He grew up in St Louis and played a number of sports, except football. Jay Leeuwenburg’s dad wanted to make sure he was coached properly, so he had to wait until high school to hit the gridiron. In the meantime, Jay dealt with a setback: being diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in middle school.
The diabetes diagnosis meant one thing: how to manage it and play sports. Jay figured it out with the proper nutrition and became stronger… real strong. He excelled on the offensive line at his high school and got noticed by Gary Barnett, who was recruiting for the University of Colorado under Bill McCartney.
Jay took a scholarship at CU and found himself once again making a name for himself on the offensive line as a center. He helped the Buffs win a National Championship in 1990 and was a unanimous First Team All American the following season. There was talk about being a high draft pick, but that ended when he was chosen by the Chiefs in the 9th round of the 1992 draft.
The Chiefs didn’t keep him after training camp his rookie season, but the Bears claimed him off wires and he thrived in Chicago, starting every game from 1993-1995. He was a free agent in 1996 and signed with the Colts and eventually became Peyton Manning’s center. After stops in Cincinnati, Washington and Denver (very briefly), Jay retired and settled in Colorado with his family.
He dabbled in radio and TV and also got his teaching license. He’s been teaching 3rd grade at Colorado Academy now for 23 years. Listen to Jay's conversation with Susie Wargin on the Cut Traded Fired Retired Podcast.
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