UK great Lorenzen dead at 38
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Jared Lorenzen, the husky, left-handed quarterback who set multiple University of Kentucky passing and offensive records and was a backup for the New York Giants when they won the Super Bowl in the 2007 NFL season, has died. He was 38.
A release from the school said Lorenzen’s family announced his death Wednesday, but Kentucky did not specify a cause or where he died. Kentucky Sports Radio founder Matt Jones tweeted a statement from Lorenzen’s family announcing the former Wildcat’s death.
Popular around Lexington for his outgoing personality, Lorenzen was listed at 6-foot-4 and 275 pounds his senior season and known by several nicknames, including “The Hefty Lefty,” “The Pillsbury Throwboy,” “He Ate Me” and simply “J.Lo.” Oversized from birth, when he weighed in at 13 pounds, Lorezen told CBS Sports Radio’s “The Jim Rome Show” in 2014 that he was fond of the nicknames.
The Covington, Kentucky, native holds Wildcats records that include 10,637 offensive yards on 1,793 plays from 2000 to 2003. He also tops program passing marks for yards (10,354) and attempts (1,514), including a record 321 throws in 2000.
A member of the New York Giants from 2004 to 2007, Lorenzen was on the squad that featured Eli Manning as its starting quarterback and upset unbeaten New England 17-14 in Super Bowl XLII in February 2008.
The Giants posted on Twitter that Lorenzen “was an important member of our 2007 team, one that created its own destiny. Our thoughts are with Jared’s family and friends who loved and appreciated him so much, just as our organization and fans did.”
Lorenzen was elected to the UK Athletics Hall of Fame in 2015. In the release regarding Lorezen’s death, Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart said “we are deeply saddened to learn of Jared Lorenzen’s passing” and “he was a true Wildcat and a man whose love for the University of Kentucky was plain to see well after his playing days were over.”
Lorenzen, whose struggles with his weight late in his football career and beyond have been well-documented, played with the Northern Kentucky River Monsters among several indoor football teams before retiring in 2013.