Jon Runyan | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Runyan in 2011 | |||||||
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNew Jersey's3rd district | |||||||
| In office January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2015 | |||||||
| Preceded by | John Adler | ||||||
| Succeeded by | Tom MacArthur | ||||||
| Personal details | |||||||
| Born | Jon Daniel Runyan (1973-11-27)November 27, 1973 (age 51) Flint, Michigan, U.S. | ||||||
| Political party | Republican | ||||||
| Spouse | Loretta Runyan | ||||||
| Children | 3, includingJon Runyan Jr. | ||||||
| Alma mater | University of Michigan Thomas Edison State University (BA) | ||||||
| Website | House website | ||||||
American football player American football career | |||||||
| No. 69, 79 | |||||||
| Position: | Offensive tackle | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 330 lb (150 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Carman-Ainsworth (Flint Township, Michigan) | ||||||
| College: | Michigan | ||||||
| NFL draft: | 1996: 4th round, 109th pick | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Jon Daniel Runyan (born November 27, 1973) is an American athlete and politician who was theU.S. representative forNew Jersey's 3rd congressional district from 2011 to 2015. He is a member of theRepublican Party. Before entering politics, he playedfootball for 14 seasons as anoffensive tackle in theNational Football League (NFL). He was a participant in the2003 Pro Bowl following the2002 NFL season.
He was selected by theHouston Oilers in the fourth round of the1996 NFL draft and later played for thePhiladelphia Eagles andSan Diego Chargers. Runyan was the last active NFL player to have played for the Oilers. He playedcollege football for theMichigan Wolverines where he was a 1995All-Big Ten Conference selection. In high school, he had been an All-State (Michigan) selection in basketball and two-time state championshot putter. He retired at the end of the2009 NFL season and launched his campaign for Congress against incumbent freshmanDemocratJohn Adler, winning the general election on November 2, 2010.
On November 6, 2013, Runyan announced he would not seek reelection to Congress in 2014.[1]
On May 17, 2016, the NFL announced they hired Runyan as their Vice President of the Policy and Rules administration.[2]
Runyan was born inFlint, Michigan where his father was an employee ofGeneral Motors.[3]
Runyan continues to hold theFlint, Michigan Carman-Ainsworth Middle School shot put record with a 1988 heave of 50 feet 7 inches (15.42 m).[4] Runyan was a two-timeMichigan High School Athletic Association stateshot put champion forCarman-Ainsworth High School (1991 57 feet 6 inches (17.53 m); 1992 59 feet 5 inches (18.11 m)).[5] He was a 1992Detroit News second-team All-State basketballcenter.[6] He was recruited byMichigan State men's basketball, though he declined in order to play football. He chose to play for theMichigan Wolverines football team where he was anAll-Big Ten Conference selection for the1995 Wolverines.[7]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft7+1⁄2 in (2.02 m) | 308 lb (140 kg) | 34 in (0.86 m) | 9+5⁄8 in (0.24 m) | 5.34 s | 1.80 s | 3.12 s | 4.73 s | 24.5 in (0.62 m) | 8 ft 7 in (2.62 m) | 25 reps | ||
| All values from NFL Combine[8] | ||||||||||||
Runyan was selected in the fourth round (109th overall) of the1996 NFL draft by the Houston Oilers (now theTennessee Titans).[9] He played with the Houston Oilers in1996 and became astarter in only the sixth game of his rookie season. He moved with the team as they became the Tennessee Oilers in1997 and1998, and finally played one year in the new jerseys as the Tennessee Titans in1999 when the team made it toSuper Bowl XXXIV. Runyan was the last active player in the NFL to have played for theHouston Oilers.[10]
Runyan was signed by thePhiladelphia Eagles to a six-year, $30 million contract on February 14, 2000, as anunrestricted free agent. The contract made him the highest paid offensive lineman in NFL history at the time.[11] Runyan was selected to the Pro Bowl in2002.
On March 24, 2006, the Eagles announced that Runyan had re-signed with the team with a three-year contract.[12] He had visited with theNew York Jets on March 21 prior to re-signing with the Eagles.[13]
In aSports Illustrated magazine in October 2006, Runyan was ranked second on a list of the Dirtiest Players in the NFL.[14] Bills linebackerShawne Merriman stated that Runyan "was one of the dirtiest players I've ever been against in my whole entire life. He was real good at being dirty".[15] Runyan did not deny the charges, criticizing the current game instead: "That's the way the game's supposed to be played. I think they’ve tried to change that over the years. It's turned into a basketball game out there."[15]
In a 2007 game against theDallas Cowboys, Runyan instructed Eagles running backBrian Westbrook to take a knee at the one-yard line rather than score atouchdown with two minutes left in the game so that Dallas would not get the ball back. Westbrook followed Runyan's direction, the play worked, and Philadelphia won the game.[16]
A 2008 poll revealed that getting blocked by Runyan on a screen pass was one of the scariest things in the NFL.[17]
Runyan held the remarkable streak for anoffensive lineman of having started 190 consecutive regular season games. This was the second longest streak among active NFL players in2008. He has also started in all 18 playoff games his teams have appeared in during this streak.
On January 28, 2009, Runyan had microfacture surgery on his right knee.[18] In February 2009, Runyan's contract expired with the team. He worked out for the Eagles on September 10,[19] but did not sign a contract. He was signed by theSan Diego Chargers, playing in five games before retiring.
In November 2009, published reports indicated Runyan was interested in running for Congress.[20] On November 24, 2009, Runyan announced his congressional bid to challenge one-term Democratic incumbentJohn Adler forNew Jersey's 3rd congressional district, which included parts ofBurlington,Camden andOcean Counties. Libertarian nominee Russ Conger and Your Country Again nominee Lawrence J. Donahue were also running. Even though he now played for the Chargers, he maintained a home inMount Laurel, across theDelaware River from Philadelphia (and which coincidentally also happens to be home to the headquarters ofNFL Films).[21] On March 7, 2010, the Ocean County Republicans endorsed Runyan.[22] On June 8, Runyan won the Republican nomination.[23]On November 2, 2010, Runyan defeated Adler 50%–47%, becoming the first challenger to unseat an incumbent New Jersey Congressman sinceRush Holt in 1998. He lost the Burlington and Camden portions of the district, but carried solidly Republican Ocean County by nearly 20,000 votes, far exceeding his overall winning margin of over 6,000 votes.[24] Runyan is the fourth former NFL player to be elected to Congress, afterJack Kemp,Steve Largent, andHeath Shuler.[25]
Runyan was re-elected, defeating attorneyShelley Adler, the widow ofJohn Adler (who intended to run in a rematch, but died suddenly in April 2011). Shelley Adler had defeated Jason Sansone for the Democratic nomination.[26] Runyan won 54% of the vote, to Adler's 45%.
Runyan announced that he would not seek re-election, after expressing frustration with his fellow Republicans over thegovernment shutdown.[1]
Over the course of his tenure, Runyan sponsored 15 pieces of legislation.[27] Like most New Jersey Republicans, he was considered moderate relative to the national party.[28] He voted with the Republican party 92% of the time. Key votes he supported included the payroll tax cut, theBalanced budget amendment, defunding ofNational Public Radio, and the Republican budget plan.[29]
In June 2013, Runyan was one of the sponsors to pass an amendment to H.R. 2217, theDepartment of Homeland Security Appropriations Act of 2014, which increased the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grants, and the Assistance to Firefighter Grants (FIRE) by $2.5 million each.[30]
On November 6, 2013, Runyan announced he would not seek reelection in 2014.[1]
The following is a partial list of bills specifically sponsored (introduced) by Rep. Runyan.
| Year | Democrat | Votes | Pct | Republican | Votes | Pct | 3rd Party | Party | Votes | Pct | 3rd Party | Party | Votes | Pct | 3rd Party | Party | Votes | Pct | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | John Adler | 104,252 | 47% | Jon Runyan | 110,215 | 50% | Peter DeStefano | New Jersey Tea Party | 3,284 | 1% | Russ Conger | Libertarian | 1,445 | <1% | Lawrence J. Donahue | Your Country Again | 1,113 | <1% | ||||||
| 2012 | Shelley Adler | 145,506 | 45% | Jon Runyan | 174,253 | 54% |
Runyan has three children with his wife, Loretta; they reside in Mt. Laurel, New Jersey.[34] His son,Jon Runyan Jr., played offensive line for theMichigan Wolverines football program[35] and was selected by theGreen Bay Packers in 2020 before signing with theNew York Giants in 2024.[36]
Runyan appeared as a construction worker alongside other Philadelphia Eagles in the Season 4 episode "America's Next Top Paddy's Billboard Model Contest" ofIt's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.[citation needed]
In his spare time, Runyan works as anUber driver in the Philadelphia area.[37] He is an emeritus board member of theAlzheimer's Association's Delaware Valley Chapter, which represents areas in New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania.[38]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNew Jersey's 3rd congressional district 2011–2015 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Former US Representative | Order of precedence of the United States as Former US Representative | Succeeded byas Former US Representative |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
