Jeremy Bloom

Wyoming

Sep 20 (Sat)

8:15 p.m.

Position:
Wide Receiver
Height:
5-9
Weight:
175
Class:
Sophomore
Hometown:
Loveland, Colo.
High School:
Loveland

AT COLORADO: He had five career plays of 75 yards or longer (two receptions, two punt returns, one kickoff return), tied with Byron White for the second most in school history, and just one behind the leader, Ben Kelly (six between 1997-99). He finished his career eighth in punt return yards (625), tied for fifth in punt return touchdowns (2), 11th in kickoff return yards (627), 57th in receiving yards (458) and 48th in all-purpose yards (1,792).

2004 (Jr.)?In early September, the NCAA denied a final CU appeal for reinstatement for Bloom to be able to play college football and still ski professionally so he could keep alive his hopes to represent the United States in moguls skiing in the 2006 Winter Olympics (Turin, Italy). He accepted endorsement money in the winter to be able to continue skiing on the World Cup circuit, a violation of NCAA rules even though he was an amateur in football. The process dragged out over the entire summer, and Bloom left campus in August to train in Chile while the NCAA weighed his case. Despite evidence of previous rulings (Iowa’s Tim Dwight ran track after collecting endorsement money as a pro football player), an “independent” NCAA appeals committee ruled against Bloom a final time on August 24, ending his collegiate career. If eligible to play, he figured to be CU’s top return man for punts and kickoffs, as well as a key player in the rotation at wide receiver (he would have been one of just two returning receivers who had receptions in 2003). Street & Smith’s selected him as a preseason honorable All-America at kick returner, where The Sporting News lists him as the No. 8 player in the nation.

2003 (Soph.)?He was an all-around weapon, as for the season he had 80 touches for 1,286 yards, or 16.1 per touch. Most of those came on kick returns, as he led the Big 12 Conference in total kick return yards with 878, ranking fifth in the league in kickoff returns (30th NCAA) and sixth in punt returns (21st NCAA). He returned 24 kickoffs for 589 yards (24.5 per), including an 88-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against Kansas State, along with 24 punt returns for 289 yards, an average of 12.0 per. He caught 22 passes for 356 yards (16.2 per reception), with one touchdown, an 81-yard catch and run at Florida State. He had at least one reception in 11 games, with a season and career-high of five for 97 yards in a 50-47 overtime win over Kansas. One of his biggest grabs was an acrobatic 33-yard catch in the final stages of CU’s 42-35 win over Colorado State; it set the table for Bobby Purify’s winning TD run with 40 seconds left. His other touches came on rushes, a combination of reverses or quick handoffs, as he had 10 attempts for 52 yards with a long of 19. He earned second-team all-Big 12 honors from the league coaches at kick returner (honorable mention by the Associated Press); he also was the Special Teams Player of the Year in Colorado as selected by the state’s chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame (and was a first-team member of its All-Colorado team). The CU coaches named him winner of the Bill McCartney Award, presented for special teams achievement, as he was twice selected as CU’s special teams player of the week (for the Baylor and Kansas State games). In that Baylor game, he set a school record for the most kick return yards in a game by a Buff with 250 (143 kickoff, 107 punt). He announced on June 4 that he was resuming his college football career, as he was not enrolled in spring classes at CU after returning to competitive skiing (he did take a correspondence course allowed by NCAA rules specifically for Olympic athletes). He made a “cameo” appearance in the spring game, fielding a punt in street clothes in the second quarter (after the whistle, a few players “dog-piled” on him for laughs).

2002 (Fr.)?As a kick return man, he was a first-team Freshman All-America team member by both the FWAA and collegefootballnews.com, which also selected him as an honorable mention choice on its overall team; The Sporting News tabbed him a third team frosh All-American. He saw action in 13 games, including the Alamo Bowl (no starts; he missed the USC game due to a broken sesamoid bone in his left foot) and had quite an impact, as he was electric almost every time he touched the ball. By the time the season was over, he participated in three of the five longest plays involving a true freshman in CU history. The first time he touched the ball as a collegian, he returned a punt 75 yards against Colorado State to get the Buffs on the scoreboard in the fourth quarter. Against Kansas State, he had a 94-yard catch and run reception for a touchdown, the longest pass play in school history(also his first career catch). And versus Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship, an 80-yard punt return for six turned the momentum CU’s way for a time in the third quarter. Including the bowl game, he averaged 15.0 yards for 23 punt returns to rank 13th in the nation (he was fifth at 16.8 through the regular season, but the NCAA included bowl stats for the first time). He was the first CU freshman (true or redshirt) to return more than one punt for scores in a single season. After the Big 12 Championship game, he began training for the ski season, taking his final exams early as he left Dec. 15 for Finland to compete in a FIS World Cup event (he rejoined the team in San Antonio for the bowl; in Finland, he missed a bronze medal in the moguls by two-hundredths of a second). He returned three punts against Wisconsin in the Alamo Bowl (for a net 8 yards). Prior to the start of fall drills, he challenged the NCAA in court, as he wants to pursue a promising skiing and endorsement career outside of football. Though chastising the NCAA for missing an opportunity to do the right thing, the judge upheld the enforcement of its rules by the NCAA in ruling against Bloom. He and his attorneys have appealed, and the case is still active as of June 2003.

2001?He wound up delaying his enrollment to pursue his dream of making the U.S. Olympic ski team for the 2002 Winter Olympics, which he accomplished (see skiing notes below). He did report with his class for fall camp, participated in the freshman and a couple of varsity practices, and then left for San Diego for training.

SKIING?A very accomplished moguls skier, he has competed for the United States Freestyle Ski Team since 1998, the newest addition to U.S. Skiing, headed by former CU athletic director Bill Marolt (Bloom’s coaches are Scott Rawles, Liz McIntyre and Donny St. Pierre). Prior to the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, he was named to the U.S. Ski Team on the strength of his third place finish in the moguls in the 2001 USA Championships. He finished ninth in the moguls at the Olympics, but bounced back a month later to win the World Cup moguls title in Ruka, Finland. In winter 2003, he posted three World Cup victories in six races, and won both Gold and Silver medals in the World Championships held in Deer Valley, Utah. He has won several NorAm races in his career, and finished third (claiming the bronze medal) at the 2000 Junior World Championships in Italy. He was only three when he made his first mogul run (Geronimo) at Keystone. He opened the 2003-04 winter with a second place finish in the moguls at the Ruka World Cup event, just .33 points behind 2002 Olympic champion Janne Lahtela of Finland, and had three other runner-up finishes before ending his year with a win in the moguls in the Czech Republic. In the 2004-05 season, he set a world record with six consecutive victories, topping the old mark of five, and was the World Cup moguls champion. He finished sixth in the 2006 Olympics at Turin (25.17 score, 1.6 points behind gold medalist, Austria’s Dale Begg-Smith, and 1.13 points out of the bronze).

HIGH SCHOOL?As a senior, he earned PrepStar and SuperPrep all-Midlands honors, as he was listed as the No. 68 player overall (the seventh receiver) in the area by SP. He also earned first-team all-state from the Denver Post and all-area honors. As a senior, he caught 48 passes for 1,116 yards and 12 touchdowns, and ran a few successful reverses, gaining about 200 yards on five attempts. He also occasionally returned punts. As a junior, when he garnered all-area accolades, he caught 19 passes for 550 yards and six touchdowns. His career totals were thus: 67 catches for 1,666 yards and 18 touchdowns. He was on the junior varsity as a sophomore, and was the quarterback (and a defensive back) on the freshman team. His top games include a 35-12 win over Lakewood in the 2000 state playoffs, when he broke three school records with nine receptions for 204 yards and four touchdowns. He also had 135 yards on four receptions in a win over Northglenn, and as a junior, he opened the year with four catches for 110 yards and two scores in a 14-12 win. Against Rampart in the 2000 playoffs, he had his best day as a runner, rushing three times for 85 yards. Loveland was 13-1 his senior year, claiming the Colorado 4A state championship, and was 8-2 his junior year under coach John Poovey. He has lettered in track three times (relays, sprints), and is a three-time all-state performer; he helped Loveland to the state title his junior year as a member of the 4x200 relay team.

ACADEMICS?He was a communication major at Colorado, and was in good academic standing when the NCAA ruled against him (he has every intention of completing his degree). He was an honor roll student all four years in high school, and maintained a 3.0 grade point average at CU despite his hectic travel schedule.

PERSONAL?Born April 2, 1982 in Fort Collins. He selected Colorado over Colorado State and Wyoming, as it was evident he wasn’t looking to go very far away from the mountains. His hobbies include skiing on a football questionnaire, and football on a skiing one. For his accomplishments in both, the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame named him the Colorado Amateur Athlete of the Year for 2002, while Mile High Sports magazine named him the state’s athlete of the year. In March of 2003, he won the 30th annual Superstars Competition that took place in Jamaica; he defeated nine professional athletes in the competition, of which all had to choose seven of 10 events to participate. Bloom excelled, including wins in the half-mile run and the 100-yard dash (which he accomplished in 9.41 seconds). He donated his $45,000 prize to charity, as the NCAA rules prohibited him from keeping it.

RECEIVING PUNT RETURNS

Season G No. Yds Avg. TD Long No. Yds Avg. TD Long

2002 12 2 102 51.0 1 94t 20 336 16.8 2 80t

2003 12 22 356 16.2 1 81t 24 289 12.0 0 37

Totals 24 24 458 19.1 2 94t 44 625 14.2 2 80t

ADDITIONAL STATISTICS?Kickoff Returns: 1-38, 38.0 (2002), 24-589, 24.5, 88 long, 1 TD (2003). Rushing: 5-30, 6.0, 26 long (2002); 10-52, 5.2, 19 long.