Jeff Blake facts for kids

Jeffrey Bertrand Blake (born December 4, 1970) is a former American football quarterback. He played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. Blake played for seven different teams during his career. His longest time was with the Cincinnati Bengals from 1994 to 1999. Before that, he spent two seasons with the New York Jets. The Jets picked him in the sixth round of the 1992 NFL draft. Later in his career, he played for the New Orleans Saints, Baltimore Ravens, Arizona Cardinals, Philadelphia Eagles, and Chicago Bears. In 1995, while playing for the Bengals, Blake was chosen for the Pro Bowl. He holds a record for the longest touchdown pass in the Pro Bowl, which was 93 yards.

Early Life and Family History

Jeff Blake was born on December 4, 1970, in Daytona Beach, Florida. His parents were Peggy and Emory Blake. His father, Emory, was also a football player. He played as a slotback for the Canadian Football League team, the Toronto Argonauts.

A sad event happened in Jeff's life on July 5, 1976. His mother passed away while trying to save her younger sibling from drowning. This happened at Wekiwa Springs State Park. After this, Emory Blake decided not to try out for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He wanted to stay close to his only son. He soon became a physical education teacher and coach in Sanford, Florida. Jeff grew up very close to his father. He sang in the choir at Progress Missionary Baptist Church, where his father was a pastor. He also helped his coach father on the sidelines at Seminole High School.

High School and College Football Journey

Jeff Blake became a star quarterback at Seminole High School in Florida. His father, Emory, was the offensive coordinator for the team. When colleges wanted to recruit him, some big schools like Florida, Miami, and Florida State tried to get him to play a different position. But Jeff wanted to play quarterback.

Only three schools offered him a chance to play quarterback. He chose East Carolina University. They recruited him strongly and made him feel confident. He felt they were used to having Black quarterbacks. So, they saw him simply as a quarterback, which was important to him.

After playing a little in his first two years at East Carolina, Jeff became the main starting quarterback in 1990. That year, his team won 5 games and lost 6. But the 1991 season was amazing. The team won eleven games, including three against highly ranked teams. Jeff Blake finished sixth in the voting for the 1991 Heisman Trophy. This award goes to the most outstanding player in college football. The East Carolina Pirates ended the season ranked #9 in the country. In 2007, Jeff was honored by being added to the East Carolina Hall of Fame.

College Statistics Overview

Here are Jeff Blake's college football statistics:

Professional Football Career

Jeff Blake was not considered a top player for the NFL draft. This was partly because he was a bit shorter than 6 feet. The New York Jets drafted him in the sixth round in 1992. He didn't play much and was released in 1993. He said that head coach Bruce Coslet taught him important skills. These skills helped him have a long career. Coslet taught him to focus on defense and read what the opposing team was doing.

When Coslet was fired after the 1993 season, he became the offensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals. He told the Bengals to sign Blake. The Bengals already had David Klingler as their starting quarterback. In 1994, the Bengals were losing badly, with a record of 0–7. Blake became the starter because Klingler and another player were injured. In his first game, he threw for 243 yards and two touchdowns. The Bengals lost a close game to the Dallas Cowboys, 23–20. Blake started nine games that year. He threw for 2,154 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions.

He became the full-time starter for the 1995 season. People in Cincinnati became very interested in his playing. There was even a rap song made about him called "Shake-N-Blake." He worked very well with Bengals receivers Carl Pickens and Darnay Scott. He helped Carl Pickens almost win the receiving title in 1995. The team only won seven games, but Blake threw for 3,822 yards. He also had 28 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. Because of his great play, Blake was chosen for the Pro Bowl that year. Some people believe his performance helped voters in Hamilton County, Ohio approve a sales tax increase. This money helped build a new stadium for the team, which opened in 2000. Blake signed a five-year contract for $13.1 million before his Pro Bowl selection.

The 1996 season was a good one for the Bengals. They finished with an 8–8 record with Blake as the starter. This was the only season between 1991 and 2002 where the team did not have a losing record. Blake threw for 3,624 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. The 1997 season was not as successful. He started only 11 games, with Boomer Esiason playing in others. Blake threw for 2,125 yards, 8 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions. In 1998, the Bengals chose free agent Neil O'Donnell over Blake for most games. Blake played most of the time in 1999 while the team tried to develop new player Akili Smith. Blake had a 3-9 record as a starter. He threw for 2,670 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions.

Blake was unhappy with the team's management. He left the Bengals after the 1999 season. He signed with the New Orleans Saints. In 2000, Blake started 11 games for the Saints. He broke his foot late in the season and was replaced by Aaron Brooks. He threw for 2,025 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions. The Saints had a 7–4 record with him as starter. Brooks then led the Saints to the playoffs. Blake left the Saints after the 2001 season. He didn't start any games that year because Brooks was the main quarterback. He started 11 games for the Baltimore Ravens in 2002. This happened after Chris Redman got injured. He also started 13 games for the Arizona Cardinals in 2003. However, neither team wanted to sign him for a long time.

The Chicago Bears signed Blake before the 2005 NFL season. He was meant to be a backup quarterback. When the Bears' starting quarterback, Rex Grossman, got injured, coach Lovie Smith chose rookie Kyle Orton to play. In the last game of the regular season, Blake played in the fourth quarter. He completed eight of nine passes. Blake said he wanted to keep playing for the Bears. He also wanted to work with Grossman. But the Bears did not sign him again. His contract ended before the 2006 NFL season. Kyle Orton took his place.

At the end of his fourteen-year career, Jeff Blake had impressive stats. He threw for 21,711 passing yards. He also had 134 touchdown passes and 99 interceptions. Blake was a mobile quarterback, meaning he could run well. He ran for 2,027 yards in his career and scored 14 rushing touchdowns. He started 100 games in his NFL career.

NFL Career Statistics Summary

Here is a summary of Jeff Blake's NFL career statistics:

Life After Football

After retiring from football, Jeff Blake settled in Austin, Texas. He met his wife, Lewanna, when he was in college. They have four children: Emory, Torre, Trey, and Lahne. His son, Emory, won a national championship with Auburn in 2010. Jeff even threw footballs for his son at Auburn's Pro Day. His daughter, Torre, auditioned for The Voice in 2024. She chose Snoop Dogg as her coach.

In 2017, Jeff Blake said he was interested in starting a football academy. He had already coached football players in a few sessions over the years. He worked as a coach at IMG Academy as the Director of the QB Academy. In 2023, he was hired as the head coach and offensive coordinator for Valley Sports Academy. This was for their Prepstar 7-on-7 football team in Lake Hallie, Wisconsin.

Images for kids

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  Blake (left) coaching quarterback Joshua Shim at IMG Academy in 2021