984 San Diego Chargers Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  21. Newspapers.com
    . The injuries forced Drew Gissinger — normally a tackle — to play tight end for the second week in a row, and this week had a catch for three yards.
  22. ^
    Newspapers.com
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  23. ^ Judge, Clark (September 3, 1985). "Facelift for Chargers". Evening Tribune. p. Football-4. Retrieved April 13, 2024 – via NewsBank. In all, 164 passess for 1,930 yards and six touchdown were caught by the tight end position.
  24. ^ Magee, Jerry (December 25, 1985). "Zampese still a key for revamped Chargers". The San Diego Union. pp. E-1, E-3. Retrieved April 13, 2024 – via NewsBank.
  25. Newspapers.com
    .
  26. ^ a b c Dufrense, Chris (December 8, 1988). "Rams Charge Down Freeway Again, Get San Diego's Sievers". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  27. Newspapers.com
    .
  28. ^ a b Simers, T.J. (December 8, 1988). "Chargers lose Sievers to Rams via waivers". The San Diego Union. pp. C-1, C-8. Retrieved April 13, 2024 – via NewsBank.
  29. ^
    Newspapers.com
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  30. Newspapers.com
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  31. Newspapers.com
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  32. ^ Kirschenbaum, Alex (April 11, 2024). "Chargers News: Beloved Former San Diego-Era TE Dies Of Cancer". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 11, 2024.

External links

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