Bob Jeter

Picture from ProLook

Some sad news today.

Bob Jeter entered the National Football League as a wide receiver and retired a two-time Pro Bowl cornerback, serving as a vital cog on three Green Bay Packers championship teams.

On Thursday afternoon, Jeter, 71, died of an apparent heart attack while at his home in Chicago.

"The first thing you think about with Bob Jeter was his speed," former teammate Dave Robinson said Thursday evening. "He had an awesome amount of it. People didn't say he was a speedster, but I remember one time Gale Sayers was running downfield and it looked to me like it happened in four frames: Bob ran him down and stopped a touchdown."

He is also in the Green Bay Packer Hall of Fame.

Quick excerpt from Distant Replay by Jerry Kramer w/ Dick Schaap

"I couldn't wait to get back to training camp each year," he said. "I knew what Lombardi was going to put us through, but I still wanted to get back. I looked forward so much to the guys and the camaraderie. I couldn't wait to hear Willie Davis telling his stories, laughing so hard the tears came out of his eyes. And every year, I knew we were going to win something. Later, when I was with the Bears, I dreaded the start of training camp."

...

Jeter always came to our training camp in good shape. He came to the reunion in good shape -- for a defensive tackle. But, the extra weight didn't diminish his enthusiasm. "It feels like the clock's been turned back," he said. "I feel like I want to play again." The feeling faded when his knee began acting up, the curse of old running backs, even ones who switched to defense. "It hurts when it rains or gets damp," Jete said.

His wife of more than twenty years, Gwendolyn, stayed home with their two teenaged sons, Robby and Carlton, both basketball players at Quigley High in Chicago. Gwendolyn was working as a substitute teacher and running a day-care center. Jete was looking for work. Not long after the reunion, he took a job with Foxville Products, distributing health, skin and beauty products.

"I had to come back and see the guys," he said. "Those were the best years of my life."

I have no memory of Jeter playing for the Pack or the Bears for that matter. But, I do remember him from my time at UW-Platteville. Bob Jeter was at just about every game Robby and Carlton played at Williams Fieldhouse. There was a spot where he would watch the game from -- there was a window that gave a nice view of the court from behind one of the baskets.

There were a few brief meetings over the years with the elder Jeter, but the one that really sticks with me was from 1991. It was just after the Pioneers had won their first NCAA Division III Championship. Back at the reception for the team at the hotel, Bob Jeter had the biggest smile -- a mixture of pride and happiness -- that made a lasting impression.

Sympathies to the Jeter family.