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| Position | Quarterback | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born | (1950-04-12)April 12, 1950 (age 75) Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||
| Listed weight | 215 lb (98 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school | Green Bay West(Green Bay, Wisconsin) | ||||||||||
| College | Nebraska | ||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1972: 1st round, 11th overall pick | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
| 1972–1974 | Green Bay Packers | ||||||||||
| 1975 | San Antonio Wings | ||||||||||
| 1977–1979 | BC Lions | ||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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Jerry Lee Tagge (born April 12, 1950) is an American former professionalfootball player who was aquarterback in theNational Football League (NFL),World Football League (WFL) andCanadian Football League (CFL). He playedcollege football for theNebraska Cornhuskers, leading them to consecutivenational championships in 1970 and 1971. Tagge played professionally with theGreen Bay Packers of the NFL from 1972 to 1974, theSan Antonio Wings of the WFL in 1975, and theBC Lions of the CFL from 1977 to 1979.
Tagge was born atOffutt Air Force Base south ofOmaha, Nebraska, the third child and second son of William Robert (Billy) Tagge and Lois Jurczyk Tagge.
As a teenager in the mid-1960s inGreen Bay, Wisconsin, Tagge sold concessions atLambeau Field, the home of theGreen Bay Packers, then coached byVince Lombardi. He graduated fromGreen Bay West High School in 1968.[1]
Tagge playedcollege football at theUniversity of Nebraska–Lincoln under head coachBob Devaney. In his sophomore year in1969, Tagge rose to second-string quarterback for theCornhuskers. His playing time increased until midway through his junior year when he took over the starting position from Van Brownson, leading the team to a 10–0–1 season and a matchup withLSU in the1971 Orange Bowl. Tagge scored the game-winning touchdown in a 17–12 victory over the Tigers on a quarterback sneak, earning himself Most Valuable Player honors, and the Huskers the AP national championship for1970. Both #1Texas and #2Ohio State lost theirbowl games on New Year's Day. (Through the1973 season, the final UPI coaches' poll was released in December, before the bowls.)
In his senior season in1971, Tagge quarterbacked the Huskers for the entire season, including the "Game of the Century" against the undefeatedOklahoma Sooners inNorman, a 35–31 victory onThanksgiving Day. Nebraska crushed undefeatedAlabama, 38–6, in the1972 Orange Bowl, earning Tagge MVP honors for the second time. The Huskers finished 13–0 in 1971 and were a consensus choice, earning consecutivenational titles. Nebraska had defeated the next three teams in the final AP poll: Oklahoma,Colorado (31–7 inLincoln), and Alabama. Tagge then played in theHula Bowl inHonolulu, leading the North to a 24–7 win over the South.
Tagge was the first of three Nebraska Cornhuskers selected in the first round of the1972 NFL draft, along withrunning backJeff Kinney anddefensive tackleLarry Jacobson. The eleventh overall pick, Tagge was the first quarterback selected.
Tagge's performance earned the notice ofDan Devine,head coach of theGreen Bay Packers. Devine was formerly the head coach atMissouri in the Big Eight Conference, through the1970 season. On his recommendation, the Packers selected Tagge in the first round of the1972 NFL draft (11th overall). Tagge did not enjoy the success in his hometown that he had at Nebraska, completing only three touchdown passes in 17 games played during three seasons from1972 to1974. Following the 1974 season, Devine left the Packers forNotre Dame. The Packers' new head coach wasBart Starr, who released Tagge during the1975 preseason, inearly September.[2][3]
Tagge signed with theSan Antonio Wings of the short-livedWorld Football League. He started in the Wings' final game on October 19, 1975, and was intercepted five times; he ran for two touchdowns and threw for another.[4] The Wings folded three days later with the rest of the WFL onOctober 22.[5]
Tagge then moved north toCanada to theCFL, joining theBC Lions in1977. He finally saw plenty of playing time as a starter, and was awarded theJeff Nicklin Memorial Trophy in his first season. He played three seasons with BC, until a knee injury ended his career in1979.
In 1981, Tagge moved toSt. Louis, where he sold apartment buildings. He also met his future wife, Betty, whom he married the following year. He returned to Nebraska in 1986, initially selling life insurance, then founded Tagge-Rutherford Financial Services in Omaha, for which he serves as executive vice president.
As theNebraska Cornhuskers' quarterback, he led his team to national titles in1970 and1971, was namedOrange BowlMost Valuable Player (MVP) in1971 and1972 and shared honors asHula Bowl MVP withWalt Patulski ofNotre Dame, the first selection in the1972 draft. Additionally, Tagge was anAll-American in 1971 and is a member of theUniversity of Nebraska–Lincoln Hall of Fame.
At Nebraska, Tagge threw for 5,071 yards, completing 377 of 637 passes (59.2%), 32 for touchdowns. He was a first-round draft choice, 11th overall, of theGreen Bay Packers in1972.
In three years with the Packers, Tagge played 17 games completing 136 of 281 passes for 1583 yards,3 TDs, and 17 interceptions. In 1975, he played briefly for the Wings in theWFL, where completed 18 of 34 passes for 265 yards, 1 TD, and 5 interceptions.
In 1977, he moved north toCanada, where he was named a CFL all-star and winner of theJeff Nicklin Memorial Trophy and runner-up for theCFL's Most Outstanding Player Award. In 1977, he completed 232 of 405 passes for 2787 yards, and in 1978, he hit 243 of 430 passes for 3134 yards. He played part of the 1979 season before injuries forced him to retire.
As a professional quarterback, Tagge had 718 completions in 1,304 attempts for 9,277 yards and 38 TDs.
