Jeff Komlo
Encyclopedia
William Jeffrey "Jeff" Komlo ( – ) was an American professional football
quarterback
who played for the Detroit Lions
, the Atlanta Falcons
and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
of the NFL
. He was born in Cheverly, Maryland
.
under head coach
Tubby Raymond and led the Blue Hens to a second-place finish in the 1978 NCAA Division II playoffs. During his Delaware career, Komlo set 11 school records and passed for 5,256 yards.
Komlo was selected by the Lions in the ninth round of the 1979 NFL Draft
, and played three seasons with the Michigan
club. At the beginning of the 1979 season, due to injuries to starting
quarterback Gary Danielson
and back-up Joe Reed, then head coach Monte Clark
chose to open the season with Komlo as the starter. He was the first rookie quarterback ever, not drafted #1 by his team, to start the first game. In his NFL career, he played in 25 games and threw for 12 touchdowns but also tossed 28 interceptions.
One of several ex-Blue Hens quarterbacks to have played in the NFL, Komlo's career ended in 1983, after one-season spells with the Atlanta Falcons
and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
.
, after going on the lam
while facing sentencing on a pair of DUI
convictions in Chester County, Pennsylvania
. He was also facing charges of cocaine
possession and assault, and police wanted to question him about possible arson
at his homes in West Palm Beach and Chester Springs, Pennsylvania
.
While on the run, Komlo ended up working for a hair implant clinic in Athens
called NHI. The clinic caters mostly to Britons, who fly to the Greek capital for something called the Choi Method, which, according to the NHI website, is "a procedure far too labour intensive to operate in the UK."
Komlo was killed in an automobile crash in southern Athens on March 14, 2009. Pennsylvania law enforcement initially questioned whether he might have faked his own death to avoid the charges. On Thursday, March 19, the Acting Chief Chester County
sheriff
's detective, Jim Vito, stated that the authorities were satisfied that Komlo was dead.
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...
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
who played for the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
, the Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
of the NFL
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...
. He was born in Cheverly, Maryland
Cheverly, Maryland
Cheverly is a town in central Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C., United States. The town was founded in 1918 and it was incorporated in 1931. Cheverly had 6,433 residents as of the 2000 Census....
.
Football career
Komlo played at the University of DelawareUniversity of Delaware
The university is organized into seven colleges:* College of Agriculture and Natural Resources* College of Arts and Sciences* Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics* College of Earth, Ocean and Environment* College of Education and Human Development...
under head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
Tubby Raymond and led the Blue Hens to a second-place finish in the 1978 NCAA Division II playoffs. During his Delaware career, Komlo set 11 school records and passed for 5,256 yards.
Komlo was selected by the Lions in the ninth round of the 1979 NFL Draft
1979 NFL Draft
The 1979 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 May 3–4, 1979...
, and played three seasons with the Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
club. At the beginning of the 1979 season, due to injuries to starting
Starting lineup
A starting lineup in sports is an official list of the set of players who will actively participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes or bench players.The starters are commonly the best...
quarterback Gary Danielson
Gary Danielson
Gary Danielson is a former professional football player, a quarterback in the National Football League . He played for the Detroit Lions from 1976 to 1984 and for the Cleveland Browns in 1985, 1987, and 1988...
and back-up Joe Reed, then head coach Monte Clark
Monte Clark
Monte Dale Clark was an American football player who served as head coach for two National Football League teams: the San Francisco 49ers and the Detroit Lions.-College career:...
chose to open the season with Komlo as the starter. He was the first rookie quarterback ever, not drafted #1 by his team, to start the first game. In his NFL career, he played in 25 games and threw for 12 touchdowns but also tossed 28 interceptions.
One of several ex-Blue Hens quarterbacks to have played in the NFL, Komlo's career ended in 1983, after one-season spells with the Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
.
Later life and death
In August 2005, Komlo was featured on America's Most WantedAmerica's Most Wanted
America's Most Wanted is an American television program produced by 20th Television, and was the longest-running program of any kind in the history of the Fox Television Network until it was announced on May 16, 2011 that the series was canceled after twenty-three years, with the final episode...
, after going on the lam
On the Lam
"On the Lam" is a song by Kele Okereke, lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the band Bloc Party, released as the third single from his debut solo album The Boxer. The music video was released on October 8, 2010, with the digital EP being released on October 25....
while facing sentencing on a pair of DUI
DUI
DUI is a three letter acronym that may stand for:* Driving under the influence * Democratic Union for Integration — the largest ethnic Albanian party in the Republic of Macedonia* Data Use Identifier...
convictions in Chester County, Pennsylvania
Chester County, Pennsylvania
-State parks:*French Creek State Park*Marsh Creek State Park*White Clay Creek Preserve-Demographics:As of the 2010 census, the county was 85.5% White, 6.1% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American or Alaskan Native, 3.9% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian, 1.8% were two or more races, and 2.4% were...
. He was also facing charges of cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
possession and assault, and police wanted to question him about possible arson
Arson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
at his homes in West Palm Beach and Chester Springs, Pennsylvania
Chester Springs, Pennsylvania
Chester Springs is an unincorporated community in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is centered on West Pikeland Township, and extends into Upper Uwchlan Township, East Nantmeal Township, Wallace Township and West Vincent Township. The Chester Springs postal zone is considerably...
.
While on the run, Komlo ended up working for a hair implant clinic in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
called NHI. The clinic caters mostly to Britons, who fly to the Greek capital for something called the Choi Method, which, according to the NHI website, is "a procedure far too labour intensive to operate in the UK."
Komlo was killed in an automobile crash in southern Athens on March 14, 2009. Pennsylvania law enforcement initially questioned whether he might have faked his own death to avoid the charges. On Thursday, March 19, the Acting Chief Chester County
Chester County, Pennsylvania
-State parks:*French Creek State Park*Marsh Creek State Park*White Clay Creek Preserve-Demographics:As of the 2010 census, the county was 85.5% White, 6.1% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American or Alaskan Native, 3.9% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian, 1.8% were two or more races, and 2.4% were...
sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
's detective, Jim Vito, stated that the authorities were satisfied that Komlo was dead.