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Jerry Tagge, More info please


IceMan

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I've seen his name come up in a couple of other threads, but I want to hear what you guys know about him. Anyone on here old enough to see him play? Was he good in the pocket? Was he more Pro style? How good of an arm did he have?

 

I was lucky enough to work with Jerry when he first moved back to Omaha. I was really, really young and only wish I could go back in time and pick his brain more then I did. I believe he finished up his career in Canada and If I remember right he might have had to quit football due to bad Knees! (And FYI: He couldn't be a nicer guy!)

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Tagge was a pretty good QB, good passer, decent runner. He shared time with Van Bronson until Van got hurt. 1971 Nebraska was arguably the best NU team, and one of college footballs best ever (take your pick with 95 NU) He also had Johnny Rodgers (imo the most exciting college football player in history).

 

 

 

Jerry Tagge Bio

 

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Okay the old guy reports to duty, Eric you snake!!

 

Yes I saw him play, and in honesty he is most likely the best we ever had has a true Quarter Back. Tough kid, and had a tremendous work ethic. I do not remember why he quit, but I know he played in the NFL. I do not follow the NFL, never have so once they left I very seldom saw them play again.

 

Different era of Nebraska football. We played like everyone else back then. Coach Osborne began the change after his days.

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Like what was said - pro-style. Good arm. Rugged against LSU in National champion #1 he willed himself to stretch across the goal line for the winning TD.

 

TO was the first to do a "spread" offense: two split ends, JR in the slot, Kinney in the other slot, but the FB would be down in 3pt stance and Tagge under center. Revolutionary at the time

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Tagge was a good QB, though in a different era. Hard to compare. His passing numbers put him towards the top of the list of Husker QB's even today. He had a really good supporting cast, including Rogers and Kinney. I also think that the offensive line was pretty good too, and bigger than most defensive lines, many of which played in the NFL. I don't remember Jerry being all that mobile, but he was a big guy, and pretty tough.

 

The Big 8 was much different in makeup than the Big 12 is, and there was no real parity. Everyone pretty much knew back then that it was between Oklahoma and Nebraska, everyone else was pretty much fodder. Besides the Oklahoma game, the Orange Bowl was the big game that everyone looked forward to. The scores were usually blowouts when we played the other 6 schools in the Big 8.

 

One thing that I enjoyed back then is that there were a lot of Nebraska kids on the team, Jerry was one of them. My dad actually worked with his father in Grand Island at the ammunition plant, for some reason, even though I was only about 10 years old, Jerry seemed like the guy next door more than a "star". I even got to meet Rogers through him at a benefit basketball game and Rogers even seemed very "normal" and approachable.

 

Jerry was a good college QB, but never really had a chance in the NFL...but then you see that a lot with Nebraska QB's. Different styles even back then. Winning the NC was much different back then too, still some amount of politics, but nothing like today with all the different polls and computer rankings, and winning the NC back to back put his name down in Husker history forever.

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Small clip from wikipedia...

 

In three years with the Pack, Tagge played 17 games completing 136 of 281 passes for 1583 yards and only 3 TDs and 17 interceptions. In 1975 he played briefly for the Wings in the WFL, where completed only 18 or 34 passes for 265 yards and 1 TD and 5 interceptions.

 

In 1977 he moved north to Canada, where he was named a CFL all-star and winner of the Jeff Nicklin Memorial Trophy and runner-up for the CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award. In 1977, he completed 232 of 405 passes for 2787 yards, and in 1978, he hit on 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.

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Small clip from wikipedia...

 

In three years with the Pack, Tagge played 17 games completing 136 of 281 passes for 1583 yards and only 3 TDs and 17 interceptions. In 1975 he played briefly for the Wings in the WFL, where completed only 18 or 34 passes for 265 yards and 1 TD and 5 interceptions.

 

In 1977 he moved north to Canada, where he was named a CFL all-star and winner of the Jeff Nicklin Memorial Trophy and runner-up for the CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award. In 1977, he completed 232 of 405 passes for 2787 yards, and in 1978, he hit on 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.

 

Good info. Didn't know he played in the CFL or WFL. What about QB Frank Patrick he had to be the tallest QB we ever had. I thought he was also drafted by Green Bay. I know he didn't play long though.

 

GBR!!!

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:bonez:cheers:bonez

For all you youngsters, I returned from Viet Nam just in time to sit down, have Thanksgiving Dinner, sit a cooler of iced Schlitz beside my chair, and watch Tagge and company beat Oklahoma in the greatest football game ever played. Thus began what is now my 37 year love affair with Nebraska football. In the 90ies Tagge worked in the office next to mine in Omaha. He couldn't have been a nicer guy. Hope he is well and enjoying life.

T_O_B

:bonez:cheersTo you Jerry :cheers:bonez

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