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Steve Jordan (tight end)

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Steve Jordan
No. 83
Position:Tight end
Personal information
Born: (1961-01-10) January 10, 1961 (age 63)
Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:242 lb (110 kg)
Career information
High school:South Mountain
(Phoenix, AZ)
College:Brown
NFL draft:1982 / round: 7 / pick: 179
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Receptions:498
Receiving yards:6,307
Receiving touchdowns:28
Stats at Pro Football Reference

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.

Early life and education

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Steve Jordan grew up in Phoenix, Arizona[1] and graduated from South Mountain High School.[2] A multi-sport athlete, he played football, basketball, and tennis in high school, but he concentrated on academics.[3]

He attended college at Brown University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the Brown University School of Engineering in 1982.[4] In addition to his engineering coursework, he tried out for the football team and made the varsity lineup his sophomore year.[5] Although the Brown coaching staff originally thought he would not play "a minute of varsity ball,"[6] Jordan was twice named to the first-team All-Ivy League squad and he also made All-American honorable mention.[7] After his senior season, Jordan was awarded the Tuss McLaughry Trophy as the Brown football team member "who through sportsmanship, performance, and influence, contributed most to the sport at Brown."[8] He was inducted into the Brown Bears athletic Hall of Fame in 1987.[9]

NFL career

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Jordan was the Vikings 7th round pick (179th overall) in the 1982 NFL draft.[10] 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.[11] Viking head coach Jerry Burns praised Jordan's work ethic, noting that "no one on the Vikings works harder."[12] 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 17-10 to the Washington Redskins.[13] The Redskins went on to win Super Bowl XXII.

Jordan's career statistics compare favorably to several NFL Hall of Fame inductees.[14] For example, Jordan's 498 career receptions and 6,307 career yards exceeds Mike Ditka's 427 career receptions and 5,812 career yards,[15] Dave Casper's 378 career receptions and 5,216 career yards,[16] and John Mackey's 331 career receptions and 5,236 career yards.[17]

Jordan still holds the Vikings all-time single-game receiving record for tight ends.[18] During a game against the Washington Redskins on November 2, 1986, Jordan caught 6 passes for 179 yards and a touchdown.[19] No Vikings tight end has ever caught for more yards in a single game.[20]

NFL career statistics

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Legend
Bold Career high

Regular season

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Year Team Games 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
176 149 498 6,307 12.7 68 28

Playoffs

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Year Team Games 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
11 8 26 343 13.2 36 1

Post-football career

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After his retirement from the NFL, Jordan worked as a civil engineer for M.A. Mortenson of Minneapolis, Minnesota.[21] He was elected to the Brown University Board of Trustees in 1993.[22]

On October 25, 2019, the Minnesota Vikings inducted Jordan into the 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."[23]

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."[24]

Personal life

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Jordan lives in Eagan, Minnesota.[25] 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

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  1. ^ "Steve R. Jordan (1987) - Hall of Fame".
  2. ^ "Steve Jordan Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  3. ^ "Steve R. Jordan (1987) - Hall of Fame".
  4. ^ "92-145 (New Trustees)".
  5. ^ "Steve R. Jordan (1987) - Hall of Fame".
  6. ^ "Steve R. Jordan (1987) - Hall of Fame".
  7. ^ "Steve R. Jordan (1987) - Hall of Fame".
  8. ^ "Steve R. Jordan (1987) - Hall of Fame".
  9. ^ "Steve R. Jordan (1987) - Hall of Fame".
  10. ^ "Steve Jordan Surprised by Vikings Ring of Honor Selection".
  11. ^ "Steve Jordan Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  12. ^ "Steve R. Jordan (1987) - Hall of Fame".
  13. ^ "Steve Jordan Surprised by Vikings Ring of Honor Selection".
  14. ^ "Steve Jordan Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  15. ^ "Mike Ditka Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  16. ^ "Dave Casper Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  17. ^ "John Mackey Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  18. ^ "Steve Jordan Surprised by Vikings Ring of Honor Selection".
  19. ^ "Minnesota Vikings at Washington Redskins - November 2nd, 1986". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  20. ^ "The Official Site of the Minnesota Vikings".
  21. ^ "92-145 (New Trustees)".
  22. ^ "92-145 (New Trustees)".
  23. ^ "Steve Jordan Surprised by Vikings Ring of Honor Selection".
  24. ^ "Steve Jordan Surprised by Vikings Ring of Honor Selection".
  25. ^ "Steve R. Jordan (1987) - Hall of Fame".
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