Russ Jensen (born 13 July 1961) was a former professional

American Football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

player most noted for his time in the British leagues where he is considered one of the greatest players ever. He had also spent time in the

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a 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 Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

before his time in UK.

College

Jensen was recruited to play at

San Francisco State San Francisco State University (San Francisco State, SF State and SFSU) is a public research university in San Francisco, California, United States. It was established in 1899 as the San Francisco State Normal School and is part of the Califor ...

, but transferred to the

Cal Lutheran Kingsmen The Cal Lutheran Kingsmen and Regals are the athletic teams that represent California Lutheran University, located in Thousand Oaks, California, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the Division III level of the National Collegiate Athletic ...

in his senior year. As the starting quarterback, he led the Kingsmen to the Division II playoffs where they met the Linfield College Wildcats in the first round. Jensen set NAIA playoff records in pass attempts (57), pass completions (35) and passing yards (437), but also tied the record for interceptions with 7. They lost to the eventual 1982 champions 20-16. Jensen was an NAIA All-American Honorable Mention in 1982 and set Kingsmen records in passing yardage and passing touchdowns.

Professional career

Los Angeles Express

Jensen was not drafted in the

1983 NFL draft The 1983 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 26–27, 1983, at the New York Sh ...

, but was selected in the

USFL Territorial Draft The United States Football League had two types of drafts as their main sources for player recruitment: the collegiate draft and the territorial draft. The collegiate draft resembled its NFL counterpart, in which teams were given a position in the ...

by the Los Angeles Express. He spent most of his time buried beneath

Frank Seurer Frank Anthony Seurer (born August 16, 1962) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback. He played collegiate football at the University of Kansas. He played for the Los Angeles Express (USFL) in 1984 and 1985 seaso ...

and future

Hall of Famer A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...

Steve Young Jon Steven Young (born October 11, 1961) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons, most notably with the San Francisco 49ers. He also played for the Tampa Bay Bu ...

, and during his time with the Express threw just 6 passes, for 2 completions of 33 yards, 0 touchdowns and 1 interception.

Los Angeles Raiders

Despite his limited playing time in the USFL, Jensen got a chance to make the

Los Angeles Raiders The Los Angeles Raiders were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). The Raiders played in Los Angeles from 1982 to 1994 before relocating back to Oakland, California, where the team played from its inaugural ...

roster in the 1985 off season. Jensen was in competition with

Rusty Hilger Russell Todd Hilger (May 9, 1962 – December 24, 2019) was an American professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oklahoma State Cowboys and was selected in th ...

and former first round draft pick Rich Campbell to back up

Jim Plunkett James William Plunkett (born December 5, 1947) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons. He achieved his greatest success during his final eight seasons with the R ...

and Marc Wilson. He suffered a broken thumb in a scrimmage with the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

at his college's facilities in Cal Lutheran, and spent only a limited time on the roster.

San Diego Chargers

During the 1987 "strike" season, Jensen made the roster of the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...

as a non-union player. He had been working in construction and minor acting roles on the show 1st & Ten when he was contacted by the Chargers.

Birmingham Bulls

In 1988, the GM of the Birmingham Bulls of the British

Budweiser Budweiser () is an American-style pale lager, a brand of Belgian company AB InBev. Introduced in 1876 by Carl Conrad & Co. of St. Louis, Missouri, Budweiser has become a large selling beer company in the United States. Budweiser is a filte ...

League, Frank Leadon, brought Jensen over to the UK. Jensen immediately made the Bulls national contenders again. Jensen threw for 2925 yards, 35 touchdowns (including 7 in a single game against the Manchester Allstars) and rushed for another 13 in the 1988 season, setting franchise records. 2051 of those yards and 22 of those touchdowns were caught by fellow import Greg Harris. In 1988, the Bulls won their second national championship, defeating the

London Olympians The London Olympians are an American football team based in Greenwich, London, England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it ...

30-6 at

Loftus Road Loftus Road, currently known as MATRADE Loftus Road Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium in Shepherd's Bush, West London, Greater London, England, which is home to Queens Park Rangers F.C., Queens Park Rangers Football Club, w ...

on the back of Jensen's three touchdown passes. In 1989, Jensen initially refused terms with the Birmingham Bulls, but signed just before the start of the season, teaming up with another fellow import, this time wide receiver

Bob Shoop Bob Shoop (born August 18, 1966) is an American football coach who is currently a senior defensive analyst at Vanderbilt. He served as the defensive coordinator there from 2011 to 2013, also having served as defensive coordinator at Mississippi ...

, throwing 2276 passing yards and 20 touchdowns, leading the Bulls to another national championship game, against the Manchester Allstars at

Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition buildin ...

. However, two days before the final, Jensen left the team due to a dispute with Bulls owner Dave Webb over medical bills. Jensen never played for the Bulls again and then GM and lineman James Thornton placed the blame on the Bulls management.

Coaching career

During his time in the UK, Jensen also coached at the Bulls, and instilled much needed discipline and was known for being a "hard task master" who "craved perfection".

Honours and records

* Britball Now Hall of Fame * Most Touchdown Passes in Birmingham Bulls History * Most Pass Completions in Birmingham Bulls History * Most Pass Yards in Birmingham Bulls History

Personal life

Jensen lives in La Mirada, California and has two children with his wife, Isabel.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jensen, Russ Living people 1961 births Los Angeles Raiders players Los Angeles Express players Cal Lutheran Kingsmen football players American expatriate players of American football BAFA National Leagues players