Jeffrey A. Modesitt (January 1, 1964 – August 3, 1990) was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like ...

who played for one season in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). After playing

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

for the

Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens The Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens are the college athletics, athletic teams of the University of Delaware of Newark, Delaware, Newark, Delaware, in the United States. The Blue Hens compete in the Division I-AA#Football Championship Subdivision, Foo ...

, he was signed by the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in 1987. He played in one game for the Buccaneers in

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...

College career

Modesitt played

for the

University of Delaware The University of Delaware (colloquially UD or Delaware) is a public land-grant research university located in Newark, Delaware. UD is the largest university in Delaware. It offers three associate's programs, 148 bachelor's programs, 121 mas ...

Fightin' Blue Hens from 1984 to 1986. In 1985, he started six games and recorded 11 receptions for 128 yards and a touchdown. He started 12 games in 1986 and had 28 receptions for 456 yards and three touchdowns. In his senior year, he was named an

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

honorable mention

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

, second-team All- Eastern College Athletic Conference, and second-team All- Yankee Conference player. He also earned the Vincent "Winnie" Mayer Outstanding Senior End Award in 1986.

Professional career

Modesitt was signed by the

as an

on May 15, 1987. He was released before the start of the season on August 5, 1987, but was re-signed and played in one game for the team in

. He was signed by the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

after the 1987 season, but was waived on July 27, 1988. Modesitt was signed by the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

on August 1, 1988. He spent the season on the team's

injured reserve list The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

due to a shoulder injury. Modesitt was signed by the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...

on March 23, 1989, but was waived on May 26, 1989.

Car accident

On December 19, 1989, Modesitt got into a car accident in

Lawrenceville, Georgia Lawrenceville is a city in and the county seat of Gwinnett County, Georgia, United States. It is a suburb of Atlanta, located approximately northeast of downtown. As of the 2020 census, the population of Lawrenceville was 30,629. In 2019, the ...

, which killed

player

Brad Beckman Bradley Scott Beckman (December 31, 1964 – December 18, 1989) was an American football tight end in the National Football League for the New York Giants and the Atlanta Falcons. He played college football at the University of Nebraska at Omaha ...

, who was the passenger in the car. Modesitt was the driver, and his car bumped into another car. Modesitt got out of the vehicle to survey the damage, and a tractor trailer rig hit his car, with Beckman still inside, and him. Beckman was killed instantly, while Modesitt suffered a fractured pelvis, fractured elbow, fractured leg, concussion, and had to have a toe amputated.

Death

Modesitt was shot and killed on August 3, 1990, in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, outside a Waffle House restaurant. He was 26 years old.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Modesitt, Jeff 1964 births 1990 deaths People from Yorktown, New York Players of American football from New York (state) American football tight ends Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players Deaths by firearm in Georgia (U.S. state) American murder victims Male murder victims People murdered in Georgia (U.S. state) National Football League replacement players American amputees