Ted talk: an interview with Ted Jornov
Jornov started in the Buccaneers' first ever game
Interview recorded Sept. 21, 2023
CONWAY, S.C. — Ted Jornov, a letter winner from 1971-1973, hit ‘em hard ev’ry yard for the Iowa State Cyclones 50 years ago (last fall) tallying a total of 417 tackles. These days, the former linebacker lives about 20 minutes from Myrtle Beach in Conway, South Carolina.
“I retired 19 years ago when I was 54, and moved down here after my father passed away,” Jornov said. “My grandfather gave us property, when he passed away, I bought the estate out and put up a house next to it. The guy that bought it from me, the two acres and a house, he passed away last April (2022). We just bought it back from his family, so it’s back in the family.”
Even though it is true that Jornov finished his high school education in Hudson, New York, as it is listed in programs, media guides, even the starting lineup segment of the 1972 Liberty Bowl broadcast, some of his youth was spent 800 miles south of Hudson. In fact, that’s where he got his first collegiate offer.
“I grew up in Georgetown, South Carolina, which is about 40 minutes from here,” Jornov said. “I started playing football in junior high school, seventh grade. I went out for the junior varsity team, and the first day I went out I broke my big toe. So I quit. The next year I came out in the eighth grade and had a great season that JV year, and started as a fullback/linebacker in Georgetown as a freshman in high school, it was unheard of.”
“Before my freshman year, my parents moved back to New York. I came back down and the booster club put me up in an apartment,” Jornov added with a laugh. “I’m a freshman in high school and I’ve got my own apartment. My mother came back so I could legally play football. She stayed in the apartment with me. I got my first letter from Clemson, I still have it as a matter of fact, I was looking at it the other day like, ‘Shit, I need to go refresh my memory.’ I got a letter from Clemson after my freshman season, ‘outstanding football prospect’. That kind of motivated me to stay in it and pursue a career with it in high school.
“I went to New York my sophomore year and that’s when I went to Hudson High. I played sophomore to senior year and got all the honors, you know, All-American, all-state two years in a row, most valuable defensive and offensive player.”
In addition to football, Jornov also played (little league to high school) baseball and threw shot put as well as discus in field events.
“I really loved baseball, [I] was very passionate about that,” Jornov said. “We represented the state of South Carolina in the Dixie Youth World Series. Shot and disc, that was interesting. I was always into sports.”
Jornov also took part in another sport, volleyball, and was close with several of his teachers.
“My junior or senior year (of high school) they came up with men’s volleyball, the athletic director convinced me like ‘Yeah, I’ll go out and play volleyball.’ that was fun too,” Jornov said. “I always had a good relationship and rapport with the teachers and the coaches. I kind of ruled the classroom, I’d set them straight if they were messing up my learning process. I knew one teacher who was kind of weak when it came to classroom order, I ran her classroom for her. The teachers loved me.”
In addition to athletics, Jornov took part in activities as well.
Under the direction of Miss Lillie McDouglas, Ted found himself in the high school choir.
“I loved choir, I loved the teacher. She convinced me to come out for the choir I said ‘OK’,” Jornov said. “I had a nice singing voice back then. *laughter* I used to impersonate Elvis Presley.”
After his time as a Bluehawk came to a close, Jornov found a new home in Ames, Iowa.
“I got recruited by several schools and decided to go to Iowa State,” Jornov said. “I loved that coach Majors and Jackie Sherrill. Ray Greene recruited me out of high school.”
In terms of how Jornov emulated his game, he “always wanted to look like Ray Nitschke and hit like Dick Butkus,” Jornov said with a laugh.
Jornov, like Nitschke, also lost his teeth during a college game.
“I had beautiful teeth and I think it was against Kansas at home, I hit this running back off tackle and nailed his ass pretty good,” Jornov said. “I got back to the huddle and my front teeth were hanging out of my mouth. One was knocked off clean and the other one was hanging by the roots, I ran off to the side and didn’t know it until Merv (Krakau) said something. Frank (Randall) stuck some cotton swabs or something to stop the bleeding, I didn’t go out. After the game I went right to the dentist’s office. Cleaned up my mouth and everything, wore a flipper for the next three years until I graduated. After my senior year, I got permanents put in. Back then I didn’t mind, it was my pride and passion. Then they fell out eight years later, cost me about five grand by the time it was all done.”
Jornov, who is credited with 395 tackles during his Cyclone career, was a fearsome foe and a tackling technician. He also had troubles finding a helmet that fit his style of play.
“I had 417 tackles, I never got recognition for all of them,” Jornov said. “I had trouble with my peripheral vision and I’d be off a little bit, Frank (Randall) set me up with a neurologist and come to find out I had a cerebral edema, my brain was swollen from hitting so much. Back then you hit with your facemask. I used to love the Riddell shells, didn’t have all the padding and stuff like they do today. I liked to hear the rattle when you hit somebody. *laughter* After I went to the neurologist, they put me in a motorcycle helmet with padding inside it and put a facemask on it. I wore that for two years. I think I split about three of the Riddells down the center.”
Another fun story from Jornov involves media day his junior year of 1972.
“(chuckles) When we went into preseason, we stayed in the dorms as the students weren’t there yet,” Jornov said. “Everybody decided to go out the night before press day, we’re all in the dorms, guys are going to the Cave Inn, drinking and partying. I didn’t go out, I was too serious, I should’ve went out. Next thing you know clippers are going. About 30 guys shaved their heads that year. Some guys left a strip on the side. George left his sideburns.”
“I’m looking around and I went ‘shit no one’s done a fuckin’ mohawk yet! I’m doing a mohawk!’, Jornov added. “Nobody knew I did it until practice the next morning. We all walked into breakfast with shaved heads, it was funny the coaches' responses and stuff. George ran out and bought a girl wig with long hair and wore that on press day. He was a great athlete, good attitude, great with people, he’s a funny guy. I went to a Homecoming years ago, and haven’t been back. I’ll go back one of these days.”
Jornov also made his mark playing in the Cyclones’ first two bowl games, the Sun Bowl (1971) and the Liberty Bowl (1972).
“That was awesome, the Sun Bowl and then the Liberty Bowl,” Jornov said. “We beat Oklahoma State 54-0 at home and got the Sun Bowl bid that day. We went back to Oklahoma State and they didn’t forget what we did, they went after our ass. (45-14 victory for the Cowboys)”
One of the most exciting games during the 1972 season was against No. 3 Nebraska in front of 36,231 fans at historic Clyde Williams Field. The Cyclones tied the Cornhuskers 23-23, and Jornov tallied three tackles and assisted on four more.
“I think it was 23 seconds left on the clock and we scored, tied it up, fans emptied out of the stadium and they were all on the field, they took a few minutes to clear the field. I’m sitting there and I was praying,” Jornov said with a laugh. “Goedjen was walking back and forth and he shanked the freakin’ kick off to the side. The fans still tore the stadium down. We were in the locker room showering and fans were out there pounding, it was a glorious day but we should’ve beat them. You can’t fault him (Goedjen) too much because he did win some games for us, you gotta look at from both sides.”
Following a heartbreaking 31-30 loss to Georgia Tech in the 1972 Liberty Bowl, head coach Johnny Majors informed the team he was leaving for Pittsburgh.
Succeeding Majors as head coach was Earle Bruce, coming to Ames by way of the University of Tampa, for Jornov’s senior year.
“Earle was quite the character,” Jornov said. “I think the funniest thing I ever saw was a pregame speech, we’re all in a room, he’s at the podium and he takes a hammer and hits the podium, wood flew all over the place. He was a good motivator. I didn’t need too much firing up, snap the ball and let’s get it on!”
After finishing up his senior year as an Associated Press All-Big Eight second team linebacker at 6-1, 215 pounds, Jornov was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 13th round with the 23rd pick. He was also selected in the draft of the upstart World Football League by the Southern California Sun.
“I went out to California in the WFL, they offered me some money. I was oriented toward the NFL, I went to the Bengals for a visit and they didn’t offer anything substantial,” Jornov said.
“My heart was in the NFL but my mind was on the money. I didn’t bother with the CFL, wasn’t going to get much from there. I got traded the last day of training camp to Philadelphia,” Jornov added. “I played out that season with them and then went to Jacksonville. The league broke up near the end of that year, but I got paid the whole season. When I went to the Jacksonville Express, (Iowa State teammate) Keith Krepfle was down there, Ray Greene was a special teams coach down there I think. Charlie Tate was the head coach, I loved him.”
Jornov, who is name dropped on page 77 of Jason Vuic’s The Yucks!, went about 200 miles south on Interstate 75 South where he joined an expansion NFL franchise, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“I had a real good preseason with them,” Jornov said. “I was starting middle linebacker with them in the first preseason game. When I look back at it, I think I was so fucking excited to be there, here I am in the NFL, starting middle linebacker against the Rams and I was like a kid in a candy store! I’m going ‘Red!’ ‘Black!’ The defense turned around and looked at me… I remember Dick Butkus and Ray Nitschke saying that on TV! *lots of laughter* I was on special teams too and hyperextended my elbow.”
He was cut following the July 31, 1976, game on Aug. 2, 1976.
Following his stint in the NFL, the Cyclone swirled to Bradford High School (Starke, Florida) where he was an assistant football coach for the Tornadoes and the head wrestling coach.
“After Tampa Bay, I did a stop over at Bradford High School. I was an assistant coach for their football team. We had a great season,” Jornov said. “They needed a wrestling coach, I go ‘Shit, I don’t know anything about wrestling but I’ll try!’ First thing I did when I got appointed was I contacted the wrestling coach at Iowa State (Nichols) and I said ‘Send me whatever you got on wrestling!’ He sent me everything, including visuals! A book with all the moves. I started studying and working on things. I was honest with the kids and told them ‘I didn’t know a damn thing about wrestling and together we’re going to learn.' I do know how to get you all in shape!’ I had three guys that went to state and we had a winning season (8-3) that year. We were pinning experts. I had an All-American. What a great bunch of guys, they were awesome. I’ll never forget the banquet. I’m not a very emotional person, but I got emotional when I gave those awards out.”
“Then, I left there and went to Pittsburgh and recruited,” Jornov added about his professional career. “Signed some good ones. Then, I went home and started my career with the state of New York with juvenile delinquents. Did that for 25 years.”
When reflecting on his adventure at Iowa State, Ted will always be a loyal son, forever true.
“I enjoyed Iowa State, it was very good to me,” Jornov said. “I enjoyed my stay there.”
I asked Ted to reflect on some of his Cyclone teammates, so, this space is reserved for him to talk about them.
“Ron (McFarland) was a freshman when I was a senior, he was full of spit and vinegar, but I remember we were playing Oklahoma State at home,” Jornov said. “As middle linebacker I called all the plays, made all the adjustments. I set the huddle and Ron is huffing and puffing and his eyes are bigger than a half dollar. When you come out of high school, and you go to the big time, when you’re in a situation like that it’s sometimes overbearing for a freshman. I told him ‘don’t ever look tired Ron, don’t let the enemy know you’re tired!’ He sucked it up and hung in there, I wish I played a couple more years with him, I communicate with ‘em on Facebook. It’s fun to see people you haven’t seen for years like ‘oh my god we’re getting old!’”
“Matt Blair came in and he was a junior college transfer. He came in and he looked like God's gift to man. Great athlete, great person, he loved his dogs. He used to have German shepherds with him all the time, he was what we called a monster man back then,” Jornov said. “Great guy, great team player. I didn’t get to know him over the years. I was stuck in married housing and they were all single! I wasn’t much of a go out and party person, I think I was a little too serious with myself in college, I should’ve loosened up and had more fun. You could catch me in the offseason in the gym or in the racquetball court, you won’t find me down at the Cave Inn! The most memorable moment I had with him, we were playing Arkansas my senior year and he knocked their All-American running back out for a little bit. We lost that game, they threw a pass and scored. They had 12 men on the field. Earle Bruce went nuts.”
“Merv Krakau was a defensive end, but probably the nicest guy you’d ever meet in your life,” Jornov said. “He was married. We lived near each other by the golf course back there and became real good friends, and we stayed in contact and still do but not as much as we should. Merv was a good one, good player, good person. I used to visit with his family on the farm. Had a beautiful farm and we were very supportive of each other.”
Jornov’s last, but not least, teammate he reflected about was the legendary Lawrence “Big Daddy” Hunt.
“Big Daddy and I hit it off right away, he was from Delray Beach, Florida,” Jornov said. “Ray Greene recruited all of us. Big Daddy, Henry Lewis, me, Moses Moore, a whole bunch of us. We became good friends. Our freshman group, we did everything together. Big Daddy and I became really good friends. He got married too, we were all in married housing. He, Merv, Me, Keith Krepfle. Our senior year, I put Hunt in my hip pocket, he was my roommate and I made sure he didn’t wander off. To this day, we are still close. He was a defensive tackle which sometimes made my job easy, if they gotta double him no one’s gonna get me! We made a good combination. He was a good leader, never complained, did what he did how to do. He’s got esophagus cancer, I hope he pulls out of it. Not only was a good player but a good man. He cared about everybody and was there for everybody.”