Steve Jordan (tight end)
{{Short description|American football player (born 1961)}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name = Steve Jordan
| number = 83
| position = Tight end
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1961|1|10}}
| birth_place = Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 3
| weight_lb = 242
| high_school = South Mountain (Phoenix)
| college = Brown (1978–1981)
| draftyear = 1982
| draftround = 7
| draftpick = 179
| pastteams =
- Minnesota Vikings ({{NFL Year|1982|1994}})
| highlights =
- 6× Pro Bowl (1986–1991)
- Minnesota Vikings Ring of Honor
- 50 Greatest Vikings
- Minnesota Vikings 40th Anniversary Team
- Second-team All-East (1981)
| statlabel1 = Receptions
| statvalue1 = 498
| statlabel2 = Receiving yards
| statvalue2 = 6,307
| statlabel3 = Receiving touchdowns
| statvalue3 = 28
| pfr = J/JordSt00
}}
Steven Russell Jordan (born January 10, 1961) is an American former professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Minnesota Vikings from 1982 to 1994. He played college football for the Brown Bears.
Early life and education
Steve Jordan grew up in Phoenix, Arizona,{{Cite web|url=https://brownbears.com/hof.aspx?hof=405|title=Steve R. Jordan (1987) - Hall of Fame}} and graduated from South Mountain High School.{{Cite web|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/J/JordSt00.htm|title = Steve Jordan Stats| website=Pro-Football-Reference.com }} A multi-sport athlete, he played football, basketball, and tennis in high school, but he concentrated on academics.{{Cite web|url=https://brownbears.com/hof.aspx?hof=405|title=Steve R. Jordan (1987) - Hall of Fame}}
He attended college at Brown University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the Brown University School of Engineering in 1982.{{Cite web|url=https://www.brown.edu/Administration/News_Bureau/1987-95/92-145.html|title = 92-145 (New Trustees)}} In addition to his engineering coursework, he tried out for the football team and made the varsity lineup his sophomore year.{{Cite web|url=https://brownbears.com/hof.aspx?hof=405|title=Steve R. Jordan (1987) - Hall of Fame}} Although the Brown coaching staff originally thought he would not play "a minute of varsity ball,"{{Cite web|url=https://brownbears.com/hof.aspx?hof=405|title=Steve R. Jordan (1987) - Hall of Fame}} Jordan was twice named to the first-team All-Ivy League squad and he also made All-American honorable mention.{{Cite web|url=https://brownbears.com/hof.aspx?hof=405|title=Steve R. Jordan (1987) - Hall of Fame}} After his senior season, Jordan was awarded the [https://footballfoundation.org/hof_search.aspx?hof=1597 Tuss McLaughry Trophy] as the Brown football team member "who through sportsmanship, performance, and influence, contributed most to the sport at Brown."{{Cite web|url=https://brownbears.com/hof.aspx?hof=405|title=Steve R. Jordan (1987) - Hall of Fame}} He was inducted into the [https://brownbears.com/hof.aspx?hof=405 Brown Bears athletic Hall of Fame] in 1987.{{Cite web|url=https://brownbears.com/hof.aspx?hof=405|title=Steve R. Jordan (1987) - Hall of Fame}}
NFL career
Jordan was the Vikings 7th round pick (179th overall) in the 1982 NFL draft.{{Cite web|url=https://www.vikings.com/news/vikings-steve-jordan-named-ring-of-honor-selection|title = Steve Jordan Surprised by Vikings Ring of Honor Selection}} He played 13 seasons for the Vikings and was selected to six consecutive Pro Bowls from 1986 through 1991. He finished his NFL career with 498 receptions for 6,307 yards and 28 touchdowns.{{Cite web|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/J/JordSt00.htm|title = Steve Jordan Stats| website=Pro-Football-Reference.com }} Viking head coach Jerry Burns praised Jordan's work ethic, noting that "no one on the Vikings works harder."{{Cite web|url=https://brownbears.com/hof.aspx?hof=405|title=Steve R. Jordan (1987) - Hall of Fame}} During Jordan's years with the team, the Vikings won three NFC Central division titles, made the NFL playoffs six times, and reached the 1987 NFC Championship game, which they lost [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198801170was.htm 17-10] to the Washington Redskins.{{Cite web|url=https://www.vikings.com/news/vikings-steve-jordan-named-ring-of-honor-selection|title = Steve Jordan Surprised by Vikings Ring of Honor Selection}} The Redskins went on to win Super Bowl XXII.
Jordan's career statistics compare favorably to several Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees.{{Cite web|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/J/JordSt00.htm|title = Steve Jordan Stats| website=Pro-Football-Reference.com }} For example, Jordan's 498 career receptions and 6,307 career yards exceeds Mike Ditka's 427 career receptions and 5,812 career yards,{{Cite web|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/D/DitkMi00.htm|title = Mike Ditka Stats| website=Pro-Football-Reference.com }} Dave Casper's 378 career receptions and 5,216 career yards,{{Cite web|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/C/CaspDa00.htm|title = Dave Casper Stats| website=Pro-Football-Reference.com }} and John Mackey's 331 career receptions and 5,236 career yards.{{Cite web|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/M/MackJo00.htm|title = John Mackey Stats| website=Pro-Football-Reference.com }}
Jordan still holds the Vikings all-time single-game receiving record for tight ends.{{Cite web|url=https://www.vikings.com/news/vikings-steve-jordan-named-ring-of-honor-selection|title = Steve Jordan Surprised by Vikings Ring of Honor Selection}} During a game against the Washington Redskins on November 2, 1986, Jordan caught 6 passes for 179 yards and a touchdown.{{Cite web|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198611020was.htm|title = Minnesota Vikings at Washington Redskins - November 2nd, 1986| website=Pro-Football-Reference.com }} No Vikings tight end has ever caught for more yards in a single game.{{Cite web|url=https://www.vikings.com/team/front-office-roster/steve-jordan|title = The Official Site of the Minnesota Vikings}}
NFL career statistics
| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
! colspan="2"| Legend |
| Bold
| Career high |
= Regular season =
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" | |||||||
| rowspan="2"| Year
!rowspan="2"| Team !colspan="2"| Games !colspan="5"| Receiving | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | |
| 1982 | MIN
| 9 || 1 || 3 || 42 || 14.0 || 29 || 0 | ||||||
| 1983 | MIN
| 13 || 2 || 15 || 212 || 14.1 || 28 || 2 | ||||||
| 1984 | MIN
| 14 || 14 || 38 || 414 || 10.9 || 26 || 2 | ||||||
| 1985 | MIN
| 16 || 16 || 68 || 795 || 11.7 || 32 || 0 | ||||||
| 1986 | MIN
| 16 || 16 || 58 || 859 || 14.8 || 68 || 6 | ||||||
| 1987 | MIN
| 12 || 12 || 35 || 490 || 14.0 || 38 || 2 | ||||||
| 1988 | MIN
| 16 || 16 || 57 || 756 || 13.3 || 38 || 5 | ||||||
| 1989 | MIN
| 16 || 15 || 35 || 506 || 14.5 || 34 || 3 | ||||||
| 1990 | MIN
| 16 || 16 || 45 || 636 || 14.1 || 38 || 3 | ||||||
| 1991 | MIN
| 16 || 16 || 57 || 638 || 11.2 || 25 || 2 | ||||||
| 1992 | MIN
| 14 || 12 || 28 || 394 || 14.1 || 60 || 2 | ||||||
| 1993 | MIN
| 14 || 12 || 56 || 542 || 9.7 || 53 || 1 | ||||||
| 1994 | MIN
| 4 || 1 || 3 || 23 || 7.7 || 10 || 0 | ||||||
| colspan="2"| | 176 | 149 | 498 | 6,307 | 12.7 | 68 | 28 |
= Playoffs =
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" | |||||||
| rowspan="2"| Year
!rowspan="2"| Team !colspan="2"| Games !colspan="5"| Receiving | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | |
| 1982 | MIN
| 2 || 0 || 2 || 11 || 5.5 || 8 || 0 | ||||||
| 1987 | MIN
| 3 || 3 || 5 || 73 || 14.6 || 36 || 1 | ||||||
| 1988 | MIN
| 2 || 2 || 4 || 63 || 15.8 || 23 || 0 | ||||||
| 1989 | MIN
| 1 || 1 || 9 || 149 || 16.6 || 27 || 0 | ||||||
| 1992 | MIN
| 1 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 0.0 || 0 || 0 | ||||||
| 1993 | MIN
| 1 || 0 || 4 || 31 || 7.8 || 15 || 0 | ||||||
| 1994 | MIN
| 1 || 1 || 2 || 16 || 8.0 || 11 || 0 | ||||||
| colspan="2"| | 11 | 8 | 26 | 343 | 13.2 | 36 | 1 |
Post-football career
After his retirement from the NFL, Jordan worked as a civil engineer for M.A. Mortenson of Minneapolis, Minnesota.{{Cite web|url=https://www.brown.edu/Administration/News_Bureau/1987-95/92-145.html|title = 92-145 (New Trustees)}} He was elected to the Brown University Board of Trustees in 1993.{{Cite web|url=https://www.brown.edu/Administration/News_Bureau/1987-95/92-145.html|title = 92-145 (New Trustees)}}
On October 25, 2019, the Minnesota Vikings inducted Jordan into the [https://www.vikings.com/team/front-office-roster/steve-jordan Vikings Ring of Honor]. In announcing Jordan's selection, the Vikings co-owner and team president Mark Wilf noted that "Steve Jordan's impact on the Vikings has carried on past his career on the field. As great a player as Steve was, he's just as great an ambassador for the Vikings and the game of football. He is a positive role model to young players about the value of education and using your platform as an NFL star for good."{{Cite web|url=https://www.vikings.com/news/vikings-steve-jordan-named-ring-of-honor-selection|title = Steve Jordan Surprised by Vikings Ring of Honor Selection}}
Upon his induction to the Ring of Honor, Jordan said, "I look back, and it's really good that something like this can happen, someone like me, who comes out of a small school can come to the Vikings and have a successful career, not just on the field but off the field."{{Cite web|url=https://www.vikings.com/news/vikings-steve-jordan-named-ring-of-honor-selection|title = Steve Jordan Surprised by Vikings Ring of Honor Selection}}
Personal life
Jordan lives in Eagan, Minnesota.{{Cite web|url=https://brownbears.com/hof.aspx?hof=405|title=Steve R. Jordan (1987) - Hall of Fame}} His son, Cameron Jordan, currently plays defensive end for the New Orleans Saints. He and his wife Anita had two more children, son Geoffrey and daughter Stephanie. Jordan is also the father-in-law of German football player Kasim Edebali.
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Vikings Ring Of Honor}}
{{Vikings1982DraftPicks}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jordan, Steve}}
Category:American football tight ends
Category:Brown Bears football players
Category:Minnesota Vikings players
Category:National Conference Pro Bowl players