Jeff Rohrer
{{Short description|American football player (born 1958)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Use American English|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name = Jeff Rohrer
| number = 50
| position = Linebacker
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1958|12|25}}
| birth_place = Inglewood, California, U.S.
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 3
| weight_lb = 228
| high_school = Mira Costa {{nowrap|(Manhattan Beach, California)}}{{Cite web|url=https://miracostaalumni.com/hall-of-fame/|title=Hall Of Fame {{!}} Mira Costa High School Alumni|website=miracostaalumni.com|date=11 October 2019 |access-date=2020-01-22}}
| college = Yale
| draftyear = 1982
| draftround = 2
| draftpick = 53
| pastteams =
- Dallas Cowboys ({{NFL Year|1982}}–{{NFL Year|1989}})
| highlights =
- All-Ivy League (1981)
- All-New England (1981)
| statlabel1 = Sacks
| statvalue1 = 7.5
| statlabel2 = Fumble recoveries
| statvalue2 = 4
| pfr = RohrJe20
}}
Jeffrey Charles Rohrer (born December 25, 1958) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Yale Bulldogs and was selected in the second round of the 1982 NFL draft.
Early life
Rohrer attended Mira Costa High School, where he played football.{{Cite web |last=Marchiano |first=Sam |date=August 20, 1989 |title='Old' Jeff Rohrer Hopes to Impress the New Cowboys : Ex-Mira Costa Star, 31, Says Injury Cost Him a Year But Revived Desire |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-08-20-sp-1240-story.html |access-date=February 24, 2023 |website=Los Angeles Times}} He was a National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame Scholar-Athlete.
In 2014 Rohrer was inducted into Mira Costa's Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame, in the same group of inductees as musician Jim Lindberg and scientist Lance J. Dixon.{{Cite web |last=Robinson |first=Ellen |date=October 9, 2014 |title=Eight alums inducted into Costa Hall of Fame |url=https://www.dailybreeze.com/2014/10/09/eight-alums-inducted-into-costa-hall-of-fame/ |access-date=February 24, 2023 |website=The Beach Reporter}}
College career
Rohrer accepted a football scholarship from Yale University. As a sophomore in 1978, he was a backup defensive end. He did not attend school in 1979.
As a junior in 1980, he was moved to inside linebacker and helped his team win the Ivy League championship. He registered 110 tackles (second on the team), 54 solo tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 2 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. He suffered a fractured ankle and missed the last 3 games of the season.{{Cite web |title=A Tough Pack of Dogs |publisher=The Harvard Crimson |url=https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1980/11/22/a-tough-pack-of-dogs-pif/ |access-date=February 24, 2023 |date=November 22, 1980}}
As a senior in 1981, he posted 136 tackles (school record), 71 solo tackles, 4 tackles for loss, one sack and one interception, while receiving All-Ivy League and All-New England honors. The team shared the Ivy League championship, tying Dartmouth College with a 9-1 overall record, and was briefly ranked in the nation’s top 20, with three of its players selected in the 1982 NFL draft.{{cite web| url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=348&dat=19920528&id=ULRMAAAAIBAJ&sjid=DzMDAAAAIBAJ&pg=1626,7842259 | title=NFL Teams Looking at Three Yale Bulldogs | access-date=February 24, 2023}}
Professional career
Rohrer was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round (53rd overall) of the 1982 NFL draft, which at the time was considered a reach by the media.{{cite web| url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=861&dat=19820429&id=RJ0qAAAAIBAJ&sjid=LlgEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3061,7504076 | title=Cowboys True to Tradition of Risky Draft Choices | access-date=February 24, 2023}} As a rookie, he played in 8 games on the special teams units. The next year in addition to special teams, he played on the short-yardage and goal line defenses.
In 1984, he was the backup at middle linebacker, until being moved to outside linebacker when Billy Cannon Jr. suffered a neck injury. The next year, he replaced Anthony Dickerson as the starting right outside linebacker, posting 54 tackles and 1.5 sacks.
In 1986, he registered 111 tackles (second on the team), 2 sacks, 4 forced fumbles (led the team) and one fumble recovery. In 1987, he was replaced on passing downs, but still managed 74 tackles (third on the team), 4 sacks (led the linebackers) and 2 fumble recoveries. During training camp in 1988, he was hospitalized with a bulging disc in his lower back, which required season ending surgery.{{cite web| url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1454&dat=19880803&id=pEhOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=whMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6826,398924 | title=Cowboys seeking more linebackers | access-date=February 24, 2023}}
In 1989, with the arrival of head coach Jimmy Johnson, he was released before the season started, as part of a youth movement.{{cite web| url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=861&dat=19890823&id=WTdSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=UzYNAAAAIBAJ&pg=1570,4642464 | title=Cowboys Cut Rohrer, Six Others | access-date=February 24, 2023}} During his time with the Cowboys, he was considered a tough and outspoken player.{{cite web| url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1665&dat=19871102&id=foRPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=uCQEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6532,686743 | title=Dallas expects hostile crowd | access-date=February 24, 2023}}
Personal life
On November 18, 2018, Rohrer and Joshua Ross were married.{{cite news |last1=Mallozzi |first1=Vincent M. |title=Former Cowboys Linebacker Jeff Rohrer Is to Marry Partner |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/14/fashion/weddings/former-cowboys-linebacker-jeff-rohrer-is-to-marry-partner.html |access-date=February 24, 2023 |work=The New York Times |date=November 14, 2018}}{{cite web|url=https://people.com/sports/jeff-rohrer-comes-out-gay-getting-married-joshua-ross/|title=Jeff Rohrer — Retired Dallas Cowboys Linebacker — Comes Out as Gay, Reveals He's Getting Married|website=PEOPLE.com|access-date=February 24, 2023}} His marriage made him the first NFL player, former or current, to enter into a same-sex marriage.{{cite news |last1=Dawson |first1=Peter |title=Report: Ex-Dallas Cowboy to be first known former, current player in same-sex marriage |url=https://www.star-telegram.com/sports/nfl/dallas-cowboys/article221668440.html |access-date=February 24, 2023 |publisher=Star-Telegram |date=November 14, 2018}}{{Cite web |date=2018-11-14 |title=Former Cowboys LB Jeff Rohrer to become first known NFL player part of a same-sex marriage |url=https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/cowboys/2018/11/14/former-cowboys-lb-jeff-rohrer-to-become-first-known-nfl-player-part-of-a-same-sex-marriage/ |access-date=February 24, 2023 |website=Dallas News |language=en}} Rohrer was formerly married to Heather Rohrer, with whom he had two children.{{cite news |last1=Nelson |first1=Jeff |last2=Kimble |first2=Lindsay |title=Jeff Rohrer — Retired Dallas Cowboys Linebacker — Comes Out as Gay, Reveals He's Getting Married |url=https://people.com/sports/jeff-rohrer-comes-out-gay-getting-married-joshua-ross/ |access-date=February 24, 2023 |publisher=People |date=November 14, 2018}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-08-20-sp-1240-story.html 'Old' Jeff Rohrer Hopes to Impress the New Cowboys]
- [https://www.nytimes.com/1986/12/07/magazine/ivy-leaguers-in-the-nfl.html?pagewanted=1 Ivy Leaguers In The N.F.L.]
- [http://mrsbond.us/ Mrs. Bond website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220328073553/http://mrsbond.us/ |date=2022-03-28 }}
{{Cowboys1982DraftPicks}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rohrer, Jeff}}
Category:Sportspeople from Manhattan Beach, California
Category:Players of American football from Los Angeles County, California
Category:American football outside linebackers
Category:Yale Bulldogs football players
Category:Dallas Cowboys players
Category:American gay sportsmen
Category:LGBTQ people from California
Category:LGBTQ players of American football