Jack Jacobs (August 7, 1919 – January 12, 1974), nicknamed "Indian Jack", 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 ...

player who was a

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

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) and

Western Interprovincial Football Union The West Division is one of the two regional divisions of the Canadian Football League (CFL), its counterpart being the East Division. With a few exceptions, a senior men's football championship has been contested in Western Canada since 1911 ...

. He was a charter member of the

Canadian Football Hall of Fame The Canadian Football Hall of Fame (CFHOF) is a not-for-profit corporation, located in Hamilton, Ontario, that celebrates achievements in Canadian football. It is maintained by the Canadian Football League (CFL). It includes displays about the CFL, ...

, inducted in 1963.

Early life

Jacobs was born in

Holdenville, Oklahoma Holdenville is a city in and county seat of Hughes County, Oklahoma, Hughes County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 5,934 at the time of the 2020 United States census. History Holdenville traces its origin to a Creek settlement calle ...

, and played

high school football High school football, also known as prep football, is gridiron football played by High school (North America), high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular high school sports, interscholastic sports in both c ...

Muskogee High School Muskogee High School (MHS) is a three-year public high school in Muskogee, Oklahoma, U.S.. It is accredited by the Oklahoma State Department of Education and the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association. Muskogee High School is part o ...

. He was popularly known as "Indian Jack" because he was a citizen of the

Muscogee Nation The Muscogee Nation, or Muscogee (Creek) Nation, is a federally recognized Native American tribe based in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The nation descends from the historic Muscogee Confederacy, a large group of indigenous peoples of the South ...

College career

Jacobs 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 ...

for the

Oklahoma Sooners The Oklahoma Sooners are the college athletics in the United States , athletic teams that represent the University of Oklahoma, located in Norman, Oklahoma, Norman. The 19 men's and women's varsity teams are called the "Sooners", a reference to ...

. Considered a phenomenal all-round player, Jack started at both

and punter, where he averaged 47.84 yards per kick in 1940 (which remains an OU record) and finished his collegiate career with a career average of 42.10. Jacobs accumulated the most offense yardage in 1940/1941 (junior & senior years). As a defensive back, Jacobs is tied with seven other players for the record number of interceptions in a game (3) (1941 OU vs. Marquette). He also played on the Sooner baseball team.

Professional career

National Football League

Jacobs was selected in the second round of the

1942 NFL draft The 1942 NFL draft was held on December 22, 1941, at the Palmer House Hotel in Chicago. Two members of the draft class have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Bill Dudley, the first overall selection by the Pittsburgh Steelers, ...

. He played quarterback,

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

, tailback, halfback, punter in the

with the

Cleveland Rams The Cleveland Rams were a professional American football team that played in Cleveland from 1936 to 1945. The Rams competed in the second American Football League (AFL) for the 1936 season and the National Football League (NFL) from 1937 to ...

in 1942 and 1945 (serving in the U.S. Army Air Force during

World War Two World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated, with many nations mobilisi ...

), the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...

in 1946 and 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 ...

from 1947 to 1949. he led the league in punting in

1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country i ...

Western Interprovincial Football Union

Jacobs then joined the

as a

for the

Winnipeg Blue Bombers The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division (CFL), West division. They play thei ...

(1950–1954), for whom he won the

Jeff Nicklin Memorial Trophy The Jeff Nicklin Memorial Trophy is a trophy awarded to the Canadian Football League West Division's most outstanding player, chosen from the nominees from each team in the division. Either this trophy winner or the winner of the Terry Evanshen Tr ...

in 1952. Though Jacobs did not invent the

forward pass In several forms of football, a forward pass is the throwing of the ball in the direction in which the offensive team is trying to move, towards the defensive team's goal line. The legal and widespread use of the forward pass distinguishes grid ...

, he is widely recognized as one of the key figures in making the forward pass an integral part of professional football. His exciting passing game drew thousands of fans to Blue Bombers games, instigating the need for the city to build a larger stadium,

Winnipeg Stadium Winnipeg Stadium (also known as Canad Inns Stadium) was a multipurpose stadium in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The stadium was located at the corner of St. James Street and Maroons Road, immediately north of the Polo Park Shopping Centre and the ...

(later called

Canad Inns Stadium Winnipeg Stadium (also known as Canad Inns Stadium) was a Multi-purpose stadium, multipurpose stadium in Winnipeg, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The stadium was located at the corner of St. James Street (Winnipeg), St. James Street and Maroons Road ...

). As a Blue Bomber, Jacobs completed 709 of 1,330 passes for 11,094 yards, at that time the all-time leading passer for the

. In 1951, he became the first professional football player to throw for 3,000 yards in a season with 3,248. He was also the first player to throw for more than 30 touchdowns with 33. The next season Jacobs threw 34 touchdowns and amassed 2,586 yards. Jacobs had 104 touchdown passes to only 53 interceptions. With Jacobs as their

starting Start can refer to multiple topics: * Takeoff, the phase of flight where an aircraft transitions from moving along the ground to flying through the air * Starting lineup in sports * Starts use in sport race * Standing start, and rolling start, i ...

quarterback, the Bombers compiled a record of 46 wins, 27 losses, and three ties. They lost the Grey Cup in 1950 to the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Argonauts compete in the East Division (CFL), East Division of t ...

(13–0) and again in

1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito ...

to the

Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division (CFL), East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home game ...

(12–6). Winnipeg Stadium, built in 1953, was nicknamed "The House That Jack Built" because of Jacobs' contribution to the success of the team. Jacobs was twice a

Grey Cup The Grey Cup () is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested between the winners ...

finalist, was named the all-western quarterback twice, and was one of the original inductees to the

in June 1963. He was also inducted into the American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame in 1977, the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame in 2002, and the

Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum The Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum is a Canadian museum in Winnipeg, Manitoba, dedicated to honoring the history and achievements of sports in Manitoba. The organization began in 1980, and then opened a museum in The Forks in 1993. Afte ...

in 2004. Several records he set while at the University of Oklahoma still stand.

Other pro football

Jacobs asked for his outright release from the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in February 1956. After being waived out of the WIFU, Jacobs signed a contract with the

London Lords The London Lords were a professional-amateur Canadian football team competing in the Ontario Rugby Football Union (ORFU), based in London, Ontario. They played their home games at Labatt Park. They won the final ORFU Senior championship in 1957, a ...

(ORFU) as the head coach. Jacobs also played most of the season for the Lords. In 1957, Jacobs added the role of general manager to his duties with the London Lords. Jacobs played in one exhibition game in 1957. After serving as an assistant coach in the CFL, Jacobs returned to the field as a player in 1964. Jacobs suited up for the Toledo Tornadoes ( United Football League) and saw action primarily as a punter although he did see some action at quarterback as well. Jacobs put on the pads for one final game on July 18, 1966, dressing for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in an exhibition game.

Career regular season statistics

Source:Jack Jacob's professional football statistics
/ref>

Head coaching record

Post NFL career

In 1955, Jacobs was a

scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement ** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom ** Scouts BSA, sect ...

for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and later, was a

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of Athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

for the

of the

Ontario Rugby Football Union The Ontario Rugby Football Union (ORFU) was an early amateur Canadian football league comprising teams in the Canadian province of Ontario. The ORFU was founded on Saturday, January 6, 1883, and in 1903 it became the first major competition to ado ...

(ORFU) for two seasons. He also worked as an assistant coach for the

Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: ''Les Alouettes de Montréal'') are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has disbanded twice and been re-established thrice. The Alouettes compe ...

and the

Edmonton Eskimos The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at Commonwealth Stadium. The E ...

. Jacobs was also an actor who played a professional football player in the 1948 movie, '' Triple Threat''. Jacobs died in 1974 in

Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro (; ) is a city in Guilford County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 299,035; it was estimated to be 307,381 in 2024. It is the List of municipalitie ...

from a sudden heart attack.

References

* ''Who's Who in Canadian Sport'' by Bob Ferguson (3rd edition, Sporting Facts Publications, Ottawa, 1999), . * "CFL Facts, Figures and Records" 1985 to 2007 Canadian Football League

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jacobs, Jack 1919 births 1974 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male film actors American football quarterbacks American football defensive backs American football halfbacks American football punters Players of Canadian football from Oklahoma Canadian Football Hall of Fame inductees Canadian football quarterbacks Cleveland Rams players Edmonton Elks coaches Green Bay Packers players March Field Flyers football players Muscogee (Creek) Nation people Oklahoma Sooners baseball players Oklahoma Sooners football players Ontario Rugby Football Union players United Football League (1961–1964) players Washington Redskins players Winnipeg Blue Bombers players People from Holdenville, Oklahoma Players of American football from Oklahoma Native American male actors Native American players of American football 20th-century Native American people