Cleo Lemon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Cleo Lemon

Lemon at Baltimore Ravens training camp in 2009
No. 12, 17, 1, 8
Position:	Quarterback
Personal information
Born:	(1979-08-16) August 16, 1979 (age 45) Greenwood, Mississippi, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:	215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school:	Greenwood
College:	Arkansas State
Undrafted:	2001
Career history
As player:
Green Bay Packers (2001)* Baltimore Ravens (2002)* Memphis Xplorers (2003) San Diego Chargers (2003) Miami Dolphins (2005) Jacksonville Jaguars (2008) Baltimore Ravens (2009)* Toronto Argonauts (2010–2011)
As coach:
First Coast High School (2013–2015) Offensive coordinator Pittsburgh Steelers (2015) Coaching intern Findlay Oilers (2015) Wide receivers coach Dallas Cowboys (2016) Coaching intern Pearl River CC (2016–2017) Offensive coordinator Jacksonville State (2017–2020) Wide receivers coach New Orleans Saints (2019) Coaching intern
Career NFL statistics
TD–INT: 8–7 Passing yards: 2,185 Passer rating: 71.8
Career CFL statistics
TD–INT: 22–23 Passing yards: 5,069 Passer rating: 82.5
Player stats at PFR
Player stats at CFL.ca (archive)

Cleo Lemon Jr. (born August 16, 1979) is an American former professional football player. He played as a quarterback in both the National Football League (NFL) and the Canadian Football League (CFL). Cleo played college football for the Arkansas State Red Wolves. He first joined the Green Bay Packers in 2002. Lemon also played for teams like the San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins, Jacksonville Jaguars, Baltimore Ravens, and Toronto Argonauts.

Cleo Lemon's Football Journey

Early Career Steps

In February 2003, Cleo Lemon signed with the af2's Memphis Xplorers. This was a league for arena football, which is played indoors on a smaller field.

He then joined the San Diego Chargers in April 2003. He spent his first year on the team's practice squad. This is a group of players who train with the team but don't play in games.

In 2004, Lemon stayed with the Chargers. He was the third-string quarterback. This meant he was behind the main two quarterbacks. He did not play in any regular season games that year.

In 2005, Lemon played well in preseason games. He completed many passes and threw three touchdowns. In October 2005, he was traded to the Miami Dolphins.

Playing for the Miami Dolphins

Cleo Lemon was a backup quarterback for the Dolphins in 2005. He did not play in any games that season.

In 2006, he continued to be a backup. He played well in preseason games again. Later in the season, he became the main backup quarterback. On December 17, he played in a game against the Buffalo Bills. He threw for 98 yards. A week later, he played against the New York Jets. He threw one touchdown pass in that game.

Lemon started his first regular season game on December 31, 2006. This was against the Indianapolis Colts, who later won the Super Bowl. Lemon played well, throwing for 210 yards and a touchdown.

In 2007, Lemon signed a new contract with the Dolphins. He became the backup to Trent Green. When Green got injured, Lemon became the starting quarterback. He played against the Cleveland Browns. He showed great effort, scoring two rushing touchdowns and two passing touchdowns. He also had a good quarterback rating.

Later, he was replaced by a rookie quarterback. But he became the starter again in Week 15. In that game, he threw a game-winning touchdown pass in overtime. This gave Miami their only win of the season.

Time with the Jacksonville Jaguars

On February 29, 2008, Lemon signed a three-year deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The contract was worth almost $9 million.

He only played in two games for the Jaguars. He did not complete any passes in those games. He was released by the team on June 17, 2009. This was because he had trouble learning the team's plays.

Back with the Baltimore Ravens

Cleo Lemon had been with the Baltimore Ravens briefly in 2002. He re-signed with them on August 16, 2009. This meant he worked again with Cam Cameron, who was the Ravens' offensive coordinator. Cameron had coached Lemon before with the Chargers and Dolphins. Lemon was released by the Ravens on September 1 due to family reasons.

Playing in Canada: Toronto Argonauts

On March 17, 2010, Lemon signed with the Toronto Argonauts. This team plays in the Canadian Football League (CFL). On June 22, he was named the starting quarterback for the Argonauts.

With Lemon as quarterback, Toronto made it to the playoffs in 2010. This was their first time in three years. He was released by the Argonauts on September 6, 2011. This happened after the team had a tough start to the 2011 season.

About Cleo Lemon

Cleo Lemon's father, Cleo Lemon Sr., was his high school football coach.