.jpg) Jaworski in 2019 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 16, 7, 17 | |||||||||||||||
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| Position | Quarterback | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | (1951-03-23)March 23, 1951 (age 74) Lackawanna, New York, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight | 196 lb (89 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Lackawanna | ||||||||||||||
| College | Youngstown State (1969–1972) | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1973: 2nd round, 37th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
Playing | |||||||||||||||
Operations | |||||||||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
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Ronald Vincent Jaworski (born March 23, 1951), nicknamed "Jaws", is an American former professionalfootballquarterback who played in theNational Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. He playedcollege football for theYoungstown State Penguins and was selected by theLos Angeles Rams in the second round of the1973 NFL draft. After spending four seasons mostly as a backup for the Rams, Jaworski was traded to thePhiladelphia Eagles in 1977, where he would lead the Eagles to four consecutive playoff appearances, including a division title and the franchise's firstSuper Bowl appearance in1980. After 10 seasons with the Eagles, Jaworski signed with theMiami Dolphins, where he would spend two seasons as a backup.
After his playing career, Jaworski worked as an NFL analyst onESPN from 1990 to 2017.[1] From 2004 to 2019, he served as an executive of thePhiladelphia Soul franchise of theArena Football League, where he also briefly served as the league's Executive Committee Chair from2018 to2019. He is also the founder and CEO of Ron Jaworski Golf, which owns and manages several golf courses across theDelaware Valley region.
Jaworski was born and raised inLackawanna, New York. A three-sport star in high school, he turned down aMajor League Baseball offer from theSt. Louis Cardinals to attend college atYoungstown State University, where he was nicknamed "Rifle Ron" and the "Polish Rifle", a reference to hisPolish ethnicity.
At Youngstown State, he showcased his skills as a quarterback for a pass-oriented offense, earning a selection in theSenior Bowl. Jaworski set several school records during his tenure at Youngstown State, including single-season passing completions (139), career passing completions (325), single-season passing yardage (2,123), career passing yardage (4,612), single-season passing touchdowns (18), and career passing touchdowns (32).[2]
Jaworski was selected in the second round of the1973 NFL draft by theLos Angeles Rams. Jaworski was named the third-string quarterback, backing upJohn Hadl andJames Harris, and only appeared in a total of five games through his first two seasons.
In1975, Jaworski saw his first major playing time in Week 13, when starter James Harris suffered a shoulder injury three plays into the game. Jaworski led the Rams to a 22–5 victory over theGreen Bay Packers, where he completed 14 of 24 passes for 174 yards and an interception. The next week, Jaworski made his first career start for the final week of the season, where he led the Rams to a 10–3 win over thePittsburgh Steelers.
Entering the playoffs, there was speculation as to whether James Harris was healed enough to return or if Jaworski would start for the divisional round game against theSt. Louis Cardinals. It was only minutes before gametime when Jaworski was informed by head coachChuck Knox that he would be starting. In his playoff debut, Jaworski completed 12 of 23 passes for 203 yards with both a passing and rushing touchdown, en route to a 35–23 victory to advance to the NFC Championship Game. Despite Jaworski's performance, he was not named the starter for the NFC Championship, as James Harris was deemed healthy enough to return. However, Harris reaggravated his shoulder injury after just two passes in the game, and Jaworski came in as a backup. He completed 11 of 22 passes for 147 yards, but threw two interceptions in the 37–7 loss to theDallas Cowboys.
Entering the1976 season, Jaworski was named the Week 1 starter after James Harris fractured his thumb. In the season opener against theAtlanta Falcons, however, Jaworski left the game due to a fractured right shoulder. BackupPat Haden relieved Jaworski, and led the Rams to a 30–14 victory. In Week 6 against theChicago Bears, Haden was injured, and Jaworski, although not yet fully recovered, came in and preserved a 20–12 victory. Jaworski started the next week against theNew Orleans Saints, but he was benched for Haden in the fourth quarter after completing just 3 of 11 passes for 15 yards. James Harris would start at quarterback for the next 2 games before Pat Haden became the starter for remainder of the season. Jaworski would only appear in spot duty in two other games.
In March 1977, Jaworski was traded by the Rams to thePhiladelphia Eagles in exchange for former All-Protight endCharle Young. Jaworski would be reunited with former Rams quarterbacks coachDick Vermeil, who was now the head coach for the Eagles.
In the1977 season, Jaworski started all 14 games for the Eagles, leading them to a 5–9 record on the season. In1978, Jaworski led the Eagles to a 9–7 record, clinching both a wild card spot and the franchise's first postseason appearance in 18 years. In the Wild Card game against theAtlanta Falcons, Jaworski helped the Eagles jump to a 13–0 lead that they would hold into the fourth quarter. However,Steve Bartkowski and the Falcons responded late with two touchdowns, and although Jaworski brought the Eagles to the Falcons' 16-yard-line with just 13 seconds to play, punter/kickerMike Michel missed what would have been a game-winning 34-yard field goal, and the Eagles fell 14–13. As of 2024, this Falcons-Eagles playoff game is believed to be first and only time in NFL history where both starting quarterbacks were of Polish heritage.
In1979, Jaworski led the Eagles to an 11–5 record and a second-straight wild card berth. In the Wild Card game against theChicago Bears, Jaworski led the Eagles out of a 17–10 halftime deficit as the Eagles rallied to beat the Bears 27–17. Jaworski completed 12 of 23 passes for 204 passing yards with three touchdowns and one interception. In the divisional round game against theTampa Bay Buccaneers, the Eagles quickly fell behind to a 17–0 deficit. Despite an attempted comeback led by Jaworski, the Eagles fell to the Buccaneers 24–17.
In1980, Jaworski saw perhaps his most successful season in the NFL. The Eagles started out 11–1, en route to a 12–4 record and aNFC East division title. Jaworski threw for 3,529 yards and 27 touchdowns, and received multiple honors, including theBert Bell Award, the NFC Offensive Player of the Year Award fromUPI, and a selection to thePro Bowl. Jaworski also finished third inAP NFL MVP voting. Facing theMinnesota Vikings in the divisional round, the Eagles trailed 14–7 at halftime, but Jaworski and the Eagles responded by outscoring the Vikings 24–2 in the second half, resulting in a 31–16 Eagles win. Jaworski completed 17 of 38 passes for 190 passing yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.
In the NFC Championship Game, the Eagles would face their division rival, theDallas Cowboys. In frigid conditions atVeterans Stadium, the Eagles pulled off a strong rushing attack as they went on to defeat the Cowboys 20–7, advancing to their first everSuper Bowl in franchise history.
The Eagles went intoSuper Bowl XV as slight favorites over the AFC-championOakland Raiders. However, Jaworski and the Eagles struggled, as the Eagles suffered four turnovers and fell behind to a 14–3 halftime deficit. From there, the Raiders kept on with their attack to prevail 27–10 over the Eagles. Jaworski completed 18 of 38 passes for 291 yards while throwing a touchdown and three interceptions with a lost fumble.
In1981, Jaworski led the Eagles to another strong start to the season, going 7–1 through the first eight games. However, the Eagles went 3–5 in the second half of the season, but still clinched a wild card spot for their fourth consecutive playoff appearance. In the Wild Card game against theNew York Giants, the Eagles were unable to overcome 20 first quarter points scored by New York, and despite their best efforts, they ultimately fell to the Giants 27–21. Jaworski went 13 of 24 for 154 yards and one touchdown.
In the1982 strike-shortened season, Jaworski led the Eagles to a 3–6 record, as the Eagles missed the playoffs for the first time since 1977. Following the season, Eagles head coach Dick Vermeil retired, and was replaced by defensive coordinatorMarion Campbell.
Jaworski and the Eagles' struggles continued into1983, as the Eagles posted a 5–11 record. In1984, Jaworski led the Eagles to a 5–7–1 record before he suffered a broken left leg in Week 13 against his former team, theLos Angeles Rams. Jaworski's injury ended both his season and his streak of 116 consecutive starts, an NFL record for quarterbacks at the time that stood until1999, when it was broken by Packers quarterbackBrett Favre.
In the second round of the1985 NFL draft, the Eagles selected quarterbackRandall Cunningham. Despite the selection, Jaworski was still intended to be the starter for the Eagles, although Cunningham was intended to be Jaworski's successor in the future. However, after a poor performance in Jaworski's return from his leg injury in the1985 season opener, he was benched and replaced byRandall Cunningham for Week 2. Jaworski returned to significant playing time in Week 5, when Cunningham was benched in the second quarter due to poor play. Jaworski threw for three touchdowns in the 23–21 loss to theNew Orleans Saints, and was subsequently named the starter for the remainder of the season. In Week 7, Jaworski was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week after a 16–14 victory over theDallas Cowboys, where he threw for 380 yards and one touchdown. In a Week 10 game against theAtlanta Falcons, he tied an NFL record with a game-winning,99-yard touchdown pass in overtime toMike Quick. Jaworski would lead the Eagles to a 7–9 finish on the season, finishing 6–6 as the starter.
At the end of the 1985 season, head coach Marion Campbell was fired and was replaced by formerChicago Bears defensive coordinatorBuddy Ryan. Leading up to the1986 season, Ryan had planned for recently acquired quarterbackMatt Cavanaugh to be the team's starter, however, Ryan ultimately changed his mind days before the season opener, and he named Jaworski the starter. Jaworski led the Eagles to a 2–4 start before he was sidelined due to an elbow injury he suffered just before a Week 7 game against theDallas Cowboys. Jaworski returned the next week, but was injured again after hurting his finger in Week 10 against theNew York Giants. The injury would end Jaworski's season, as Randall Cunningham would replace him. After the season, Jaworski was released by the Eagles, ending his ten-season tenure with the team. He finished with a 69–67–1 record as the Eagles' starter, and held the franchise records for quarterback wins, passing yards, pass completions, pass attempts, and passing touchdowns at the time of his release. Although each of these records were eventually broken byDonovan McNabb, Jaworski still ranks second as of 2024.
In August 1987, Jaworski signed with theMiami Dolphins to backup quarterbackDan Marino. Jaworski did not appear in any games in the1987 season, and appeared in two games during the1988 season. He was released by the Dolphins following the 1988 season.
In August 1989, Jaworski signed with theKansas City Chiefs. While initially backing up quarterbackSteve DeBerg, Jaworski made his first start in three years in Week 4 after DeBerg was benched due to poor play. Jaworski went 1–2 as starter, but suffered a sprained knee in Week 6 against theLos Angeles Raiders. Steve DeBerg returned as the starter for the Chiefs, and Jaworski did not appear in a game for the remainder of the season.
Following the1989 season, Jaworski contemplated retirement, and he was seen as a potential candidate to replaceJames Florio in theUnited States House of Representatives. He ultimately never ran for the seat, but he was waived by the Chiefs in July 1990 and subsequently retired from professional football. In his 17-season career, Jaworski threw for 28,190 yards, 179 touchdowns, and 164 interceptions, while also rushing for 859 yards and 16 touchdowns.
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
| 1973 | LAR | 0 | 0 | — | Did not play | ||||||||||
| 1974 | LAR | 5 | 0 | — | 10 | 24 | 41.7 | 144 | 0 | 1 | 44.4 | 7 | 34 | 4.9 | 1 |
| 1975 | LAR | 14 | 1 | 1–0 | 24 | 48 | 50.0 | 302 | 0 | 2 | 52.6 | 12 | 33 | 2.8 | 2 |
| 1976 | LAR | 5 | 2 | 2–0 | 20 | 52 | 38.5 | 273 | 1 | 5 | 22.8 | 2 | 15 | 7.5 | 1 |
| 1977 | PHI | 14 | 14 | 5–9 | 166 | 346 | 48.0 | 2,183 | 18 | 21 | 60.4 | 40 | 127 | 3.2 | 5 |
| 1978 | PHI | 16 | 16 | 9–7 | 206 | 398 | 51.8 | 2,487 | 16 | 16 | 67.9 | 30 | 79 | 2.6 | 0 |
| 1979 | PHI | 16 | 16 | 11–5 | 190 | 374 | 50.8 | 2,669 | 18 | 12 | 76.8 | 43 | 119 | 2.8 | 2 |
| 1980 | PHI | 16 | 16 | 12–4 | 257 | 451 | 57.0 | 3,529 | 27 | 12 | 91.0 | 27 | 95 | 3.5 | 1 |
| 1981 | PHI | 16 | 16 | 10–6 | 250 | 461 | 54.2 | 3,095 | 23 | 20 | 73.8 | 22 | 128 | 5.8 | 0 |
| 1982 | PHI | 9 | 9 | 3–6 | 167 | 286 | 58.4 | 2,076 | 12 | 12 | 77.5 | 10 | 9 | 0.9 | 0 |
| 1983 | PHI | 16 | 16 | 5–11 | 235 | 446 | 52.7 | 3,315 | 20 | 18 | 75.1 | 25 | 129 | 5.2 | 1 |
| 1984 | PHI | 13 | 13 | 5–7–1 | 234 | 427 | 54.8 | 2,754 | 16 | 14 | 73.5 | 5 | 18 | 3.6 | 1 |
| 1985 | PHI | 16 | 12 | 6–6 | 255 | 484 | 52.7 | 3,450 | 17 | 20 | 70.2 | 17 | 35 | 2.1 | 2 |
| 1986 | PHI | 10 | 9 | 3–6 | 128 | 245 | 52.2 | 1,405 | 8 | 6 | 70.2 | 13 | 33 | 2.5 | 0 |
| 1987 | MIA | 0 | 0 | — | Did not play | ||||||||||
| 1988 | MIA | 16 | 0 | — | 9 | 14 | 64.3 | 123 | 1 | 0 | 116.1 | — | — | — | — |
| 1989 | KC | 6 | 3 | 1–2 | 36 | 61 | 59.0 | 385 | 2 | 5 | 54.3 | 4 | 5 | 1.3 | 0 |
| Career | 188 | 143 | 73–69–1 | 2,187 | 4,117 | 53.1 | 28,190 | 179 | 164 | 72.8 | 257 | 859 | 3.3 | 16 | |
| Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
| 1975 | LAR | 2 | 1 | 1–0 | 23 | 45 | 51.1 | 350 | 1 | 2 | 66.0 | 8 | 19 | 2.4 | 1 |
| 1976 | LAR | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1978 | PHI | 1 | 1 | 0–1 | 19 | 35 | 54.3 | 190 | 1 | 0 | 79.5 | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 0 |
| 1979 | PHI | 2 | 2 | 1–1 | 27 | 62 | 43.5 | 403 | 5 | 1 | 85.6 | 4 | 20 | 5.0 | 0 |
| 1980 | PHI | 3 | 3 | 2–1 | 44 | 105 | 41.9 | 572 | 2 | 7 | 38.3 | 3 | 2 | 0.7 | 0 |
| 1981 | PHI | 1 | 1 | 0–1 | 13 | 24 | 54.2 | 154 | 1 | 0 | 87.8 | 5 | 6 | 1.2 | 0 |
| Career | 10 | 8 | 4–4 | 126 | 271 | 46.5 | 1669 | 10 | 10 | 63.4 | 21 | 50 | 2.4 | 1 | |
Following his retirement, Jaworski joinedESPN as an NFL studio analyst in 1990.[1] He mainly appeared as an analyst onNFL Matchup, where he was noted for his skill in breaking down teams' strategies and gameplans. Jaworski also served as a reporter onSunday NFL Countdown. In2006, Jaworski worked a game as acolor commentator withBrad Nessler andDick Vermeil during the opening-night doubleheader ofMonday Night Football. Thenext season, Jaworski was selected to replaceJoe Theismann as a full-time color commentator forMonday Night Football, where he would work alongsideMike Tirico andTony Kornheiser. In2009, Kornheiser was replaced byJon Gruden as the other color commentator on the broadcast with Jaworski. Following the2011 season, ESPN announced that theMonday Night Football broadcast team would be reduced to just Tirico and Gruden. Jaworski, however, signed a five-year contract extension with ESPN to remain as an NFL analyst on other programming.[4] In 2017, it was reported that Jaworski, along with a number of other ESPN analysts, would be laid off by the network.[5] Jaworski himself was not aware of his future with the network, as he was still under contract with ESPN.[6] Reports eventually came out that ESPN wanted to retain Jaworski, but parent companyDisney ultimately blocked it.[7]
Jaworski also worked as a color commentator forTampa Bay Buccaneers preseason games onWFLA-TV from2003 to2006.
Jaworski frequently appeared on97.5 The Fanatic as an Eagles analyst, and hostedThe Ron Jaworski Show on the station from 2019 to 2021.
Since 2022, Jaworski has worked forNBC Sports Philadelphia as an analyst onEagles Pregame Live andEagles Postgame Live, where he works alongsideMichael Barkann,Barrett Brooks, and Reuben Frank.[8] Also since 2022, Jaworski has also appeared as a weekly guest onJoe DeCamara andJon Ritchie's show on94.1 WIP.[9]
Throughout his NFL career, Jaworski was an avid golfer, as he spent many off-days at courses. While with the Eagles in 1979, Jaworski and teammateJohn Bunting managed a golf club inJenkintown, Pennsylvania. In 1984, Jaworski purchased a club inGloucester County, New Jersey, which is todayTall Pines State Preserve. Today, Jaworski is the CEO of Ron Jaworski Golf, which is based inMount Laurel, New Jersey. The company owns and operates eight courses throughoutPennsylvania,Delaware, andNew Jersey, including: Blue Heron Pines Golf Club inGalloway Township, New Jersey, Back Creek Golf Club inMiddletown, Delaware,Downingtown Country Club inDowningtown, Pennsylvania, Honey Run Country Club inYork, Pennsylvania, Ramblewood Country Club in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, RiverWinds Golf Tennis Club inWest Deptford Township, New Jersey, Running Deer Golf Club inPittsgrove Township, New Jersey, and Valleybrook Country Club inBlackwood, New Jersey.[10][11][12]
In 2003, Jaworski, along with an ownership group that includedBon Jovi membersJon Bon Jovi andRichie Sambora, founded thePhiladelphia Soul, anexpansion franchise in theArena Football League. The team began play in the2004 season, and Jaworski served as the team's president until 2009, when the league went into hiatus due to economic issues. After the league returned in2010, Jaworski led an effort to bring back the Soul, and the team returned to play for the2011 season. With the departures Bon Jovi and Sambora as co-owners, Jaworski now served as a majority owner of the team alongside Craig Spencer, who was with the previous ownership group. In 2018, Jaworski was appointed to be the chairman of the league's executive committee. Jaworski also helped establish two other teams in the AFL, theAlbany Empire in 2018 and theAtlantic City Blackjacks in 2019. He served as a partner owner of both of these franchises, but was not involved in the football operations of the franchises in order to prevent a potentialconflict of interest due to his ownership of the Soul. After the2019 season, however, the league folded, and the Philadelphia Soul, Albany Empire, and Atlantic City Blackjacks each shut down. During Jaworski's time as an executive for the Soul, the team won threeArenaBowl championships (XXII,XXIX, andXXX).
Jaworski is also a published author. In 2010, his first book,The Games That Changed the Game: The Evolution of the NFL in Seven Sundays, was published. The book highlights seven games in NFL history which greatly changed the strategies and tactics used in professional football.
Jaworski was one of the primary investors and advisors for theElite Football League of India, which was founded in 2011. Other prominent investors in the league includedBrandon Chillar,Mike Ditka,Michael Irvin,Mark Wahlberg, andKurt Warner.[13]
Jaworski runs the Jaws Youth Playbook, a charity foundation that assists at-risk youth in the Delaware Valley.[14]
As of 2023[update], Jaworski lives inMedford, New Jersey.[15] He and his wife, Liz, have three children.[16]
While Jaworski played for the Eagles, he was friends and next-door neighbors with formerPhiladelphia 76ers guardDoug Collins. Collins is credited with coining Jaworski's now well-known nickname "Jaws".[17]
Bibliography
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