Joe Jurevicius

American football player (born 1974)

American football player
Joe Jurevicius
refer to caption
Jurevicius signs autographs prior to a 2004 game
No. 86, 84, 83, 87
Position:Wide receiver
Personal information
Born: (1974-12-23) December 23, 1974 (age 49)
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Height:6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
High school:Lake Catholic
(Mentor, Ohio)
College:Penn State
NFL draft:1998 / Round: 2 / Pick: 55
Career history
  • New York Giants (1998–2001)
  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2002–2004)
  • Seattle Seahawks (2005)
  • Cleveland Browns (2006–2008)
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Receptions:323
Receiving yards:4,119
Touchdowns:29
Player stats at PFR

Joseph Michael Jurevicius (born December 23, 1974) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the New York Giants in the second round of the 1998 NFL draft. He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions.

Jurevicius played for the Giants, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Seattle Seahawks, and Cleveland Browns. He earned a Super Bowl ring with the Buccaneers in Super Bowl XXXVII, and also played in Super Bowl XXXV and Super Bowl XL as a member of the Giants and Seahawks respectively.

Early years

Jurevicius attended St. Justin Martyr School in Eastlake, Ohio, and Lake Catholic High School in Mentor, Ohio, and was a letterman in football as a wide receiver and punter, and in basketball, his #84 jersey is retired and hanging in the Lake Catholic gymnasium.[1][2]

College career

Jurevicius played college football at Penn State University under head coach Joe Paterno.[3] He finished his college career with 94 receptions for 1,894 yards and 15 touchdowns.[4]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump
6 ft 4+7⁄8 in
(1.95 m) 		231 lb
(105 kg) 		33 in
(0.84 m) 		9+1⁄2 in
(0.24 m)		 4.66 s 1.67 s 2.74 s 4.48 s 7.49 s 31.5 in
(0.80 m)
All values from NFL Combine[5]

New York Giants

Jurevicius was selected by the New York Giants in the second round (55th overall) in the 1998 NFL draft.[6] He played four seasons with the New York Giants through the 2002 season.

In his NFL debut in Week 1 of the 1998 season, Jurevicius had a 22-yard reception against Washington.[7] As a rookie, he appeared in 14 games and had nine receptions for 146 yards.[8]

In Week 7 of the 1999 season, Jurevicius had his first NFL touchdown on a 53-yard reception from Kent Graham against the New Orleans Saints.[9] In the 1999 season, he had 18 receptions for 318 yards and a touchdown in 16 games and one start.[10]

In the 2000 season, Jurevicius had 24 receptions for 272 yards and a touchdown in 14 games and three starts.[11] He had a receiving touchdown in New York's 41–0 victory over the Vikings in the NFC Championship.[12] He played in the Giants' 34–7 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XXXV, but did not record any receptions.[13]

In Week 8 of the 2001 season, Jurevicius had two receiving touchdowns in a win over the Dallas Cowboys.[14] In the 2001 season, he had 51 receptions for 706 yards and three touchdowns in 14 games and nine starts.[15]

During his time in New York, he played in 58 games, scoring five touchdowns and totaling 1,442 receiving yards.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

In 2002, Jurevicius signed a four-year contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an unrestricted free agent.[16] In Week 14, against the Atlanta Falcons, he had eight receptions for 100 yards and two touchdowns in the 34–10 victory.[17] He had 37 receptions for 423 yard and four touchdowns in 15 games and three starts in the 2002 season.[18] In the 2002 NFC Championship game against the Philadelphia Eagles, he took a crossing pattern 71 yards down to the Eagles' five-yard line.[19] In Super Bowl XXXVII, Jurevicius was the game's leading receiver with four catches for 78 yards as Tampa Bay won by a score of 48–21 over the Oakland Raiders.[20]

In the 2003 season, he had 12 receptions for 118 yards and two touchdowns.[21] He played in five games that year due to ACL and MCL injuries.[22][23][24]

In Week 11 of the 2004 season, against the 49ers, Jurevicius had two receiving touchdowns in the 35–3 victory.[25] In the 2004 season, he had 27 receptions for 333 yards and two touchdowns in ten games and three starts.[26]

Jurevicius left Tampa Bay following the 2004 season. He played in 30 games for the team, recording 874 yards receiving and eight touchdowns.

Seattle Seahawks

In 2005, Jurevicius signed with the Seattle Seahawks. He finished the regular season with a career-high 10 touchdowns with 694 receiving yards, leading the team in touchdowns and finishing second in yards.[27][28] He had a career-high 137 yards against the St. Louis Rams in Week 5.[29] He matched his career high in Week 12 against the Giants and added two touchdowns.[30] He led the Seahawks in receiving with five catches for 93 yards in their 21–10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XL.[31]

Cleveland Browns

On March 11, 2006, Jurevicius signed a four-year contract with his hometown team, the Cleveland Browns. He became an immediate impact player as a dependable, sure-handed receiver—especially on 3rd-and-long situations.[32] He finished the 2006 season with 40 receptions for 495 yards and three touchdowns in 13 games and eight starts.[33] In Week 2 of the 2007 season, he had two receiving touchdowns in the 51–45 victory over the Bengals.[34] He finished the 2007 season with 50 receptions for 614 yards and three touchdowns.[35] He had the third most 3rd-down receptions (29) in the league.[36]

In 2008, Jurevicius spent the preseason recovering from surgery on his right knee. Shortly after the initial surgery, he developed a staph infection and underwent five additional surgeries to eliminate the infection.[37] He began the season on the Active/PUP list, and on August 25, he was transferred to the Reserve/PUP list, forcing him to miss the first six weeks of the regular season. Slow recovery prevented his availability before Week 10, which by NFL rules, made him ineligible to return for the remainder of the 2008 season.[38] He was awarded the team's Ed Block Courage Award, given to the player who best persevered through injury.[39]

Jurevicius underwent a seventh surgery to clear out scar tissue in late 2008,[36] vowing to return for the 2009 season.[40] However, the Browns released him on March 11, 2009.[41]

On June 26, 2009, Jurevicius filed a lawsuit in Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas naming the Browns, the Cleveland Clinic, and Browns team physicians, Dr. Anthony Miniaci and Dr. Richard Figler, as defendants.[42] The suit alleged Jurevicius contracted staph in his right knee due to the Browns' failure to sterilize their Berea, Ohio training facility properly and the failure of doctors at the Cleveland Clinic to take proper precautions against infection.[42] Five other Browns players and two staff members had contracted staph since 2003.[42] The Browns and Cleveland Clinic confidentially settled with Jurevicius in 2010.[43]

Retirement

The damage done to his knee effectively forced him into retirement.[44] He now appears on the Tailgate Show on Cleveland Browns pre-game television. Jurevicius also appeared on two episodes of North American Hunter in 2013 hunting moose and bear in Newfoundland and British Columbia.

In 2014, he opted to receive stem cell therapy on his knees.[45]

Personal life

Jurevicius currently lives in Nebraska. He is of Lithuanian descent, and has a tattoo of Vytis, the national symbol of Lithuania on his right biceps. He earned a degree in Human Development and Family Studies from Pennsylvania State University in 1997. He appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated twice: August 25, 1997, and February 3, 2003.

Jurevicius is an avid hunter. In 2007, he co-founded Dismal River Outfitters, a hunting ranch and resort in Mullen, Nebraska, with his former Buccaneer and Seahawk teammate, John Howell.[46][47][48] His appearance on 'North American Hunter' chasing moose and spot-and-stalk bear is a further testament to his love of hunting and the outdoors.

In June 2009, Jurevicius took part in the 2009 NFL/NFLPA "Broadcast Boot Camp," a program designed by the NFL Broadcasting Department and their broadcast partners to prepare players for possible post-playing careers in broadcasting.[49]

In September 2018, Jurevicius was robbed at gunpoint in his house in Gates Mills, Ohio.[50] The robber Robert Howse, who was 24 years old at the time, was later found guilty of charges relating to the robbery and received a 43-year prison sentence. The defendant had a notable outburst at his sentencing.[51]

Jurevicius owns a commercial cleaning and laundry businesses named The Clean Group, which is headquartered outside of Cleveland.[52]

In March 2024, The Clean Group suffered a major fire.[53]

References

  1. ^ "Jurevicius, Joe". Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame. August 8, 2014. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  2. ^ Kron, Jay (November 23, 2022). "Lake Catholic 1992 football team looks back on dominant state championship season". News-Herald. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  3. ^ Podolski, Mark; mpodolski.com, Mark Podolski (January 23, 2012). "Jurevicius admits butting heads with Paterno, says it made him stronger". News-Herald. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  4. ^ "Joe Jurevicius College Stats, School, Draft, Gamelog, Splits". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  5. ^ "Joe Jurevicius, Combine Results, WR - Penn State". nflcombineresults.com. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  6. ^ "1998 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  7. ^ "Washington Redskins at New York Giants - September 6th, 1998". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  8. ^ "Joe Jurevicius 1998 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  9. ^ "New Orleans Saints at New York Giants - October 24th, 1999". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  10. ^ "Joe Jurevicius 1999 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  11. ^ "Joe Jurevicius 2000 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  12. ^ "NFC Championship - Minnesota Vikings at New York Giants - January 14th, 2001". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  13. ^ "Super Bowl XXXV - Baltimore Ravens vs. New York Giants - January 28th, 2001". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  14. ^ "Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants - November 4th, 2001". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  15. ^ "Joe Jurevicius 2001 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  16. ^ "Jurevicius Signs With Bucs". Midland Daily News. April 8, 2002. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  17. ^ "Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers - December 8th, 2002". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  18. ^ "Joe Jurevicius 2002 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  19. ^ Fennelly, Martin (August 30, 2017). "A heartbroken Joe Jurevicius had the game breaker for Bucs". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  20. ^ "Super Bowl XXXVII - Oakland Raiders vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - January 26th, 2003". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  21. ^ "Joe Jurevicius 2003 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  22. ^ Balog, Tom (December 24, 2006). "Jurevicius, another Buc who got away". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  23. ^ "Bucs' Jurevicius tears MCL, out four-plus weeks". ESPN.com. Associated Press. September 15, 2003. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  24. ^ Harry, Chris (September 16, 2003). "Injured Jurevicius to Miss 4-6 Weeks". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  25. ^ "San Francisco 49ers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers - November 21st, 2004". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  26. ^ "Joe Jurevicius 2004 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  27. ^ "2005 Seattle Seahawks Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  28. ^ "Joe Jurevicius 2005 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  29. ^ "New York Giants at Seattle Seahawks - November 27th, 2005". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  30. ^ "New York Giants at Seattle Seahawks - November 27th, 2005". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  31. ^ "Super Bowl XL - Seattle Seahawks vs. Pittsburgh Steelers - February 5th, 2006". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  32. ^ Grzegorek, Vince (November 12, 2008). "Joe The Receiver: Jurevicius Is A Fan Favorite Because He's One Of Us". Cleveland Scene. Retrieved November 12, 2008.
  33. ^ "Joe Jurevicius 2006 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  34. ^ "Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns - September 16th, 2007". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  35. ^ "Joe Jurevicius 2007 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  36. ^ a b Ridenour, Marla (November 5, 2008). "Season has been nightmare for Browns". Rocky Mountain News. Retrieved November 7, 2008.
  37. ^ "Browns' Jurevicius planning comeback". Daily Herald. Associated Press. November 2, 2008. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  38. ^ "Hurt? What Injured Players Need to Know". National Football League Players Association. June 3, 2008. Retrieved November 3, 2008.
  39. ^ Dulik, Brian (December 12, 2008). "Browns notes: Some players are still thinking Pro Bowl". The Chronicle-Telegram. Archived from the original on December 13, 2008. Retrieved December 12, 2008.
  40. ^ Greetham, Fred (November 3, 2008). "The Berea Report: JJ Vows To Return". The Orange and Brown Report. Archived from the original on November 6, 2008. Retrieved November 3, 2008.
  41. ^ "Browns release WR Joe Jurevicius". San Diego Union-Tribune. March 11, 2009. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  42. ^ a b c Cabot, Mary Kay (June 26, 2009). "Former Cleveland Browns receiver Joe Jurevicius sues team, doctors, Cleveland Clinic over staph infection". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  43. ^ Cabot, Mary Kay (June 16, 2010). "Browns, Cleveland Clinic agree to settlement in Joe Jurevicius' staph lawsuit". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  44. ^ Tilton, Bill; Tilton, Bill (February 16, 2010). "Jurevicius is hands-on in NFL retirement, helping NE Ohio high-schoolers train for future". News-Herald. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  45. ^ Stratford, Suzanne (November 3, 2014). "Game changer: Former Browns player undergoes medical breakthrough". WJW-TV. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
  46. ^ "About Us". Dismal River Outfitters. Archived from the original on May 9, 2008. Retrieved January 27, 2009.
  47. ^ Knight, Joey (February 6, 2021). "Where are they now? Catching up with the Bucs' last Super Bowl title team". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  48. ^ Hoffer, Richard (July 17, 2006). "Home, Where the Heart Is". Sports Illustrated Vault. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  49. ^ "Jones-Drew and Williams To Take Part In "NFL Broadcast Boot Camp" June 22–25". Jacksonville Jaguars. June 9, 2009. Archived from the original on January 2, 2010. Retrieved June 11, 2009.
  50. ^ Zucker, Joseph (September 17, 2018). "Former Browns WR Joe Jurevicius Reportedly Robbed at Gunpoint at Ohio Home". Bleacher Report. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  51. ^ Shaffer, Cory (March 7, 2019). "Chaotic end to sentencing of man who robbed former Browns receiver Joe Jurevicius". cleveland.com. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  52. ^ "CLEan Group - About". thecleangroup.com. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  53. ^ Sweeney, Darren; Langenfeld, Danielle (March 7, 2024). "Former Browns player's business goes up in flames". Fox 8 Cleveland WJW. Retrieved March 7, 2024.

External links

  • Career statistics and player information from Pro Football Reference
  • Former Buc Jurevicius recalls triumph, tragedy 10 years later, The Tampa Tribune, December 9, 2012.
  • v
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New York Giants 1998 NFL draft selections
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers Super Bowl XXXVII champions