Jeff George at the beginning of his career (Photo courtesy of Stampede Blue).
Welcome to the first article commemorating Arab American Heritage Month 2024, where we will honor NFL legend Jeff George.
Author Note:
I have been writing history and heritage month articles for several years now for a few different websites. I’m beyond excited to bring these articles to The Forkball, starting with Arab-American Heritage Month in April of 2024. Arab American Heritage Month 2023 articles I wrote last year can be viewed here.
If you’re curious why I cover some European heritage months and not others, I choose to differentiate based on whether or not the community continues to be recognized in the United States as a protected group or race. For example, both Jewish and Italian people would fall under this status.
A person may also wonder what the point of these articles is. Are we further dividing people by pointing out what makes us different and not seeing everyone as being ‘equal’ or ‘the same’? I don’t feel that way. I believe true inclusion only happens when we recognize and celebrate what makes us unique. As a woman, my gender impacts my worldview and how people treat me every single day, all day. Why not talk about it? Why pretend my experience is the same as a man’s? No thanks!
Historically, the groups discussed in these articles have been marginalized and remain so in the sports world. We hope to highlight them so that people are aware of the prejudices these individuals have had to experience in the past, present, and future (if we don’t nip it in the bud now).
It is also critical for representation purposes. Children will see people who don’t fit the traditional mold in the sports world who are just like them, and maybe I can do that too. Fans will be able to enjoy sharing community and culture with players on the field who are just like them. These groups have historically gone unseen and ignored, and we want to put the spotlight on them, just where it belongs.
And so now on to the man of the article: Jeff George.
Jeff George’s Family’s Origin Story
Jeff was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1967 to parents David George and Judith Smith George. David George’s family is Arabic on both sides, with some of his family originating from Syria, in Saidnaya, just 20 miles from Damascus.
Sam Risk Corey, David George’s grandfather, immigrated to Indiana in the early 1900s, operating the family grocery store ‘Corey Foods’ with his wife Mary. Jeff George’s other set of great-grandparents, John Khalil George and Rose Ramsa Khalil George (the last name Ozman also appears to be referenced as their last name at times too), also ran a grocery store in Indianapolis.
The Corey and George families came together to unite their first generation of American-born children in holy matrimony. Joe and Ruth Corey were also entrepreneurs, running an Asian restaurant in the city. Ruth was one of Jeff George’s biggest fans. Jeff’s family and community truly rallied around him, celebrating his accomplishments and offering their support.
George’s family was heavily involved in the city’s Greek Orthodox Church (the Coreys helped establish the church in the city). This afforded Jeff the opportunity to perfect his athleticism on the church’s sports teams, and his faith also gave him great comfort throughout his life. He had a cross given to him by Grandma Ruth that he would wear on the gridiron.
The NFL Legends Sports Career
In case you didn’t know, George was a pretty big deal. He has wowed the Indianapolis community in general and the local Arab community in particular since high school. The multi-sport wonder made a name for himself in high school. After graduation, he made a mark at both Purdue and the University of Illinois athletically.
To sort of seal the deal on being the cat’s meow, the quarterback was drafted first overall in the 1990 NFL draft by the Indianapolis Colts. Jeff spent his first four seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, but things got spicy between him and Jim Irsay (did Irsay throw a drink on him, too?) and he was traded to the Atlanta Falcons in 1994.
If Jeff were feeling honest, he probably would say he was actually a bit of a spicy guy in general. He collided with a few coaches in his time (most notably, publicly, on the sidelines, with coach June Jones). George had a pension for making his own calls. Whether the coaches liked it or not. He butted heads with the majority of team leadership everywhere he went. It was fun like that that landed him on seven different teams in 16 seasons.
Career Highlights
The collegiate Sammy Baugh Trophy winner had only a few accolades other than being the NFL’s spiciest QB of all time. He was a member of the All-Rookie team in 1990 and led the league in passing in 1997 during his first season with the Oakland Raiders. Jeff also helped lead the Atlanta Falcons to the playoffs for the first time in several years in 1995.
The End of the ‘Jeff George’ Era
In 2006, George hung up the cleats. He was bummed for the forced retirement (no one would sign him), even though he was 40. Jeff played around with the idea of making a comeback more than once. Most recently, he was rumored to do so in 2010.
It seemed like Jeff George and the NFL didn’t mesh well. He had important players who had strong praise for the QB, like his buddy and fishing partner Randy Moss. The Hall of Famer said Jeff was his favorite QB to work with in the NFL. There were also many glimmers of talent.
I love a controversial personality. I’m willing to go on a limb for Jeff George. He probably was really good, but he rubbed the coaches wrong on basically every team he was on. The NFL is a rigid world, more so when George was playing than now. The coaches couldn’t hang with his spice, and that was likely a main contributing factor to his lack of success in the league.
Legacy
Jeff George Jr. had his own stint in football, although he never reached the heights of his father’s career. Junior hung up the cleats after playing for his dad’s alma mater, the University of Illinois, for a few years before being transferred to the University of Pittsburgh.
The young man had the wisdom to know that football wasn’t for him. Jeff Jr. is also a Christian, like his family, and is a real estate agent. Check his Instagram out here. Buy a house from him!
