Jeremy Bloom

Jeremy Bloom (born April 2, 1982) is an American former skier and American football player.

Jeremy Bloom
Jeremy Bloom in 2016.
Born (1982-04-02) April 2, 1982
NationalityAmerican
Parent(s)Larry Bloom
RelativesMolly Bloom (sister)
Colby Cohen (cousin)

As a skier, he is a three-time world champion, two-time Olympian, and 11-time World Cup gold medalist. He became the youngest freestyle skier in history to be inducted into the National Ski Hall of Fame in 2013.[1] In 2006, he won a then-record six straight World Cup events in a single season.

As a football player, Bloom was a freshman All-American at the University of Colorado. He was drafted into the NFL in 2006 and spent time on the roster of both the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers, but never appeared in a regular-season game.

Personal life

Bloom was born in Loveland, Colorado, the son of Charlene, a ski and fly fishing instructor, and Larry Bloom, a clinical psychologist.[2] His older sister, Molly Bloom, is an author and former poker entrepreneur who was the inspiration for the book and film Molly's Game.[3] His cousin is ice hockey player Colby Cohen.[4] Bloom's father is Jewish and his mother is Christian.[5]

Bloom helped lead both his football and track teams to state championships. In his freshman year, Bloom played quarterback and defensive back. He switched to receiver in his sophomore year and played on the junior varsity football team. He accepted a full scholarship to play college football at the University of Colorado Boulder. As a track athlete, Bloom helped lead his high school track team to back-to-back Class 5A state championship titles his junior and senior year. He competed in the 100 m, 200 m, 4 × 100 m and 4x400 meter.

Bloom married Mariah Oliviera on November 11, 2018 in Keystone, Colorado.

Skiing career

Jeremy Bloom

Bloom grew up skiing in Keystone, Colorado. At 15 he became the youngest male freestyle skier to ever make the United States Ski Team.[6][7] In 2005, he became the first freestyle skier to win six straight races in a single season. He ended 2005 as the top-ranked freestyle skier in the world and number one in moguls for the second time. He finished 9th in the 2002 Olympics and 6th in the 2006 Olympics. After the 2006 Olympics, Bloom focused his attention solely on football.

On November 24, 2008, Bloom announced his intention to attend the United States ski team's training camp to assess the possibility of a 2010 return to Olympic skiing.[8] On December 16, 2008, Bloom was added to the 39 man roster of the U.S. Ski Team.

In 2020, Bloom was featured in the HBO film, "The Weight of Gold", which covered the mental health toll that training at the young age for the Olympics took a number of featured athletes.[9]

College football career

Jeremy Bloom
No. 15
Position:Wide receiver / Return specialist
Personal information
Born: (1982-04-02) April 2, 1982
Loveland, Colorado
Height:5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight:180 lb (82 kg)
Career information
High school:Loveland (CO)
College:Colorado
NFL Draft:2006 / Round: 5 / Pick: 147
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career NFL statistics
Player stats at NFL.com

Bloom was a wide receiver and punt returner for the University of Colorado football team. He was selected to the first-team Freshman All-America list by the FWAA.[10]

On October 5, 2002, Bloom caught a pass from Robert Hodge against Kansas State in Boulder that resulted in a 94-yard (86 m) touchdown. On this play Bloom set four Colorado team records that stood as of 2020: all-time longest passing play, longest scoring play from scrimmage, longest gain on a first career reception, longest gain by a freshman.[11]

Bloom holds the Colorado team record for most combined return yards (kick & punt) in a single game, set against Baylor University in Waco, Texas on October 4, 2003 (143 kickoff and 107 punt).[12]

After a long fought battle with the NCAA to keep his skiing hopes alive for the 2006 Winter Olympics the NCAA declared him permanently ineligible, cutting short his college football career by two years. Two days after competing in the 2006 Olympics Bloom participated in the NFL Scouting Combine.

Professional football career

Philadelphia Eagles

On April 30, 2006, Bloom was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fifth round (147th overall) of the 2006 NFL Draft.[13] He was featured in the NFL TV show Hey Rookie, Welcome To The NFL.[14] He practiced with the team all through mini-camp as a punt and kick returner, but injured his hamstring during training camp, placing him on injured reserve. Bloom remained with the team for the 2006 season. After spending his entire rookie year on injured reserve, Bloom averaged 20.3 yards on 12 kickoff returns and 7.8 yards on 10 punt returns during the 2007 preseason. He was released by the Eagles prior to the regular season.[15]

Pittsburgh Steelers

On December 31, 2007, Bloom was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers in preparation for the 2008 AFC playoff game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He began 2008 training camp with the Steelers.[16] He was released by the Steelers on August 25, 2008.[17][18]

Other ventures

Leading up to the 2006 NFL draft, Bloom, along with fellow rookies Vernon Davis and A. J. Hawk, appeared in ads for Under Armour's new line of football cleats, with the slogan "Click Clack (I think they hear us coming)." He was also the feature in an ABC Olympic commercial and 80-hour fitness commercial.

Bloom has modeled with Tommy Hilfiger, Abercrombie & Fitch (A&F:Rising Stars Christmas 2004), GQ Magazine and Cosmopolitan magazine. He was a frequent guest host on Video Stew on Palladia and was a VJ for the channel. He has appeared on magazine covers for Cargo, Outside, Sports Illustrated on Campus, Hooked on the Outdoors, and Mile High Sports.

In March 2003, Bloom won the 30th annual CBS Superstars Competition in Jamaica; he defeated nine professional athletes that included Dexter Jackson, Ahman Green, Will Allen[19] and Super Bowl MVP Hines Ward. He ran a 100-yard (91 m) dash in 9.41 seconds, .01 off the events record set by Joey Galloway. He donated his $45,000 prize money to help build youth football fields in his hometown of Loveland, Colorado.

In 2012, Bloom participated in the dating game show The Choice.[20]

In April 2010, Bloom founded the marketing software company Integrate.[21] In 2013, Bloom was a finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year.[22]

Bloom is a college football and Olympic sports television analyst and has worked for ESPN, Fox, NBC and The Pac-12 Network.[23]

In the spring of 2008, Bloom launched The Donna Wheeler Foundation, later renamed to the Jeremy Bloom Wish of a Lifetime Foundation.[24] The non-profit, 501(c)(3) foundation's mission is to help low income seniors experience their lifelong wishes.[25][26]

World Cup skiing results

  • 2006 Mont Gabriel, World Cup 2
  • 2005 Ruka FIN World Ski Championships Dual 3
  • 2005 Voss NOR World Cup 2
  • 2005 Sauze D'Oulx ITA World Cup 1
  • 2005 Naeba JPN World Cup 1
  • 2005 Inawashiro JPN World Cup 1
  • 2005 Inawashiro JPN World Cup 1
  • 2005 Deer Valley, UT USA World Cup 1
  • 2005 Deer Valley, UT USA World Cup 1
  • 2005 Mont Tremblant, QC CAN World Cup 2
  • 2004 Spindleruv Mlyn CZE World Cup 1
  • 2004 Naeba JPN World Cup 3
  • 2004 Inawashiro JPN World Cup 3
  • 2004 Jisan KOR FIS Race 2
  • 2004 Deer Valley, UT USA World Cup Dual 2
  • 2003 Ruka FIN World Cup 2
  • 2003 Madarao JPN World Cup 1
  • 2003 Steamboat USA World Cup 1
  • 2003 Deer Valley World Ski Championships Duals 1
  • 2003 Deer Valley USA World Ski Championships 2
  • 2003 Mont Tremblant, QC CAN World Cup 2
  • 2002 Ruka FIN World Cup Moguls 2
  • 2002 Inawashiro JPN World Cup Moguls 2
  • 2002 Lake Placid, NY USA World Cup 1
  • 2002 Steamboat USA World Cup Moguls 3
  • 2002 Tignes FRA World Cup Moguls 3

References

  1. Jeremy Bloom, five others to be inducted into Ski & Snowboard Hall
  2. By JULIET MACURFEB. 7, 2006 (2006-02-07). "The Unbearable Lightness of Jeremy Bloom - The New York Times". Nytimes.com. Retrieved 2018-04-09.
  3. "Ski champ Jeremy Bloom's sister hit it big in leading private poker game for boldface names | Penny Parker". Pennyparker.blacktie-colorado.com. 2014-06-23. Retrieved 2018-04-09.
  4. "Q&A with Colby Cohen, formerly of the Lincoln Stars | Sports". journalstar.com. 2007-06-15. Retrieved 2018-04-09.
  5. "Interfaith Celebrities: Interfaith NFL-ers and Cole Hauser's Impressive Pedigree – InterfaithFamily". Interfaithfamily.com. Retrieved 2018-04-09.
  6. Olivero, Antonio (February 27, 2020). "Peak Performers nominee: Jeremy Bloom, freestyle skiing". summitdaily.com. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  7. Macur, Juliet (February 7, 2006). "The Unbearable Lightness of Jeremy Bloom". New York Times. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  8. "Bloom returning to US team". si.com. Associated Press. November 24, 2008. Archived from the original on February 28, 2009. Retrieved November 24, 2008.
  9. Casselberry, Ian (28 July 2020). "HBO's 'The Weight of Gold' a must-watch documentary showing mental health issues Olympic athletes face HBO's 'The Weight of Gold' a must-watch documentary showing mental health issues Olympic athletes face". Awful Announcing. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  10. "FWAA Announces 2002 Scripps Freshman All-America Team". sportswriters.net. January 3, 2003. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  11. "2019 Colorado Football Media Guide: Records and History" (PDF). CU Sports Information Office. 2019. p. 183. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  12. "2019 Colorado Football Media Guide: Records and History" (PDF). CU Sports Information Office. 2019. p. 238. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  13. "NFL Draft History (2006)". nfl.com. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  14. "Hey Rookie, Welcome to the NFL". Hey Rookie, Welcome to the NFL. Season 5. Episode 1. September 6, 2006. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  15. Maaddi, Rob (September 1, 2007). "Former Olympic skier Bloom cut by Eagles". nfl.com (via The Associated Press). Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  16. Harris, John (July 29, 2008). "Going for the Black & Gold". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Archived from the original on February 28, 2009. Retrieved July 29, 2008.
  17. "Jeremy Bloom out in Steelers' first roster cut". NFL. Yahoo! Sports. Associated Press. August 25, 2008. Retrieved August 26, 2008.
  18. Fittipaldo, Ray (August 25, 2008). "Steelers name Hartwig starting center, make first cuts". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved August 25, 2008.
  19. Dilbeck, Steve (February 10, 2006). "Two-sport star is ready to Bloom". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved February 11, 2010.
  20. Keppler, Justin (June 8, 2012). "Olympic Skier Jeremy Bloom Appears on Fox's New Dating Show 'The Choice'". The Ski Channel. Retrieved April 11, 2013.
  21. "Jeremy Bloom, Co-founder, Integrate, 29". Forbes.com. Retrieved 2018-04-09.
  22. McPherson, Doug (21 June 2013). "Entrepreneur of the Year finalist: Hart Cunningham and Jeremy Bloom, Integrate.com Inc". Phoenix Business Journal.
  23. "Jeremy Bloom - Investor". CNBC. NBC Universal. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  24. "Home - Wish of a Lifetime". Seniorwish.org. Retrieved 2018-04-09.
  25. Favaro, Avis (March 8, 2016). "Wish of a Lifetime offers life changing experiences for seniors". CTV News. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  26. Preston, Rob (October 10, 2017). "Startup Founder, Extreme Athlete Jeremy Bloom Channels Centenarian Sisters". Forbes. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
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