Posted: Tuesday, February 3, 2015 5:11 am
By LARRY VAUGHT larry@amnews.com | 0 comments
Jacob Tamme first learned about the Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame a few years ago when he went to an induction ceremony with his wife, Allison.
“It was a first-class event,” said Tamme.
However, the former Boyle County High School and University of Kentucky standout never thought then about one day being in the Hall of Fame. Now he is, though, as Tamme along with Doug Buffone from the University of Louisville, the late Gil Mains from Murray State and Aaron Jones from Eastern Kentucky are in the 2015 induction class to be honored June 26 at the Brown Theater in Louisville.
Tamme just finished his seventh pro season and is now a free agent. He’s played in Super Bowls both with the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos. He left UK with the most catches by a tight end in school history with 133 for 1,417 yards and 11 touchdowns from 2004-07. In seven NFL seasons, Tamme has 178 receptions for 1,703 yards and 10 touchdowns. He’s lost just one fumble in his career.
“It’s really a great honor to be selected,” Tamme said. “It means a lot to me. The state of Kentucky and the sport of football are two things really important to me. But it was definitely surprising to be picked. I had no idea this was coming.”
Tamme had 14 receptions for 108 yards and two scores for Denver this season. The Broncos won the AFC West but lost to Indianapolis 24-13 in the playoffs to end their Super Bowl bid.“This is the time of year that everyone wants to still be playing,” Tamme said, who has returned to Boyle County with his family. “I have been blessed to be part of two Super Bowls and would love another shot. But at the end of the day, only one of 32 teams ends up happy. A lot of other teams and players are going through the same things. You put a lot of time and energy into the season, so to have this honor awarded to me now is very special and gives me a positive football moment that is hard to find at this time of year.
“It’s really tough at Super Bowl time when you are part of a good team. Realistically, only five or six teams have a realistic chance to win the Super Bowl. I felt good about our chances, and that makes it tougher. Our dreams of being in the Super Bowl just came up short. That’s the price you pay for being on a good team, but I would rather have that than be on a team with no chance. I want to have expectations.”
He admits it’s hard to believe his eighth season will be coming up.
“My body still feels great and I am excited about the future,” Tamme said. “I am excited to see what happens the next few months. I’ll have a chance to show what I can do. I feel good about where I am at.”
He’ll officially become a free agent in early March and a few days later NFL teams can start contacting players and/or their agents.
“We have loved Denver. I have been blessed to play in two great places,” Tamme said. “I would love to be back in Denver, but there has been a lot of turnover with the coaching staff. At the end of the day, I don’t know anything right now. I do not know what will shake out. I am just open to any possibility.”
He hopes his experience and versatility — he has been a special teams standout and has played both tight end and slot receiver — helps make him attractive to other teams.
“I just hope people respect the way I play and go about playing the game,” he said. “You never know exactly how other teams perceive you and that’s not something I spend time thinking about. But the last time I went through this it was interesting to find out what the perceptions were. However, there’s no real timeline for his. You just have to way for things to shake out.
Tamme normally spends this time of year in Danville and also tries to take a few family vacations. He’s keeping his workout location a secret, but says he loves being home with family and friends.
“I do get up to UK as much as I can, but not as much as I like,” Tamme said. “We get up to spring ball to see the team and talk to the coaches some. I am excited about the program. I know last season did not end like they wanted, but the program is going in the right direction. But this is a good time for me to re-boot and being around family and friends is a great way to do that.”
Tamme, who went to the Boyle-Lincoln County basketball games Friday, has also bought a farm here.
“Farming has been in my family as far back as I can find,” he said. “My family first bought a farm in Boyle county in 1910. Farming is kind of in my blood. We may mess around with farming more in the future.”