For a few precious years, Jared Lorenzen was the hero of couch potatoes everywhere.
Not only was he an NFL quarterback, but Lorenzen also had the physique of most American football fans.
The “Hefty Lefty” had trouble staying at his playing weight.
After leaving the NFL, he suited up for three Indoor Football League teams and tipped the scales at well over 300 pounds while doing so.
We mourn the passing of former @Giants quarterback Jared Lorenzen. Rest In Peace. pic.twitter.com/YZ8lwI3HDF
— NFL (@NFL) July 3, 2019
Remarkably, Lorenzen could still sidestep pass rushers and rocket the ball to receivers just like he did in his glory days at the University of Kentucky.
Unfortunately, constant struggles with his weight eventually caught up to Lorenzen.
He died in 2019 at the age of 38 due to health complications.
This is the story of Jared Lorenzen.
Kentucky Kid
Jared Raymond Lorenzen was born on February 14, 1981, in Covington, Kentucky.
He entered the world at a staggering 13 pounds, already big for his age.
"He will remain forever one of the football legends of the Bluegrass State."
Former @UKfootball and @Giants QB Jared Lorenzen remembered pic.twitter.com/GvbQP8txy5
— E60 (@E60) July 4, 2019
Lorenzen continued to grow not only in size but also in athletic ability.
Playing youth football, the pee-wee kids were scared to death when Lorenzen sprinted in their direction.
“I was bigger than all of them, but they weren’t going to do anything because I was better than them, too,” Lorenzen said.
By the time he reached high school, Lorenzen was approaching 200 pounds and stood over six feet tall.
The big kid wowed the basketball coaches at Highlands High School in Fort Thomas, Kentucky, and started as a sophomore.
.@JaredLorenzen22 playing in the 1999 @khsaabasketball Boys' Sweet Sixteen. Details http://t.co/oWWk4jyWTx pic.twitter.com/cWo2irFWOO
— KY Photo Archive (@KYPhotoArchive) September 10, 2014
Lorenzen led the hoops team as a junior and senior as well and helped the Bluebirds reach the Kentucky high school Sweet 16 tournament each year he started.
When he wasn’t playing basketball, Lorenzen suited up for the Bluebirds baseball team and also cemented his legacy as one of the best prep quarterbacks in the history of the state.
Lorenzen Puts Highland on the Map
In 1996, Highland won the Kentucky Class AAA football title with Lorenzen playing limited minutes as a sophomore.
When the Bluebirds returned for the 1997 season, Lorenzen was named the starter.
At first glance, opponents must have thought that the signal-caller was a small college tight end.
Then, as each game began, those same opponents realized that the big guy was actually Highland’s quarterback.
Right off the bat, Lorenzen proved to be a football savant and made a crucial change to how he began each snap.
After losing his first game as the starter, Lorenzen asked his coaches to make a small tweak and allow him to line up in shotgun formation.
“From then on, we were always a shotgun team. He completely changed our offense. He changed me as a coach from being a guy who said ‘this is what you’re supposed to do as a player,’ to a coach who trusted his players to get the ball in the end zone,” said his high school coach, Dale Mueller. “He was such a creative person. He really impacted me in letting guys be creative.”
The change proved to be wildly successful as Lorenzen and Highland scored points in bunches and reached a 23rd overall ranking in the country.
Jared Lorenzen was one of the most talented individual competitors any CovCath team has ever faced on the football field. We are truly sorry to have learned of his passing, and offer our prayers to the Lorenzen family and the Highlands High School community. Rest in peace, Jared. pic.twitter.com/D3co7otjHa
— CCH Football Alumni (@CovCathFBAlumni) July 3, 2019
In the playoffs, the Bluebirds met Covington Catholic in less-than-ideal weather.
The game was called “The Mud Bowl” for the extra sloppy field condition.
No problem for Lorenzen.
He passed and ran the ball well, staking the Bluebirds to a 22-point lead.
For all intents and purposes, it looked like Highland would reach the championship game for the second straight year.
Suddenly, Covington stormed back to tie the game before the end of regulation and also scored first in overtime.
Lorenzen calmly answered by tossing his third score of the day to put the game into a second overtime.
Unfortunately, Highland’s season ended when Covington scored again and then prevented Lorenzen and his teammates from reaching the endzone.
1998
The loss to Covington only fueled Lorenzen as a senior in 1998.
Now built like a tank with legs, the quarterback threw lasers and punished would-be tacklers like the second coming of Larry Csonka.
Highland went undefeated and Lorenzen put up Tecmo Bowl numbers.
As a senior, he passed for 3,392 yards and 45 touchdowns and rushed for another 904 yards and 15 touchdowns.
In his senior season (‘98) at Highlands, Jared Lorenzen completed one of the greatest seasons of any QB to have ever played in Kentucky.
🏈3,392 Passing Yards
🏈904 Rushing Yards
🏈45 Passing TD
🏈15 Rushing TD
🏈15-0 Perfect Season
🏈1998 Mr. Football— KY HIGH FOOTBALL 🏈 (@KYHighFootball) July 3, 2019
The Bluebirds averaged a ridiculous 500 yards of offense and 53 points each game (setting a state record at the time with 801 for most points scored in a single season) and easily advanced to the Kentucky 3A title game.
During the contest, Lorenzen bull-dozed over Waggener High School defenders for three scores on the ground.
The Cinderella season ended with an emphatic 56-7 victory that became the largest margin of victory ever in a 3A championship game.
Following the season, Lorenzen was named Kentucky’s Mr. Football and selected as a prep All-American by several publications.
Additionally, Highlands achieved a 19th overall ranking in the country by USA Today.
As popular as Lorenzen was, he never let his wild accomplishments get to his head and looked for opportunities to encourage those around him.
“It didn’t matter if it was the state championship, if a kid came up to him before the game, he was going to talk to him and motivate him. People always talked so positively about him and he would always try to deflect that and talk positively about them,” said Mueller in 2019. “His biggest impact on me as a coach was that humble, it’s-all-about-the-other-person attitude. That’s the way Jared was. He wanted to make everybody else feel good about themselves.”
A Wildcat at Kentucky
There was no doubt where Lorenzen was going to attend college.
His senior prep season had barely started when Lorenzen committed to the University of Kentucky.
Lorenzen didn’t mind that the Wildcat football team had only played in four bowl games in 20 years when he arrived in 1999 and the Kentucky basketball was far superior.
He simply wanted to help the program reach new heights and he also wanted to do so in front of friends and family.
After redshirting in ‘99, Lorenzen was named the Wildcats’ starter in 2000 by then-head coach Hal Mumme.
College Football Legends: Jared Lorenzen
“The Hefty-Lefty”
Kentucky (1999-2003)
10,354 Passing Yards
90 Touchdowns(Video Credit: @UKAthletics) pic.twitter.com/HRMlCFty4b
— The Get Back Coach (@TheGBCoach) September 14, 2023
The Wildcats only won two games, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying on Lorenzen’s part.
During his redshirt freshman season, he passed for 3,687 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 21 interceptions while adding 140 yards and five scores rushing.
Lorenzen’s stats broke no less than six single-season NCAA records for a freshman and he was also the SEC’s passing yardage and total offense leader.
In a contest against the University of Georgia on October 21, Lorenzen hammered the Bulldogs for 528 passing yards and 525 total offensive yards, setting two Kentucky records for a single game.
Unfortunately, all those yards couldn’t equal a victory and Georgia escaped with a 34-30 win.
Making the Impossible Possible
Coaches teach their quarterbacks to hit the deck if they find themselves under extreme duress.
Better to take a sack and lose a few yards than risk a turnover.
That wasn’t Lorenzen’s style.
It seemed like most of his career at Kentucky was spent trying to avoid pass rushers.
Instead of eating the ball, though, Lorenzen made a habit of scrambling for an opportunity, any opportunity.
In Kentucky’s annual slugfest with Georgia in 2001, the Bulldogs were getting the better of the Wildcats.
The final score would be 43-29, but Lorenzen continued to fight.
At one point during the game, he was besieged by rushing defenders and was about to get sacked.
At the last second, Lorenzen threw caution to the wind by tossing the football over his shoulder.
The "Hefty Lefty" Jared Lorenzen could BALL.pic.twitter.com/4qY19srTlP
— Football’s Greatest Moments (@FBGreatMoments) June 27, 2024
This was the type of play fans would see at a basketball game, not during a contest against two SEC football teams.
Somehow, the pass found its way to a Kentucky teammate and kept the drive alive.
Three weeks later, the Tennessee Vols were in town with a number six ranking and a desire to roll over the Wildcats.
However, each time the Vols scored, Lorenzen answered with his own scores.
Tennessee’s frustration in not putting Kentucky away finally ended with a Wildcat fumble and a Vol win, 38-35.
Although his never-say-die attitude was evident every game, the Wildcats ended 2001 with a 2-9 record (including a win against Vanderbilt where Lorenzen passed for six touchdowns) and Lorenzen’s 2,179 passing yards and 19 touchdown throws.
He also added 119 yards and two touchdowns rushing.
Lorenzen Issues a Challenge
In 2002, second-year Kentucky coach Guy Morriss coaxed his team to a 7-5 record.
Lorenzen’s numbers improved to 2,267 yards, 24 touchdowns and five picks, good for a 135.4 quarterback rating.
Furthermore, his interception ratio was a paltry 1.53%, the second lowest in conference history.
It was a good year for Lorenzen and the program.
Not only did the team perform well, but Lorenzen was a semi-finalist for the Davey O’Brien Award and received a second-team All-SEC nod.
In 2003, new coach Rich Brooks and the program took a step backward at 4-8.
Jared Lorenzen will be honored next Saturday at the Arkansas game. He is a Kentucky legend and his tragic death has left a void. pic.twitter.com/r6VpJkHcfY
— Rich Brooks (@UKcoachbrooks) October 4, 2019
Once again, Lorenzen did everything in his power to win every game.
On November 1, Wildcat fans were witnessing yet another presumed loss at the hands of the Arkansas Razorbacks.
It was 21-7, Razorbacks, at halftime and the home crowd couldn’t stomach anymore.
From the sideline, Lorenzen spotted dozens of Kentucky faithful heading for the exits.
That didn’t sit right with the quarterback.
“Where the hell are ya’ll going?” Lorenzen yelled. “Ya’ll are going to miss one hell of a game.”
Those who stayed nearly witnessed a miracle.
Sure enough, Lorenzen helped his team claw back to tie the score at 24-all before the end of regulation.
Both teams continued to slug it out for seven overtimes.
Who remembers when the hefty lefty himself, Jared Lorenzen, took his Kentucky Wildcats to 7th OT against Arkansas in 2003? This game tied the longest NCAAF game ever played. Lorenzen sadly lost the snap in 7OT sealing the Cats fate, 63-71. @SSN_Kentucky @SSN_Arkansas RIP Jared🙏 pic.twitter.com/ASBHwns8j0
— Sidelines Sports Network™ (@Sidelines_SN) July 18, 2021
Just when Kentucky seemed defeated, Lorenzen would answer, just like he did with a quarterback sneak for a score in the fourth overtime.
“Jared was a larger version of Brett Favre; he was a gunslinger,” said Rich Brooks, Kentucky’s coach in the 2003 game. “He did whatever it took to get the job done. He was so fired up that night. He’s usually fired up, but he really got fired up that night and just did a remarkable job getting us back in the game. After he had announced to everybody they were going to miss a hell of a game, he had to go out and prove it.”
The Wildcats ran out of gas in the seventh overtime.
After Arkansas scored, Lorenzen was running for the endzone when the ball was poked loose and the Razorbacks fell on it.
Game over.
“That’s how he [Lorenzen] was that game and other games,” former UK receiver Derek Abney said. “… That didn’t waver during that Arkansas game despite them obviously tying with us so frequently. He always knew we would win. It didn’t happen that way, but that was what I took from Jared’s career and that game: He was always confident and steadfast that we were going to stay positive and win the game.”
Passed Over in the 2004 NFL Draft
In four seasons as the starter at Kentucky, Lorenzen threw for 10,354 yards, 78 touchdowns, 41 interceptions and rushed for 283 yards and 12 scores.
He also set 11 Kentucky records and six NCAA records and would be inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame in 2015.
Jared Lorenzen finished his UK career with the (then) school record 78 TD passes. This was his 75th
Don't miss "A Hell of a Game" to honor the Kentucky legend this #Caturday 🎟 ➡️ https://t.co/wMkGtapPdc
(use the offer code "TWENTYTWO" to receive $22 off tickets) pic.twitter.com/NWN06jr2ro
— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) October 9, 2019
Not only was he a good passer (126.0 overall rating), but along the way Lorenzen bruised and battered many would-be tacklers who dared try to stop him.
However, NFL teams were scared off by Lorenzen’s size.
By his final college game, the quarterback was known as the “Hefty Lefty” for his southpaw delivery and the 285 pounds he packed on his frame.
No one will ever beat Jared Lorenzen for the sheer quantity and quality of nicknames…
The Hefty Lefty
J-Load
BBQ (Big Beautiful Quarterback)
Battleship Lorenzen
Quarter Got Back
The Abominable Throwman
The Round Mound of Touchdown
Pillsbury Throwboy https://t.co/hcBIlJdAkV pic.twitter.com/DjWgGNNwaq— NFL Philosophy (@NFLosophy) February 5, 2024
Lorenzen’s weight had increased each year in college and pro teams didn’t believe he could be effective.
So it was that every NFL team dismissed him during the 2004 NFL Draft.
When the event concluded, the New York Giants signed Lorenzen as an undrafted free agent.
He made the roster as a third-string quarterback behind rookie Eli Manning and veteran Kurt Warner.
In 2005, Giants head coach Tom Coughlin suggested that Lorenzen work on his craft by playing in NFL Europe.
He declined and continued to sit at the end of the bench behind Manning and Tim Hasselbeck.
Lorenzen Earns a Super Bowl Ring
Before the 2006 season began, Lorenzen was given mop-up duty in the preseason against Baltimore and led the G-Men to victory on a last-second drive.
He then emerged from training camp as Manning’s primary backup.
Months later, Lorenzen finally got onto the field for his first official NFL play when he got a first down on a QB sneak against the Washington Redskins.
He also ran the ball for a first down in New York’s wild-card loss to Philadelphia.
In 2007, Manning went down with an injury in Week 1 and Lorenzen played the rest of that game as well as in Week 2.
To a beloved player and person: Rest In Peace, Jared Lorenzen. The #HeftyLefty was a Super Bowl champion with NYG. He died today at the tragic age of 38. #GiantsNation pic.twitter.com/3jybg0qZq3
— Giants Nation (@NYG_Nation10) July 3, 2019
His first pass in the pros was a completion to receiver Steve Smith for seven yards.
That would be the sum total of his season as Manning returned In Week 3.
New York rolled to six consecutive wins and finished the season 10-6.
Victories against Tampa Bay, Dallas, and Green Bay on the road led to an appearance in Super Bowl XLII against the undefeated New England Patriots.
Without Jared Lorenzen, the famous Helmet Catch might have never happened 😲pic.twitter.com/djecfbELmG
— Football’s Greatest Moments (@FBGreatMoments) June 24, 2024
Although the Giants were long shots, they came away victorious, 17-14.
Lorenzen was 4-for-8 and 28 yards passing for the year, but he also had a Super Bowl ring.
Lorenzen’s NFL Career Ends…
Months after the Super Bowl, the Giants waived Lorenzen and he was picked up by the Indianapolis Colts.
He played in the preseason but was cut before the regular season began.
Lorenzen was finished as an NFL player and ended his pro career with a 50% completion rate and 28 passing yards.
Italians have Tommy DeVito.
Chubby guys will always have Jared Lorenzen. pic.twitter.com/RbnzgzeErB— Giants Daily Trivia (@trivia_nyg) August 12, 2023
Although it was hard to accept, Lorenzen understood the reality of his situation.
“My size was an advantage to an extent, but once you get too big and you can’t move, you’re in trouble,” said Lorenzen in 2017. “There were times in my career where I’d hand off the ball and I’d run downfield to block. Well, I couldn’t do that towards the end. I’d hand the ball off and have to stop to catch my breath.”
…but His Indoor Career Begins
Not ready to stop competing, Lorenzen signed to play with the Kentucky Horsemen of Arena Football 2 in early 2009.
The Horsemen went 10-6 that season, then folded in October.
In 2010, Lorenzen returned home to help coach at Highlands High School.
“He didn’t have to be on the staff to be a coach for us. When he was on our staff, he was phenomenal. It was so valuable,” said former Bluebirds coach Dale Mueller. “Being a guy with such success and then being such a humble, serving person, it was never about how good Jared was. It was always about how good you were, things you were good at.”
That same year, the Northern Kentucky River Monsters of the Ultimate Indoor Football League hired Lorenzen to be their general manager.
You kno what… y’all are right… we need a QB with some bulk, cant have stick figure man back there
I wonder if Jared Lorenzen is available
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/2ZUYKlytdF
— Rant Staniel Burgundy (@ImRantBurgundy) March 4, 2024
Less than a year later, Lorenzen stepped down as GM so he could play, despite the fact that he was well over 300 pounds.
“I been around it since September and I have resisted the urge,” said Lorenzen. “Then when the pads came out, I couldn’t resist any longer.”
In 2011, he led the River Monsters with 3,473 yards, 81 touchdowns (not a misprint) and 19 interceptions.
The team went 11-3 and Lorenzen was named the league MVP.
Following the season, he was named the commissioner of the UIFL only to step down again in 2013 to play for the Owensboro Rage of the Continental Indoor Football League.
Jared Lorenzen & Jackson Tolle, now teammates on the Owensboro Rage, 39-38 winners tonight in CIFL pic.twitter.com/OFOMSiJ5xB
— Danny Weddle (@DannyEWeddle) March 24, 2013
The CIFL folded at the end of ‘13 and Lorenzen returned to the River Monsters in 2014.
During his first game of the season, Lorenzen made national news when clips emerged of him deftly eluding pass rushers and slinging passes.
Although he could have been mistaken for an NFL offensive lineman, Lorenzen led the River Monsters to a 36-20 win.
One week later, Lorenzen’s football career came to an end when he broke his tibia against the Erie Explosion.
“The Jared Lorenzen Project”
In the summer of 2017, Lorenzen realized his weight was going to end up costing him his life.
Jared Lorenzen is working hard to shed his "Hefty Lefty" nickname (h/t @FOX19) pic.twitter.com/H5MPRDcd8d
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 28, 2017
He stepped on a digital scale and the numbers read 502.8.
“It’s embarrassing, it’s life-altering, it’s scary,” Lorenzen told TODAY. “When I watched the little screen … I looked at myself and even then, I thought, ‘I’m not that guy.’ I was to a point where I realized that if I went to bed and didn’t wake up, people would say, ‘Well look at him, he’s huge.’ It wouldn’t be unexpected. That’s where it hit me: Oh, my God, I could die.”
Not wanting to leave behind his two young children, Lorenzen embarked on “The Jared Lorenzen Project” a video series that documented his challenge to lose hundreds of pounds.
“I have very important reasons for doing this,” said Lorenzen. “I look at my daughter every day and say if I continue, I’m not going to see her get married. I look at my son, he’s 7, I want to watch him grow up and play ball.”
In April 2008, Lorenzen announced that he had lost 100 pounds and was excited to continue the project not only for his health but to inspire others.
Lorenzen Passes Away
Unfortunately, Lorenzen’s health issues caught up to him and he succumbed to an infection precipitated by kidney and heart issues on July 3, 2019.
He was only 38 years old.
Jared Lorenzen, the former University of Kentucky quarterback who later launched a personal weight loss project, died Wednesday in Lexington from complications of an infection and obesity-related heart and kidney problems. He was 38.https://t.co/czSphGniCf pic.twitter.com/9sadyGJm1D
— YourSportsEdge.Com (@YourSportsEdge1) July 3, 2019
Lorenzen’s passing was a huge blow to his family, friends, and former teammates.
“Jared was a great teammate and friend,” Eli Manning said. “We competed against each other in college and came to the Giants together. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family. I will always remember his competitive spirit and his good nature. Jared has left us all way too soon.”
“He was a phenomenal athlete and a phenomenal person,” former Kentucky coach, Hal Mumme said. “One of the most affable people I’ve ever been around. The linemen loved him because he looked like them. All of the other players loved him because he was such a great leader and such a great competitor.”
“… I venture to say there’s never been a quarterback that big that good. He was J-Lo, the Hefty Lefty, but he’s truly a Kentucky legend,” said former Wildcats coach, Rich Brooks.
Although Lorenzen didn’t make it in the NFL, he made a far more positive impact on his children and the lives of those who knew him and even those he never met.
That ended up becoming the lasting legacy of Jared Lorenzen.
“Jared was a uniquely gifted player who endeared himself to the Big Blue Nation with his passion for the game and his incredible talent,” said Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart. “More importantly, he was a true Wildcat and a man whose love for UK was plain to see well after his playing days were over. That love was surpassed only by the love he had for his two children. We offer our condolences to them, as well as all Jared’s family and friends.”
References
https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/jared-lorenzen-1.html
https://ukathletics.com/sports/football/roster/player/jared-lorenzen/
https://www.sbnation.com/lookit/2014/2/3/5375884/jared-lorenzen-northern-kentucky-river-monsters
https://www.sportscasting.com/the-tragic-death-of-the-hefty-lefty-jared-lorenzen/
https://www.today.com/health/ex-giants-qb-jared-lorenzen-tries-sack-obesity-t114896
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/L/LoreJa00.htm
https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/04/us/nfl-quarterback-jared-lorenzen-dead/index.html
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