John Jefferson
Franklin D. Roosevelt (Dallas, Texas) | |||||||
College: | Arizona State | ||||||
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NFL draft: | 1978 / Round: 1 / Pick: 14 | ||||||
Career history | |||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||
Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |||||||
John Larry Jefferson (
College career
After graduating from
A consensus
Statistics
Career Arizona State Statistics
- 1974: 30 receptions, 423 yards, 1 TD.
- 1975: 52 receptions, 921 yards, 6 TDs
- 1976: 48 receptions, 681 yards, 5 TDs
- 1977: 58 receptions, 968 yards, 8 TDs
- Totals: 188 receptions, 2,993 yards, 20 TDs
Professional career
San Diego Chargers
After his senior year at Arizona State, Jefferson was drafted fourteenth overall in the
On October 15, 1978, against the Miami Dolphins, he was blinded after being poked in the eye while going up for a wobbly pass from quarterback Dan Fouts. He missed the next two games before returning, wearing prescription goggles for protection.[5] On November 12 against the Kansas City Chiefs, Jefferson caught a 14-yard touchdown pass with no time remaining while slipping in a wet end zone for a 29–23 overtime victory.[5][6] On December 4, he caught 7 passes for 155 yards and 1 touchdown against the Chicago Bears.[5][7] He had eight touchdowns in the final six games of the year.[8] Jefferson finished his rookie season with 56 receptions for 1,001 yards and a league-leading 13 receiving touchdowns,[5][9] which was tied for the NFL record for most receiving touchdowns by a rookie with Billy Howton from 1952, until broken by Randy Moss in 1998.[5][10] Jefferson was one of four NFL receivers to finish the season with 1,000 yards,[5] and he set the Chargers' single-season, rookie record for yards receiving, which stood until Keenan Allen's 1,046 in 2013.[11] Jefferson earned second-team All-Pro honors and was named to the Pro Bowl.[5] He appeared on the cover of the August 20, 1979 issue of Sports Illustrated with the headline "The Touchdown Man."[12][13]
Jefferson was a first-team All-Pro in each of the next two seasons and led the NFL in receiving yards (1,340) and receiving touchdowns (13) in 1980.[14][15] He became the first NFL player with at least 1,000 yards receiving in each of his first three seasons.[14][16] In a September 14, 1980, overtime game against the Oakland Raiders, played in San Diego, Jefferson out-leaped Lester Hayes for a throw from Dan Fouts. Jefferson landed at about the Oakland 3-yard line. Hayes stood over Jefferson, stunned that Jefferson had taken the ball away while Jefferson rolled untouched into the end zone, sealing a 30-24 San Diego Chargers' overtime victory. While in San Diego, Jefferson also became known as the "Space-Age Receiver" due to the futuristic-looking goggles he wore.[17] With his acrobatic catches and fiery enthusiasm before games, he became a fan favorite in San Diego.[18] Jefferson caught a pass in 44 of his 45 regular season starts with San Diego. He did not catch a pass on September 16, 1979, against the Buffalo Bills, who double-teamed him. The Chargers did not target him on any pass plays, but the attention he drew instead helped the team rush for 245 yards.[9]
Jefferson did not report to the Chargers in 1981 due to a contract dispute. He insisted that San Diego renegotiate his contract, contending that at least three other receivers in the league were paid more than him.[14]
Green Bay Packers
On September 17, 1981, the Chargers traded Jefferson to the Green Bay Packers after he stated the day before that he could not play for San Diego.[14] With the Packers, Jefferson starred opposite future Pro Football Hall of Fame wideout James Lofton. Jefferson, Lofton, and tight end Paul Coffman teamed up with quarterback Lynn Dickey to give the Packers one of the most explosive passing attacks in the NFL at the time; however, a defense which hovered near the bottom of the league relegated Green Bay to three 8-8 finishes and a second-round playoff appearance during the strike-shortened 1982 season.
Cleveland Browns
Jefferson played his final season for the Cleveland Browns in 1985. In seven games, he had three receptions for 30 yards.
Houston Oilers
Jefferson signed with the Houston Oilers in 1986, but was waived before the start of the regular season.[19] He subsequently retired.
Later years
After his retirement, Jefferson graduated from Arizona State in 1989 with a B.A. in History. He was inducted into the Arizona State Hall of Fame in 1979 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2002.
He has remained active in the football community; after retiring, Jefferson became an assistant coach at the
References
- ^ Brooks, R. Lamar (February 24, 2011). "DISD Legends Series:"The Greatest" John Washington aka John Jefferson (Pt. 1)". Dallas South News. Archived from the original on December 7, 2016.
- ^ Deitsch, Richard (August 17, 1998). "John Jefferson, San Diego Wide Receiver". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 23, 2008.
- ^ Zimmerman, Paul (October 12, 2001). "NFL Mailbag – Dr. Z". CNNSI. Retrieved October 23, 2008.
- ISBN 978-0-345-51795-1.
- ^ Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ Harrison, Elliot (March 30, 2015). "Top rookie seasons of the Super Bowl era: Wide receiver edition". NFL.com. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
- ^ a b Smith, Rick (1981). 1981 San Diego Chargers Facts Book. San Diego Chargers. p. 39.
- ^ Carter, Bob (July 5, 2005). "Moss gobbles up Cowboys". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
- ^ Gehlken, Michael (December 29, 2013). "Keenan Allen sets record during win". U-T San Diego. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ "The Touchdown Man". Sports Illustrated. August 20, 1979. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
- ^ Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Air Coryell" - Pro Football Hall of Fame
- The Vancouver Sun. Associated Press. September 23, 1981. p. F4. Retrieved September 13, 2011.
- ^ Chad Finn's Touching All The Bases: San Diego Super Chargers!
- ^ "BASEBALL". orlandosentinel.com. Orlando Sentinel. September 4, 1986. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Pro Football Reference
- Arizona State Sun Devils bio
- John Jefferson at the College Football Hall of Fame