 | Thisbiography of a living personneeds additionalcitations forverification. Please help by addingreliable sources.Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced orpoorly sourcedmust be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentiallylibelous. Find sources: "Jerome Barkum" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(July 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
 | |||||||||
| No. 83 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Positions | Wide receiver, Tight end | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1950-07-18)July 18, 1950 (age 75) Gulfport, Mississippi, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||
| Weight | 218 lb (99 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | 33rd Avenue(Gulfport, Mississippi) | ||||||||
| College | Jackson State | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1972: 1st round, 9th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Jerome Phillip Barkum (born July 18, 1950) is an American former professionalfootball player who was awide receiver andtight end for 12 years with theNew York Jets of theNational Football League (NFL).[1]
He was drafted by the Jets out ofJackson State University with the 9th overall pick in the first round of the1972 NFL draft. At Jackson State, Barkum was selected to the 1971 Little All-America Team as a Wide Receiver.
In his second year with the Jets in 1973, he was selected to thePro Bowl as a WR. Later in his career, Barkum transitioned to the Tight End position, remaining a viable go-to receiver for the Jets offense. In his career, Barkum recorded 40 touchdown receptions, but was noted for rarely spiking the football at a time when such celebrations were increasingly frequent.
Barkum's most memorable catch in the NFL was made inShea Stadium in a 1981 clash against theMiami Dolphins in the last seconds of the game to lift the Jets to victory 16–15. The Jets made the playoffs that year for the first time since their loss to theChiefs in the1969 AFL Divisional Round.
In the 1982 season, Barkum was a part of the Jets team that made it to the AFC Championship. He was released by the Jets after the 1983 season. Barkum's 40 touchdown receptions rank him fourth in Jets history.
He briefly attended the 1984 preseason camp with theNew York Giants, but was waived before the season started.[2] Roughly one month later, theWashington Redskins brought Barkum to camp for a tryout in the wake of several injuries,[3] but he was officially cut on August 28, 1984.
In 2011, Barkum joined two other players in a class action lawsuit against the NFL regarding head injuries.[4]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 1972 | NYJ | 14 | 1 | 16 | 304 | 19.0 | 52 | 2 |
| 1973 | NYJ | 14 | 14 | 44 | 810 | 18.4 | 63 | 6 |
| 1974 | NYJ | 14 | 14 | 41 | 524 | 12.8 | 39 | 3 |
| 1975 | NYJ | 13 | 13 | 36 | 549 | 15.3 | 56 | 5 |
| 1976 | NYJ | 4 | 3 | 5 | 54 | 10.8 | 25 | 1 |
| 1977 | NYJ | 14 | 14 | 26 | 450 | 17.3 | 40 | 6 |
| 1978 | NYJ | 16 | 16 | 28 | 391 | 14.0 | 27 | 3 |
| 1979 | NYJ | 13 | 13 | 27 | 401 | 14.9 | 40 | 4 |
| 1980 | NYJ | 16 | 11 | 13 | 244 | 18.8 | 28 | 1 |
| 1981 | NYJ | 16 | 16 | 39 | 495 | 12.7 | 40 | 7 |
| 1982 | NYJ | 9 | 9 | 19 | 182 | 9.6 | 29 | 1 |
| 1983 | NYJ | 15 | 13 | 32 | 385 | 12.0 | 34 | 1 |
| 158 | 137 | 326 | 4,789 | 14.7 | 63 | 40 | ||
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 1981 | NYJ | 1 | 1 | 2 | 41 | 20.5 | 37 | 0 |
| 1982 | NYJ | 3 | 3 | 4 | 40 | 10.0 | 12 | 0 |
| 4 | 4 | 6 | 81 | 13.5 | 37 | 0 | ||
In 2013, Barkum founded and became CEO of Smooth Jams Jazz on Roku TV and via website apps.[5]