Noel Jenke

Noel Charles Jenke (December 17, 1946 – July 23, 2020) was an American professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played for three different teams during the 1971 through 1974 seasons. Before playing professional football, Jenke was a minor league baseball player in the Boston Red Sox organization.

Noel Jenke
No. 52, 59, 55
Position:Linebacker
Personal information
Born:(1946-12-17)December 17, 1946
Owatonna, Minnesota
Died:July 23, 2020(2020-07-23) (aged 73)
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:221 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school:Owatonna (Owatonna, Minnesota)
College:Minnesota
NFL Draft:1969 / Round: 12 / Pick: 303
Career history
Career NFL statistics
Player stats at NFL.com

Amateur career

Jenke attended Owatonna High School in Owatonna, Minnesota, where he lettered each of his three high school years in three sports—football, basketball, and baseball—while captaining each in his senior year. He also played on a local ice hockey team that won state championships and played in national tournaments.[1]

Jenke attended the University of Minnesota, where he again lettered in three sports: three times in football, three times in ice hockey, and one time in baseball. He served as captain of the 1968 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team,[1] which went 6–4 (5–2 in Big Ten games). He was the first athlete in the university's history to letter in three sports, and to be drafted by professional teams in those three sports.[1] Honors included:[1]

  • AP All Big Ten First Team in football (1968)
  • All Big Ten Academic First Team in football (1968)
  • AP All Big Ten First Team in baseball (1969)
  • Sporting News and Topps All American Baseball Team (1969)

Professional career

Jenke was selected in the draft of three different professional sports leagues:

Baseball

After being drafted by the Red Sox, Jenke played three seasons of professional baseball (1969–1971), appearing with the Louisville Colonels (AAA), Winston-Salem Red Sox (A), and Pawtucket Red Sox (AA).[5] An outfielder, Jenke threw right-handed and batted left-handed.[5] In 120 career minor league games, he had a .241 batting average with 5 home runs and 35 RBIs.[5]

Football

After playing minor league baseball for three seasons, Jenke spent the 1971 NFL season with the Vikings, appearing in all 14 regular-season games,[6] plus the Vikings' loss to Dallas Cowboys in the first round of the 1971–72 NFL playoffs.[7] During the 1972 preseason, Jenke was waived by the Vikings and claimed by the Atlanta Falcons;[8] he appeared in one regular-season game with the Falcons,[6] then was moved to their practice squad in late September.[9] During the 1973 preseason, Jenke was released by the Falcons and signed onto the practice squad of the Green Bay Packers.[10] He was activated during the season and appeared in two games with the Packers.[6] Jenke began the 1974 season on Green Bay's injured reserve list, was added to their active roster in late October,[11] and appeared in eight games.[6] In August 1975, the Packers released Jenke;[12] he did not play professional football again.

Personal life

Jenke married Jane Schlamel in October 1972;[13] the couple had three sons by 1986.[14] After his professional sports career, Jenke worked in sales for Champion sportswear.[14]

Jenke died on July 23, 2020 at the age of 73. He had been in the hospital due to a surgery, and had had both a positive and negative test for COVID-19.[15]

Notes
  1. Some sources state that Jenke was drafted by the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks;[1] however, this is not corroborated by contemporary newspapers of the era.

References
  1. Noel Jenke – 1965, Owatonna High School Athletic Hall of Fame, Owatonna High School.
  2. "Vikings Draft Choices". Star Tribune. Minneapolis. January 30, 1969. p. 30. Retrieved June 13, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  3. Ryan, Bob (June 5, 1969). "First Sox Draft Choice Wooed by 3 Pro Sports". The Boston Globe. p. 52. Retrieved June 13, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  4. "WHA draft: Orr, Espo to Dayton". The Boston Globe. AP. February 14, 1972. p. 24. Retrieved June 13, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  5. "Noel Jenke Winter & Minor League Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  6. "Noel Jenke Stats". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  7. "Noel Jenke Playoff Games Log". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  8. "Atlanta Falcons Make Claim As Vikes Waive Noel Jenke". The Bismarck Tribune. Bismarck, North Dakota. AP. September 1, 1972. p. 13. Retrieved June 13, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  9. "Falcons Activate 2". The Greenville News. Greenville, South Carolina. AP. September 23, 1972. p. 10. Retrieved June 13, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  10. "Pack Adds Linebacker". Green Bay Press-Gazette. Green Bay, Wisconsin. September 2, 1973. p. 27. Retrieved June 13, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  11. "Hadl will join Packers". The Morning Herald. Hagerstown, Maryland. AP. October 25, 1974. p. 29. Retrieved June 13, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  12. "Packers release 'U' linebacker Noel Jenke". Star Tribune. Minneapolis. AP. August 21, 1975. p. 36. Retrieved June 13, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  13. "Jenke-Schlamel". Star Tribune. Minneapolis. October 15, 1972. p. 84. Retrieved June 13, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  14. Augustoviz, Roman (November 16, 1986). "Noel Jenke sets sights on several fields again". Star Tribune. Minneapolis. p. 49. Retrieved June 13, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  15. Reusse, Patrick (July 26, 2020). "Noel Jenke, a three-sport athlete for the Gophers in late 1960s, dies at 73". Star Tribune. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
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