Jeff Lageman
Encyclopedia
Jeffrey David Lageman is a former American football
player and current sports commentator
. He played college football
for the University of Virginia
Cavaliers
and was signed as a defensive end
by the New York Jets
of the National Football League
(NFL) in the first round of the 1989 NFL Draft
. In 1994 he was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars
; he retired after an injury in 1998. Though considered small for a defensive lineman, he distinguished himself on the field, recording a total of 47 career quarterback sack
s. Following his retirement from sports he went into sports broadcasting in Jacksonville, Florida
.
, Virginia
. He attended Park View High School
in nearby Sterling
. He attended the University of Virginia
for college, where he played both linebacker
and defensive end
for the Virginia Cavaliers football
team.
in the NFL, a fact that was pointed out by Mel Kiper during ESPN
's coverage of the 1989 NFL Draft
, Lageman was taken in the first round by the New York Jets
. Lageman's NFL career spanned 10 seasons, the first six with the Jets, and the final four with the Jacksonville Jaguars
. His best year came in 1991 when he made ten quarterback sacks. He made a career total of 47 sacks in the NFL.
In 1995 Lageman was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars
in their inaugural year. With the Jaguars, Lageman was one of the few veteran players, along with Clyde Simmons
and Dave Widell
, who had the credentials to question first time NFL head coach Tom Coughlin
, who was known for his tough coaching style. With Lageman playing a key role, the Jaguars made the 1996 playoffs and upset the Buffalo Bills
and the Denver Broncos
on the road before losing to the New England Patriots
in the AFC Championship Game.
Lageman's playing career ended on the first game of the 1998 season in Chicago. Although the Jaguars won on a last second touchdown pass from Mark Brunell
to Jimmy Smith, they lost Lageman to a torn muscle in his arm. He never played again.
television. By 2001, "The Outdoors Show" had moved from an all-sports station (WBWL-AM) to a 50,000 watt news-talk station (WOKV
) and soon after, Lageman joined the play-by-play man Brian Sexton in the booth of the Jaguars Radio Network as the color analyst. He also serves as co-host of the weekly "Jaguars This Week" radio show along with Sexton, Jaguars.com senior writer John Oehser and former Jaguars teammate Tony Boselli
, and is a castmember of the weekly television program, Jaguars All Access.
In 2006, he saw his high school number, 88, retired by Park View High.
Lageman has also gained notoriety as a spokesman for Nimnicht Chevrolet. He has appeared in television commercials along with U.S. Open
golf champion Jim Furyk
, a resident of the Jacksonville area. Lageman was interviewed for an episode of NFL's Greatest Games
which aired on ESPN2
.
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...
player and current sports commentator
Sports commentator
In sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
for the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
Cavaliers
Virginia Cavaliers
The Virginia Cavaliers, also known as Wahoos or Hoos, are the athletic teams officially representing the University of Virginia in college sports. The Cavaliers compete in 25 NCAA Division I varsity sports and are members of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
and was signed as a defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
by 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...
of 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...
(NFL) in the first round of the 1989 NFL Draft
1989 NFL Draft
The 1989 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 23–24 , 1989...
. In 1994 he was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
; he retired after an injury in 1998. Though considered small for a defensive lineman, he distinguished himself on the field, recording a total of 47 career quarterback sack
Quarterback sack
In American football and Canadian football, a sack occurs when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before he can throw a forward pass, or when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in the "pocket" and the intent of what he was going to do is unclear...
s. Following his retirement from sports he went into sports broadcasting in Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
.
Early life
Lageman was born in FairfaxFairfax, Virginia
The City of Fairfax is an independent city forming an enclave within the confines of Fairfax County, in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Although politically independent of the surrounding county, the City is nevertheless the county seat....
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. He attended Park View High School
Park View High School (Sterling, Virginia)
For schools of a similar name, see Park View School .Park View High School is a public secondary school in Sterling, an unincorporated area in Loudoun County, Virginia, United States...
in nearby Sterling
Sterling, Virginia
Sterling, Virginia is a census-designated place in Loudoun County, Virginia. The population as of the 2010 Census was 27,822.It is located northwest of Herndon, east of Ashburn, and west of Great Falls, and includes part of Dulles International Airport and the former AOL corporate headquarters...
. He attended the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
for college, where he played both linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
and defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
for the Virginia Cavaliers football
Virginia Cavaliers football
Virginia Cavaliers football is a college football program that competes in the NCAA Division I-FBS and the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
team.
Professional career
Although considered undersized to play defensive endDefensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
in the NFL, a fact that was pointed out by Mel Kiper during ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
's coverage of the 1989 NFL Draft
1989 NFL Draft
The 1989 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 23–24 , 1989...
, Lageman was taken in the first round by 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...
. Lageman's NFL career spanned 10 seasons, the first six with the Jets, and the final four with the Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. His best year came in 1991 when he made ten quarterback sacks. He made a career total of 47 sacks in the NFL.
In 1995 Lageman was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in their inaugural year. With the Jaguars, Lageman was one of the few veteran players, along with Clyde Simmons
Clyde Simmons
Clyde Simmons, Jr. is a former American football defensive end in the National Football League who played for the Philadelphia Eagles , Arizona Cardinals , Jacksonville Jaguars , Cincinnati Bengals , and the Chicago Bears . He was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1991 and 1992...
and Dave Widell
Dave Widell
David Harold Widell, Jr. is a former American football guard and tackle who played 11 seasons in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Atlanta Falcons. He was a part of the Atlanta Falcons' Super Bowl XXXIII losing team...
, who had the credentials to question first time NFL head coach Tom Coughlin
Tom Coughlin
Thomas Richard Coughlin is an American football coach who is currently head coach for the New York Giants of the National Football League . Coughlin has led the Giants to victory in Super Bowl XLII. Coughlin was also the inaugural head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, serving from 1995–2002 and...
, who was known for his tough coaching style. With Lageman playing a key role, the Jaguars made the 1996 playoffs and upset the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
on the road before losing to the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
in the AFC Championship Game.
Lageman's playing career ended on the first game of the 1998 season in Chicago. Although the Jaguars won on a last second touchdown pass from Mark Brunell
Mark Brunell
Mark Allen Brunell is an American football quarterback who currently plays for the New York Jets. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round of the 1993 NFL Draft. He played college football at Washington....
to Jimmy Smith, they lost Lageman to a torn muscle in his arm. He never played again.
Retirement
During his time in Jacksonville, Lageman, an avid hunter and fisherman, began his broadcasting career with a radio show titled "The Outdoors Show" along with Captain Kevin Faver and Captain Kirk Waltz. After his playing career, Lageman continued his broadcasting career as a football color analyst on FoxNFL on FOX
NFL on Fox is the brand name of the Fox Broadcasting Company's coverage of the National Football League's National Football Conference games, produced by Fox Sports...
television. By 2001, "The Outdoors Show" had moved from an all-sports station (WBWL-AM) to a 50,000 watt news-talk station (WOKV
WOKV
WOKV and WOKV-FM are a pair of American radio stations in the Jacksonville, Florida, area. WOKV-AM/FM is owned by Cox Radio of Atlanta, Georgia, and simulcasts a conservative talk radio format....
) and soon after, Lageman joined the play-by-play man Brian Sexton in the booth of the Jaguars Radio Network as the color analyst. He also serves as co-host of the weekly "Jaguars This Week" radio show along with Sexton, Jaguars.com senior writer John Oehser and former Jaguars teammate Tony Boselli
Tony Boselli
Don Anthony "Tony" Boselli, Jr. is a former American football offensive tackle. He spent nearly all of his professional career playing for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League ....
, and is a castmember of the weekly television program, Jaguars All Access.
In 2006, he saw his high school number, 88, retired by Park View High.
Lageman has also gained notoriety as a spokesman for Nimnicht Chevrolet. He has appeared in television commercials along with U.S. Open
U.S. Open
The term U.S. Open or US Open is applied to "open" United States-hosted championships in a particular sport , in which anyone, amateur or professional, American or non-American, may compete....
golf champion Jim Furyk
Jim Furyk
James Michael Furyk is an American professional golfer, 2010 FedEx Cup champion, and 2010 PGA Tour Player of the Year. He has won one major championship, the 2003 U.S. Open. Furyk is known for consistently playing at the top level and for a visibly unconventional, looping golf swing...
, a resident of the Jacksonville area. Lageman was interviewed for an episode of NFL's Greatest Games
NFL's Greatest Games
NFL's Greatest Games is a series of 90-minute television programs that air on NFL Network, ESPN and related networks. They are condensed versions of some of the most famous games in the history of the National Football League, using footage and sound captured by NFL Films, as well as original...
which aired on ESPN2
ESPN2
ESPN2 is an American sports cable television network owned by ESPN. The channel debuted on October 1, 1993.Originally nicknamed "the deuce," ESPN2 was initially branded as a network for a younger generation of sports fans featuring edgier graphics as well as extreme sports like motocross,...
.