Jeff Jaeger Biography

Jaeger broke all of the Browns rookie scoring records with 75 points despite playing in only 10 games. During his time with the Raiders he led them in scoring 5 consecutive seasons, consistently ranked in the top 10 in the league in scoring, Jeff was voted to his first Pro Bowl after only 3 playing seasons. He tied a Raider record for longest field goal with a 54-yarder in 92'. He led the NFL in scoring and set a new Raider record with 132 points in 93' as well as leading the NFL in FG's made and tied the all-time NFL mark for FG attemps, both are all-time Raider single season records. In 1994 Jaeger set another record for the most field goals in one game when he made five to earn AFC special teams Player of the Week honors.

Yeager accounted for a total of 1008 points during his 11-year NFL career which spanned three decades. His career field goal percentage is 74.1% hitting 229 of 309 attempts. His PAT conversion rate is 98.2% converting 321 of 327 attempts.

A Chicago newspaper reported the following shortly after the beginning of the 1999 football season. "Jeff Jaeger, one of only six field goal kickers to connect on at least 80 percent of his attempts the past three years, and the most accurate field goal kicker in Bears history was released by the Chicago Bears yesterday after missing nearly all of training camp because of a hip injury." Jaeger, a 14-year veteran whose 75.9 field goal percentage is tops in franchise history, missed most of the 99' season with a nagging hip flexor injury.

In one of the more unusual events in Jaeger's storied career he once took part in a field goal kicking exhibition attempting to kick field goals across the Chicago River through goalposts mounted on a moving boat. True to form he made four of six attempts. No, the Bears hadn't moved their practice field from Lake Forest to the Loop. Jaeger was taking part in a fund-raiser for the Chicago Anti-Hunger Federation, a group that works with client agencies to stock food shelves, soup kitchens and shelters around the city. For every field goal Jaeger kicked, Builders Bank donated $100 to the Federation.

During his college days at the University of Washington Jeff Jaeger Washington?s all-time scoring leader with 358 career points was a first-team All-America selection in 1986 by the Associated Press, United Press International, Walter Camp Foundation, Football News and Scripps-HowardNews Service. During that season, Jaeger?s last at Washington, the kicker connected on 42-of-43extra-point attempts and 17-of-21 field goals. Jaeger finished his Husky career with an NCAA record 80 field goals made, an astonishing 21 more than the Huskies? second-highest total. Consider that besides Jaeger, just one Husky kicker has ever booted 20 field goals in a single season ? Jaeger AVERAGED that many, kicking 20 or more three times.

After a record-breaking collegiate career and 11 years in the National Football League, nothing gives Jeff Jaeger more pleasure than providing something to youngsters that he never had growing up in the Kent Valley south of Seattle. Coaching in the fine art of kicking a football. ?I can still remember long summer afternoons when my Mom and Dad would collect dozens after dozens of footballs while I practiced kicking off of a tee,? remembered Jeff. ?There was nobody around to teach me until I was at the U (University of Washington.)?Jaeger said Washington coach Don James considered his kickers as a vital part of his team?s offense. His first instruction came after he had won the position during his freshman season.

Today Jaeger returns the favor by donating hours of time at local high schools and at the University of Washington where he passes on his self-taught knowledge. Jaeger preaches to his students that the kicking game is more than half mental. He emphasizes that every attempt should be considered as critical as a potential game winner in the final seconds of the fourth quarter. The intensity helps relieve the pressure on place kickers when game the game is actually on the line. The old pro?s first words of advice can sometimes be a little hard for his young students to swallow. Jaeger tells them, "as a kicker your not a football player or a member of the team. You are a specialist with an individual responsibility".

Some of his accomplishments are:

• Broke all of Cleveland Browns rookie scoring records
• 11 year NFL career
• Led the Raiders in scoring 5 consecutive seasons
• Played in multiple Pro Bowls
• Led the NFL in scoring and FG's made in 93'
• Raider record most FG's made in one game in 94'
• Most accurate field goal kicker in Chicago Bears history
• Two-time All-American selection
• Established NCAA record with 80 field goals during his career ...
• University of Washington records for all-time field goals and scoring
• Connected on 80 of 99 career field goal attempts and hit 118 of 123 PAT's
• Played in the Hula Bowl.