Honors & Awards

  • Drafted by the Buffalo Bills (1999 - 5th Round, Pick #156)
  • University of Nebraska Graduate (December, 1998)
  • Member of Three Nebraska National Championship Teams (1994, 1995, 1997)
  • Butkus Award Semifinalist (1998)
  • Co-Captain (1998)
  • First-Team All-Big 12 (Austin American Statesman, 1998)
  • Two-Time Second-Team All-Big 12 (AP, 1997, 1998)
  • Two-Time Honorable-Mention All-Big 12 (Coaches, 1997, 1998)
  • Nebraska Lifter-of-the-Year Finalist (1998)
  • Butkus Award Watch List (1997)

Career

Jay Foreman finished his Husker career with 233 tackles (69 solo), 15 tackles for loss, five sacks, two forced fumbles, six pass breakups, two interceptions and 19 quarterback hurries. His efforts didn't go unnoticed as he was drafted in fifth round of the 1999 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills. Foreman would go on to play eight years in the NFL; three years each with the Bills and Houston Texans, and one year a piece with the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers. He'd finish his NFL career with 527 tackles, four-and-a-half sacks and five fumble recoveries.

1998 (Senior)

Foreman played a key role on the field his senior year as the Huskers' starting Mike linebacker. He played an even bigger role than previous years as he was one of four senior defensive starters. He started every game and finished second on the team with 97 tackles (32 solo). He was in on four sacks (against UAB, Missouri, Texas and Colorado) and had seven tackles for 27 yards lost. Of his four sacks, two were solo (Missouri and Texas) while his other two were shared with Jeremy Slechta (UAB and Colorado). Foreman also had four pass breakups and forced a fumble that he recovered. He was tied for fourth on the team with six quarterback hurries. In the 1999 Holiday Bowl against Arizona, Foreman recorded six tackles (three solo).

1997 (Junior)

An early-season Butkus Award Watch List member, Foreman did not disappoint Husker fans. He started every game at Mike linebacker and finished second on the team with 61 tackles (17 solo). He was in on two sacks (against Central Florida and Washington) and had five tackles for 10 yards lost, with a best of 2-3 against nationally ranked Kansas State. Foreman also had one pass breakup and forced a fumble against Central Florida. He was sixth on the team with nine quarterback hurries, causing incomplete passes. Foreman had a career-best 12 tackles (three solo) at Colorado and had five solo stops (nine total) at No. 2 Washington. Foreman also had five tackles in the Orange Bowl against Tennessee (three solo).

1996 (Sophomore)

Foreman played in every game at Mike linebacker. Although he had no starts, he saw extensive playing time alternating with senior Jon Hesse. Foreman finished seventh on the team in tackles with 43 stops (10 solo) to rank fourth on the team. He also had two key interceptions on the year, one for a six-yard return against Oklahoma in the second quarter which the Huskers converted into a touchdown, and one he picked off from Colorado QB Koy Detmer. Foreman returned the pickoff 21 yards for Nebraska's first score with 6:20 remaining in the first quarter to give NU a 7-6 lead. He had two quarterback hurries on the year and shared a sack with Grant Wistrom in the Baylor game. He also had four tackles against the Bears. His season tackle high was eight against Arizona State, when he also broke up a pass. In the 1996 Orange Bowl against Virginia Tech, Foreman had three tackles (two solo).

1995 (Freshman)

Redshirt freshman Jay Foreman played a valuable role for the Huskers, as he started every game at Sam linebacker. He finished the season with 32 tackles (10 solo), including two for five yards lost and two quarterback hurries. His season best was five tackles twice, against Missouri and Oklahoma. He had one tackle for loss in each of the first two games of the season, four yards lost against Oklahoma State and one yard lost against Michigan State. Foreman started the national championship game against Florida, which the Huskers won 62-24. He recorded three tackles, including one solo stop.

1994 (Redshirt)

A scholarship athlete, Foreman redshirted his first year.

Before Nebraska (Eden Prairie High School)

In 1993, Foreman rushed for 950 yards and 14 touchdowns. He had 421 yards in receptions and 200 in kickoff returns for Eden Prairie High School and Coach Mike Grant. He set a school single-season record with 17 touchdowns. He also completed 3-4 passes for 182 yards and caused two fumbles his senior season. A SuperPrep and Bluechip All-American, Foreman earned all-state honors as a senior. Foreman played in the All-America Bowl in 1994, in Allentown, Pa., a game that features the nation's top 66 high school players. As a basketball player, he led the conference in scoring and earned all-conference honors two years. He also earned all-state honors in track.

Personal

The son of Chuck Foreman (a former Minnesota Vikings great after playing for the University of Miami), Jay switched his jersey number before the 1997 season from 56 to 44 in honor of his father. Jamal (Jay) was born Feb. 18, 1976. Jay majored in business administration and earned his bachelor's degree from Nebraska in December of 1998.

Foreman's Career Statistics

. . Tackles . . Fum. . . . QB Int.
 Year G/S UT AT TT TFL Sacks C-R BK PBU PI Hry. Csd.
 1994 Redshirted                      
 1995 11/11 10 22 32 2-5 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 2 0
 1996 12/0 10 33 43 1-2 0.5-2 1-0 0 1 2 2 0
 1997 12/12 17 44 61 5-10 1.5-6 0-0 0 1 0 9 0
 1998 12/12 32 65 97 7-27 3.0-22 1-1 0 4 0 6 0
Totals 47/34 69 164 233 15-44 5-30 2-1 0 6 2 19 0

*Interceptions: 2-27 (1-6 vs. Oklahoma; 1-21, TD vs. Colorado, 1996)

1996 Fiesta Bowl vs. Florida: Tackles 1 UT, 2 AT, 3 TT
1996 Orange Bowl vs. Virginia Tech: Tackles 2 UT, 1 AT, 3 TT
1998 Orange Bowl vs. Tennessee: Tackles 3 UT, 2 AT, 5 TT
1999 Holiday Bowl vs. Arizona: Tackles 3 UT, 3 AT, 6 TT