Jason Sehorn
Encyclopedia
Jason Heath Sehorn is a former professional
American football
defensive back
in the National Football League
.
. He played high school football
at Mount Shasta High School in Mount Shasta, California
.
, a junior college in Redding, California
, where he was a standout wide receiver, kick returner and punt returner. He then played two years at the University of Southern California
where he was moved to the safety position due to an abundance of talent at the wide receiver position. Sehorn was drafted
in the second round of the 1994 NFL Draft
by the New York Giants
.
position for the New York Giants. During his time with the Giants, Sehorn received some notability for being the only white starting cornerback in the NFL. Upon his release, Sehorn signed with the St. Louis Rams
as a safety. He did not play during the 2004 season
, however, as his contract with the Rams was terminated after he failed a physical examination.
After a highly successful season in 1997
, Sehorn suffered a debilitating knee injury, tearing both his anterior cruciate
and medial collateral ligament
s, returning the opening kickoff in the 1998 preseason
game against the New York Jets
. Though Sehorn returned the next season
, his speed was greatly diminished.
Sehorn was signed by the Chicago Cubs
after just one season of playing American Legion Baseball
following his senior year of high school. Sehorn played the outfield but failed to produce as a hitter.
correspondent, Whitney Casey
, (now the former host of "Great Day Houston" on Houston's KHOU-TV
) from February 14, 1998 to their divorce in 1999. His marriage to actress Angie Harmon
is well known due to his unusual and public proposal. During one of Harmon's appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Sehorn (almost certainly with the assistance of host Jay Leno
) hid backstage and surprised Harmon by getting on one knee and asking for her hand in marriage in front of a live studio audience and millions more watching on television. They married in 2001 and have three daughters: Finley Faith (born October 14, 2003), Avery Grace (born June 22, 2005), and Emery Hope (born December 18, 2008).
Sehorn played a firefighter on the NBC
show, Third Watch
, for one episode in which his character is killed in a warehouse blaze.
On January 19, 1999, Sehorn's high school jersey #1 was retired by his alma mater, Mount Shasta High School, in a ceremony emceed by his longtime friend, mentor and former coach, Joe Blevins. The ceremony aired on local cable television.
In 2005 Sehorn joined Fox Sports Net
, where he was a panelist on their Sunday NFL pregame show.
Sehorn participated in ABC's
Superstars
competition during the NFL offseason; he won the competition in 1998, 1999, and 2000.
Professional sports
Professional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, are sports in which athletes receive payment for their performance. Professional athleticism has come to the fore through a combination of developments. Mass media and increased leisure have brought larger audiences, so that sports organizations...
American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
defensive back
Defensive back
In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
.
Early years
Sehorn was born in Sacramento, CaliforniaSacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
. He played high school football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
at Mount Shasta High School in Mount Shasta, California
Mount Shasta, California
Mount Shasta is a city in Siskiyou County, California, located at around 3,600 ft on the flanks of Mount Shasta, a prominent northern California landmark. The city is less than southwest of the summit of its namesake volcano...
.
College career
Sehorn played his first two years of college football at Shasta CollegeShasta College
Shasta College is an American two-year to four- year community college located in Redding, California founded in 1950. It later moved to a much bigger campus, while the original campus became the new location of Shasta High School....
, a junior college in Redding, California
Redding, California
Redding is a city in far-Northern California. It is the county seat of Shasta County, California, USA. With a population of 89,861, according to the 2010 Census...
, where he was a standout wide receiver, kick returner and punt returner. He then played two years at the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
where he was moved to the safety position due to an abundance of talent at the wide receiver position. Sehorn was drafted
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
in the second round of the 1994 NFL Draft
1994 NFL Draft
The 1994 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 24-25, 1994. The league also held a supplemental draft after the regular draft and...
by the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
Professional career
Sehorn spent most of his career playing the cornerbackCornerback
A cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position...
position for the New York Giants. During his time with the Giants, Sehorn received some notability for being the only white starting cornerback in the NFL. Upon his release, Sehorn signed with the St. Louis Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
as a safety. He did not play during the 2004 season
2004 NFL season
The 2004 NFL season was the 85th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 9, 2004 to January 2, 2005...
, however, as his contract with the Rams was terminated after he failed a physical examination.
After a highly successful season in 1997
1997 NFL season
The 1997 NFL season was the 78th regular season of the National Football League. The Oilers relocated from Houston, Texas to Nashville, Tennessee...
, Sehorn suffered a debilitating knee injury, tearing both his anterior cruciate
Anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...
and medial collateral ligament
Medial collateral ligament
The medial collateral ligament of the knee is one of the four major ligaments of the knee. It is on the medial side of the knee joint in humans and other primates. It is also known as the tibial collateral ligament, or abbreviated as the MCL.- Structure :It is a broad, flat, membranous band,...
s, returning the opening kickoff in the 1998 preseason
1998 NFL season
The 1998 NFL season was the 79th regular season of the National Football League.The Tennessee Oilers moved their home games from Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis to Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, still awaiting construction on a new stadium in Nashville.This was the first season that CBS...
game against the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Though Sehorn returned the next season
1999 NFL season
The 1999 NFL season was the 80th regular season of the National Football League. The Cleveland Browns returned to the field for the first time since the 1995 season...
, his speed was greatly diminished.
Sehorn was signed by the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
after just one season of playing American Legion Baseball
American Legion Baseball
American Legion Baseball is a variety of amateur baseball played by teenage boys in 50 states in the USA. More than five thousand teams participate each year. The American Legion Department of South Dakota established the program in 1925 at Milbank, South Dakota...
following his senior year of high school. Sehorn played the outfield but failed to produce as a hitter.
Personal life
Sehorn was married to former CNNCNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
correspondent, Whitney Casey
Whitney Casey
Whitney Casey is a journalist who published her first book, "The Man Plan: Drive Men Wild... Not Away" in 2009. The book has been promoted on radio and print news....
, (now the former host of "Great Day Houston" on Houston's KHOU-TV
KHOU-TV
KHOU is the CBS affiliate television station in Houston, Texas. Serving Greater Houston, it is owned by the Belo Corporation and broadcasts on digital and PSIP channel 11...
) from February 14, 1998 to their divorce in 1999. His marriage to actress Angie Harmon
Angie Harmon
Angela Michelle "Angie" Harmon is an American fashion model and television/film actress. She became a well-known model before gaining international fame for her roles in Baywatch Nights and Law & Order....
is well known due to his unusual and public proposal. During one of Harmon's appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Sehorn (almost certainly with the assistance of host Jay Leno
Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir "Jay" Leno is an American stand-up comedian and television host.From 1992 to 2009, Leno was the host of NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Beginning in September 2009, Leno started a primetime talk show, titled The Jay Leno Show, which aired weeknights at 10:00 p.m. ,...
) hid backstage and surprised Harmon by getting on one knee and asking for her hand in marriage in front of a live studio audience and millions more watching on television. They married in 2001 and have three daughters: Finley Faith (born October 14, 2003), Avery Grace (born June 22, 2005), and Emery Hope (born December 18, 2008).
Sehorn played a firefighter on the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
show, Third Watch
Third Watch
Third Watch is an American television drama series which first aired on NBC from 1999 to 2005 for a total of 132 episodes, broadcast in 6 seasons of 22 episodes each....
, for one episode in which his character is killed in a warehouse blaze.
On January 19, 1999, Sehorn's high school jersey #1 was retired by his alma mater, Mount Shasta High School, in a ceremony emceed by his longtime friend, mentor and former coach, Joe Blevins. The ceremony aired on local cable television.
In 2005 Sehorn joined Fox Sports Net
Fox Sports Net
The Fox Sports Regional Networks, or simply Fox Sports Net , are a collection of cable TV regional sports networks in the United States owned and operated by News Corporation.- Beginnings :...
, where he was a panelist on their Sunday NFL pregame show.
Sehorn participated in ABC's
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
Superstars
Superstars
Superstars is an all-around sports competition that pits elite athletes from different sports against one another in a series of athletic events resembling a decathlon....
competition during the NFL offseason; he won the competition in 1998, 1999, and 2000.