Jim Sorgi

James Joseph Sorgi Jr. (born December 3, 1980) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at the University of Wisconsin and was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the sixth round of the 2004 NFL Draft. Sorgi served as the backup to Peyton Manning for several years, and won a ring when the Colts won Super Bowl XLI against the Chicago Bears. Once he was released by the Colts, he signed with the New York Giants to compete for the backup job to Eli Manning, but got hurt in a preseason game, and he was released the following offseason after spending the year on IR.

Early years

Sorgi attended Fraser High School in Fraser, Michigan and was a letterwinner in football, basketball, and baseball. In football, he was the two-time Team Most Valuable Player, and as a senior, he garnered All-League honors, All-County honors, and All-State honors, and was a ''USA Today'' Honorable Mention All-USA selection. In baseball, he posted a batting average of .450 as a senior.

College career

Sorgi played college football for the Wisconsin Badgers. Sorgi was Wisconsin's career pass efficiency leader (141.2), co-holder of most passing touchdowns in one game (five) and sixth in career passing yards in Wisconsin history.

In an incident on October 11, 2003 referred to as the Reynolds–Sorgi incident, Ohio State linebacker Robert Reynolds intentionally choked Sorgi, injuring Sorgi's trachea, after the play had been whistled dead. Sorgi was unable to play for the remainder of the game, struggling to breathe and unable to speak. On October 28, 2011, Reynolds made a public apology for the incident, citing his wife and four children as the reason he wanted to clear his reputation and be accountable for his actions. Reynolds also stated that he and Sorgi had made amends years prior to the interview.

*2000: 45/67 for 592 yards with 6 touchdowns vs 1 interception.
*2001: 64/132 for 1,096 yards with 9 touchdowns vs 8 interception. 30 carries for 34 yards and 2 touchdowns.
*2002: 38/70 for 536 yards with 1 touchdown vs 2 interception.
*2003: 140/248 for 2,251 yards with 17 touchdown vs 9 interception.

Professional career

Indianapolis Colts

Sorgi was drafted in the sixth round in the 2004 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts. While there, Sorgi proved to be an adequate back-up to starting quarterback Peyton Manning. In his first season, Sorgi played against the Denver Broncos, throwing for 175 yards and 2 touchdowns. That was his only appearance that season. In the 2005 NFL season, he gained slightly more playing time, and completed 42 of 61 attempts for 444 yards. The bulk of his playing time in 2005 came against the Seattle Seahawks at the end of the regular season.

In the 2008 season, he did not take the field until the final regular season game. He had a majority of the playing time in the 2008 preseason, as Manning was recovering from knee surgery. As of the end of the 2008 regular season, he had six career touchdown passes and one interception. On December 9, 2009, Sorgi was placed on injured reserve due to a torn labrum in his right shoulder. Sorgi was released by Indianapolis on March 5, 2010.

New York Giants

Sorgi signed with the New York Giants on March 9, 2010. Entering camp, Sorgi was expected to back up starting quarterback Eli Manning, but in a preseason game against the New York Jets, Sorgi tore the capsule in his right shoulder, and was later placed on season-ending Injured Reserve. Following the season, he became an unrestricted free agent.

Personal life

Sorgi currently resides in Pittsboro, Indiana with his wife Lana and sons, Jimmy III and Jackson. He does color commentary for the local high school television broadcasts on WNDY and has been color commentating the NFL season for the Indianapolis Colts with Bob Lamey and Matt Taylor since 2013.

Jim Sorgi was honored with the designation of Badger of the Year by the Wisconsin Alumni Association - Indianapolis Chapter on May 5, 2015.

Sorgi is co-owner of Sorgi Sports, a medical equipment supplier in Brownsburg, Indiana

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sorgi, Jim
1980 births
Living people
American football quarterbacks
Indianapolis Colts announcers
Indianapolis Colts players
National Football League announcers
New York Giants players
Wisconsin Badgers football players
High school football announcers in the United States
People from Avon, Indiana
People from Danville, Indiana
People from Fraser, Michigan
Sportspeople from Metro Detroit
Players of American football from Michigan