Jared Jay DeVries (born June 11, 1976) is an American former 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 ...

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

. 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 ...

for 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 ...

, and twice earned

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

honors. He was selected by the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

in the third round of the

1999 NFL draft The 1999 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 17–18, 1999, at the Theater at M ...

, and played his entire professional career there.

Early life

DeVries was born in

Aplington, Iowa Aplington is a city in Butler County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,116 at the 2020 census. History In the summer of 1857, the village of Aplington was laid out and platted by the proprietors, Thomas Nash, R. R. Parriott, Zenas Ap ...

. He attended

Aplington–Parkersburg High School Aplington–Parkersburg High School is a rural state school, public high school in Parkersburg, Iowa, United States. It is a part of the Aplington–Parkersburg Community School District. History It was formed in 1992, from the merger of the hi ...

, where he was a ''Blue Chip Illustrated'' high school All-American and All-Midwest pick as a

senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

at defensive end in 1993, as well as a Class 1A all-state selection as a senior and junior. Over his 2 years at Aplington-Parkersburg, he recorded 26 QB sacks. He also played as a fullback and scored more than 60 touchdowns as well as over 4,000 rushing yards.

College career

DeVries attended the University of Iowa, and played for the

Iowa Hawkeyes football The Iowa Hawkeyes football program represents the University of Iowa in college football. The Hawkeyes compete in the Big Ten Conference. Iowa joined the Conference (then known as the Western Conference or Big Nine) in 1899 and played their first ...

team from 1995 to 1998. He holds the Hawkeyes' team record for career

quarterback sack In gridiron football, a sack occurs when the quarterback (or another offensive player acting as a passer) is tackle (football move), tackled behind the line of scrimmage before throwing a forward pass, when the quarterback is tackled behind the l ...

s with 43 and tackles-for-loss with 79. As a freshman, he started every game in 1995, recording 54

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position) A tackle is a playing position in American football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent ...

, 12 sacks and 19 tackles-for-loss and was named

MVP MVP most commonly refers to: * Most valuable player, an award, typically for the best performing player in a sport or competition * Minimum viable product, a concept for feature estimating used in business and engineering MVP may also refer to: ...

of the 1995 Sun Bowl vs.

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

. As a sophomore in 1996, he was a ''Football News'' All-American third-team pick after recording 22 tackles-for-loss tying the school's single season record. As a junior in 1997 he was named an

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

and ''Football News'' All-American second-team selection as well as the team's Co-MVP after starting ever game at left

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that typically lines up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the Guard (American football), offensive guards; however, he may also line up opposite one of the offensive Tackle (gridir ...

. As a senior in 1998, he was an All-Big Ten first-team selection for the third straight season, and was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American.

Professional career

DeVries was selected by the

in the third round (70th overall) of the

. As a

rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience, a rookie is typically considered needing more tra ...

DeVries played in just two games, due to a foot injury suffered during

training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events ...

. He made his NFL debut against 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 ...

on December 5, 1999. In

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

season, he recorded 35 tackles. He earned his first career start against the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

. In

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

, he started the season on the Physically-Unable-to-Perform (PUP) list while recovering from a

blood clot A thrombus ( thrombi) is a solid or semisolid aggregate from constituents of the blood (platelets, fibrin, red blood cells, white blood cells) within the circulatory system during life. A blood clot is the final product of the blood coagulatio ...

suffered during an off-season workout. In

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

, he recorded his first career sack, sacking

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

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 ...

Daunte Culpepper Daunte Rachard Culpepper (born January 28, 1977) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons, primarily with the Minnesota Vikings. He played college football for the U ...

for a loss of four yards. In

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

, he had a career best two starts and two forced

fumble A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful h ...

s. In

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

, DeVries was a member of the Lions' "wedge" on kickoff returns, helping block for kick returner

Eddie Drummond Edward Matthew Drummond (born April 12, 1980) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions and ...

, who finished the season ranked second in the NFL in kickoff returns. On the season DeVries had a career high three sacks. He also received the

Ed Block Courage Award The Ed Block Courage Award is an annual award presented to a player from each team in the National Football League (NFL) who are voted for by their teammates as role models of inspiration, sportsmanship, and courage. Named in memory of Ed Block, a ...

. In

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

, he again recorded three sacks. In

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

he started a career best nine games, recording a career high 37 tackles. He recorded his first career

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

after he touched down

Patriots A patriot is a person with the quality of patriotism. Patriot(s) or The Patriot(s) may also refer to: Political and military groups United States * Patriot (American Revolution), those who supported the cause of independence in the American R ...

fullback

Heath Evans Bryan Heath Evans (born December 30, 1978) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a Fullback (American football), fullback in the National Football League (NFL). After playing college football for the Aubu ...

in the

endzone 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 ...

after Evans recovered a

Tom Brady Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 23 seasons. He spent his first 20 seasons with the New Engla ...

fumble. In

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

, he recorded a career high 6.5 sacks and three fumble recoveries and 54 tackles. In

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

, DeVries started nine games and recorded 45 tackles and two sacks. In

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

, he was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

before the start of the season with a torn

Achilles tendon The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcane ...

. After the season, on February 23, 2010, the Lions released him. However, he was re-signed on April 11.

Personal life

DeVries and wife, Jamie, have two sons: Jaylen and Easton. In 2006, he helped purchase and shop for emergency relief supplies for

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...

victims. He also donated Lions' home game tickets to the Children's Hospital of Michigan and Our Children's Homestead through the Lions CATS (Caring Athletes Ticket Service) for Kids program. Took part for fourth-straight year in the 2007 Lions Pet Calendar that helps to raise money for the Dearborn Animal Shelter. Jared was the Clear Lake Lions head football coach in

Clear Lake, Iowa Clear Lake is a city in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, United States. The population was 7,687 at the 2020 census. The city is named for the large lake on which it is located. It is the home of a number of marinas, state parks and tourism-related ...

. His son, Jaylen, is currently a sophomore quarterback for the Southern Illinois University Salukis football team. Sadly, his son Easton passed away on July 28, 2023 at the age of 19 years old. Jared's older brother,

Darian DeVries Darian Dale DeVries (born April 7, 1975) is an American basketball coach who is currently the head men's basketball coach at Indiana University Bloomington, Indiana. He was previously the head coach at Drake Bulldogs men's basketball, Drake Unive ...

, is the head coach for the

Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball The Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball team represents Indiana University Bloomington in NCAA Division I college basketball and competes in the Big Ten Conference. The Hoosiers play at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on the Branch McCracken Court in Bl ...

team.

References

External links

Detroit Lions bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Devries, Jared 1976 births Living people All-American college football players American football defensive ends American people of Dutch descent Detroit Lions players Iowa Hawkeyes football players Players of American football from Iowa People from Parkersburg, Iowa