Jeff Herrod
Jeffery Sylvester Herrod (born July 29, 1966 in Birmingham, Alabama) is a former American football linebacker who played in the National Football League. He pulled his first set of shoulder pads out of a community dumpster and started playing football when he was 8 years old in the backyards of the Avondale projects. He graduated in 1984 from Banks High School as a four-year Letterman, All-State Player Honorable Mention, full-time husband and father. He earned a full scholarship to the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) where he became a household name leading the Ole Miss Rebels in single game and single season tackles in 1986. Herrod left Ole Miss as the 2nd All-time Leading Tackler in SEC history. He was inducted into the Ole Miss Hall of Fame in 2001, a recipient of the SEC Football Legends Award in 2013 and inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2017.
| No. 54 | |||||||||
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| Position: | Linebacker | ||||||||
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| Born: | July 29, 1966 Birmingham, Alabama | ||||||||
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| High school: | Birmingham (AL) Banks | ||||||||
| College: | Ole Miss | ||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1988 / Round: 9 / Pick: 243 | ||||||||
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Nearing the end of his college football career, Herrod believed he had two choices; he would play for the NFL or enroll in the U.S. Marines. Thus, he was the ninth-round draft pick in 1988, No. 243 overall (re-signed Feb. 23, 1998 as free agent after spending the previous season with Philadelphia Eagles). He worked tirelessly as the Defensive Team Captain (1989-1996, 1998) guiding and propelling his teammates while surviving four head coaches. Herrod led the Colts in tackles for seven of his 11 seasons, finishing second on the franchise’s all-time list with 1347 tackles. Even during his toughest season ending 1-15 in 1991 Herrod was named the Colts MVP. He was always a fan favorite under-dog.
Aside from his inspiring football accomplishments, he is a devoted husband to wife, Kathryn Herrod and father of six ( plus two step children) and a compassionate community supporter.