Jeb Blount

John Eugene Blount (born July 12, 1954 in Tyler, Texas) is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the second round of the 1976 NFL Draft. He played college football at Tulsa, where he completed 320 of 588 passes for 4,372 yards and 35 touchdowns in three seasons as a starter. He was an honorable mention All-American, and American Bowl MVP following his senior season. He claimed to have developed his passing accuracy while herding cattle on his parents' ranch. He would spook the lead bull by hitting him in the head with a football, at which point the entire herd would follow.^[1]

Blount spent the 1976 season on injured reserve with an ankle injury. He was waived prior to the 1977 NFL season. He was claimed by several teams, but the NFL awarded the Tampa Bay Buccaneers his rights.^[2] The Bucs were short at quarterback, having suffered a string of quarterback injuries during the preseason. This resulted in a starting opportunity for Blount, who beat Parnell Dickinson for the third quarterback spot and rotated at starting quarterback with Gary Huff and Randy Hedberg throughout the 1977 season. Blount was a favorite among fans, who felt that he gave the team an excitement that the other quarterbacks didn't.^[3] Made expendable by the drafting of Doug Williams, Blount was waived by the Bucs during the 1978 preseason.^[4]

References