Robert DeLafayette Jeter, Jr. (May 9, 1937 – November 20, 2008) was an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL) for the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

and

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

Early life

Jeter was born on May 9, 1937, in

Union, South Carolina The city of Union is the county seat of Union County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 8,393 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Union Micropolitan Statistical Area (population 28,961 a ...

, the eldest of six children. His father Bob Sr. was a steel worker. At age one, his family moved to the segregated community of

Weirton, West Virginia Weirton ( ) is a city in Hancock and Brooke counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is located along the Ohio River in the state's Northern Panhandle. The population was 19,163 at the 2020 census, making it the seventh-most populous ...

. Jeter was raised in Weirton and attended the segregated local school, Dunbar High School. After his junior year in 1954, Weirton's schools integrated, and he then attended Weir High School (class of 1956), where Jeter was a football standout his senior year in the fall of 1955. As a senior, he once took a pitch out in the

end zone The end zone is the scoring area on the field, according to gridiron-based codes of football. It is the area between the end line and goal line bounded by the sidelines. There are two end zones, each being on the opposite side of the field ...

, and ran over 100 yards for a touchdown in his most memorable high school play. He was named all-state and an All American that year. He was also an all-star basketball player for Weir. In 1969, Weirton held a "Bob Jeter Day".

College football

Jeter had football scholarship offers from every

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Fa ...

school, as well as the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The university is composed of seventeen undergraduate and graduate schools and colle ...

and

West Virginia University West Virginia University (WVU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia, United States. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Ins ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

(1957-59). As a junior, he rushed for 355 yards, averaging 6.3 yards per carry. In his senior year, Jeter led the Big Ten in rushing with 609 yards (5.6 yards per carry). He was named All-Big Ten. As a halfback with the Hawkeyes, Jeter rushed for a Rose Bowl record 194 yards on just nine carries against

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

as a junior in the 1959 Rose Bowl. This total included an 81-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, another record. As a result of this performance, he was the named the game's MVP, and Iowa finished as runner-up in the AP poll. He was inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame in 1994. In 2010, Jeter was inducted into the University of Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame.

Professional career

Selected by the Packers in the second round of the 1960 NFL draft, Jeter began his pro career in the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

with the

British Columbia Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions playe ...

. He was used in Canada as a running back in

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Janu ...

and

1961 Events January * January 1 – Monetary reform in the Soviet Union, 1961, Monetary reform in the Soviet Union. * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and cons ...

, backing up CFL legend and former Iowa teammate

Willie Fleming Willie Fleming (born February 2, 1939) is an American former professional football player with the Canadian Football League (CFL)'s BC Lions. Fleming played collegiately as a halfback at the University of Iowa, where he was a member of the H ...

. Still under contract in Canada, Jeter spent the

1962 The year saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, which is often considered the closest the world came to a Nuclear warfare, nuclear confrontation during the Cold War. Events January * January 1 – Samoa, Western Samoa becomes independent from Ne ...

season on the Packers' taxi squad, saw limited action as a wide receiver in 1963 and 1964, and was moved to defensive back in 1965. Jeter was part of the Packer teams that won an unprecedented three consecutive NFL championship games and the first two

Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual History of the NFL championship, league championship game of the National Football League (NFL) of the United States. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966 NFL season, 1966 (with the excep ...

Herb Adderley Herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal purposes, or for fragrances. Culinary use typically distingui ...

and Jeter formed one of the greatest cornerback duos in football history. During this time, Packers defense led the league in fewest points allowed in

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...

and , fewest total yards allowed in

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...

and

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 6 – Vietnam War: United States Marine Corps and Army of ...

, and fewest passing yards allowed from 1964 to 1968. Prior to the

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...

training camp under new head coach

Dan Devine Daniel John Devine (December 23, 1924 – May 9, 2002) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Arizona State University from 1955 to 1957, the University of Missouri from 1958 to 1970, and the Universi ...

, Jeter was traded to the

, where he finished his career in

1973 Events January * January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...

. In eleven NFL seasons, Jeter had 26 interceptions for 333 yards and two touchdowns. He also had two receptions for 25 yards. He was inducted into the Packer Hall of Fame in 1985.

After football

Jeter had worked in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

for the Chicago Park District alongside former Big Ten (Illinois) grappler Patrick Heffernan, coordinating citywide sporting events for kids. He also was a warehouse planner for a food company. His son, Rob Jeter, is the head coach of the men's basketball team at Southern Utah (as of 2025), after 11 seasons as head coach at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (2005-16) and three seasons as head coach at

Western Illinois University Western Illinois University (WIU) is a public university in Macomb, Illinois, United States. It was founded in 1899 as Western Illinois State Normal School. As the normal school grew, it became Western Illinois State Teachers College. Once West ...

(2020-23). His brother, Tony Jeter, played at

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

and two seasons at tight end with the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

Death

Jeter died at age 71 in 2008 in Chicago of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jeter, Bob 1937 births 2008 deaths People from Union, South Carolina Sportspeople from Weirton, West Virginia Players of American football from West Virginia American football cornerbacks Iowa Hawkeyes football players Green Bay Packers players Chicago Bears players Western Conference Pro Bowl players Players of Canadian football from West Virginia Canadian football running backs BC Lions players Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame