About Me
Joseph Michael Jurevicius (born December 23, 1974 in Cleveland, Ohio) is an American football wide receiver and team captain for the Cleveland Browns of the NFL. He was originally drafted in the second round of the 1998 NFL Draft by the New York Giants out of Pennsylvania State University. He has also played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks.Jurevicius attended Lake Catholic High School in Mentor, Ohio, and was a letterman in football as a wide receiver/punter and in basketball.Jurevicius played for 4 seasons with the New York Giants (1998-02). During his time in NY he played in 58 games, scored 5 touchdowns and had 1,442 receiving yards. He also had only 2 fumbles. He played in the Giants' 34-7 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XXXV, but did not record any receptions.In 2002 Jurevicius signed a four-year contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an unrestricted free agent. After a season that saw him emerge as critical to the team, especially on third downs, he authored what is widely considered the greatest offensive play in Buccaneers' history, when, in the NFC Championship game against the heavily favored rival Philadelphia Eagles, he took a crossing pattern 71 yards down to the Eagles' five-yard line. Two plays later, fullback Mike Alstott ended the Buccaneer's four-game offensive touchdown drought against the Eagles, and the momentum propelled the team to a 27-10 victory and a berth in their first Super Bowl. Jurevicius struck again in Super Bowl XXXVII, leading the team in receiving yards with four catches for 78 yards, propelling Tampa Bay to a 48-21 win over the Oakland Raiders. His grit and performance made him a fan favorite.Unfortunately, after a two-touchdown performance in a 17-0 victory over the same Eagles in the season opener of the following year (including a circus catch that saw Jurevicius tip the ball to himself, behind his back, over Philadelphia cornerback Lito Sheppard and just before Pro Bowl safety Brian Dawkins arrived), Jurevicius was the first to suffer from a spate of injuries that ultimately claimed nine of the Buccaneer’s twenty-two starters from the Super Bowl. The following week at Carolina, he tore his medial collateral ligament and partially tore his anterior cruciate ligament in a freak collision that also broke Alstott’s neck, ending both of their seasons. After nearly two years of rehabilitation, the Buccaneers cut him loose for a variety of reasons, but he left Tampa having played in 30 games with 874 yards receiving, while scoring eight touchdowns.In 2005 he signed with the Seattle Seahawks as an unrestricted free agent. Despite coming off of injury, 2005 would prove to be his best year yet in the NFL. He finished the regular season with a career high 10 touchdowns with 694 receiving yards, leading the team in touchdowns and coming in second in yards. He also had a career high 137 yard against the St. Louis Rams, which was especially bittersweet: On the way to the stadium the team bus had passed by the hospital in which his infant son Michael had died in 2003. Jurevicius would go on to accomplish the same feat against his old team, the New York Giants. He capped off the season by leading the Seahawks in receiving with 5 catches for 93 yards in their 21-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XL, his longest coming in the waning moments when he caught a 20-yard pass and then ran over three of Pittsburgh's defenders, including Pro Bowler Troy Polamalu, while picking up fifteen more yards in an attempt to get Seattle one final shot at a score.Despite his strong performance with the Seahawks, they couldn't match an offer extended to him from another club in the offseason. On March 11, 2006, Jurevicius signed a four year contract with the Cleveland Browns, fulfilling a lifelong dream of playing for his hometown team.Jurevicius is one of only seven NFL players to play in the Super Bowl with three different teams; Darrien Gordon (Chargers, Broncos, Raiders), Rod Woodson (Steelers, Ravens, Raiders), Bill Romanowski (Broncos, Raiders, 49ers), Matt Millen (Raiders, 49ers, Redskins), Preston Pearson (Colts, Steelers, Cowboys) and Harry Swayne (Chargers, Broncos, Ravens).Jurevicius lives in Pepper Pike, Ohio with his wife, Meagan, and two daughters. His infant son, Michael William Jurevicius, died on March 24, 2003 from sialidosis, a neurodegenerative disease. He dedicates each of his touchdowns to Michael, either pointing upward to the sky, or throwing the ball into the air. Since his son's early passing Jurevicius has been an ardent supporter of the March of Dimes, and a scholarship has been established in his son's name. The inaugural winner of the newly founded scholarship was Nicholas Cipkus.Jurevicius has a tattoo of Vytis, the national symbol of Lithuania on his right biceps. He is of Lithuanian descent.He earned a degree in Human Development and Family Studies from Penn State University in 1997.Jurevicius has appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated twice: August 25, 1997 and February 3, 2003.
