Jets Career
| Joe Klecko | G | SACKS | INT | FR | FR TD (INT TD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular Season | 140 | 78 | 0 | 8 | 0 (0) |
| Playoffs | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 (0) |
Bio
 |  |
|---|---|
| 📲 Player | Joe Klecko |
| ✅ Team: Years Active | New York Jets: 1977-1987 |
| ➡️ Position | DL |
| 🔢 Number | 73 |
| 🚨 Height | 6-foot-3 |
| ⚖️ Weight | 263 pounds |
| 🎂 DOB | Oct. 15, 1953 |
| 🇺🇸 Hometown | Cester, PA |
| 🎓 High School | St. James (PA) |
| 🏫 College | Temple |
| 📛 NFL Entrance | 1977 NFL Draft NYJ: No. 144 (Round 6) |
| ❗️ Jets Acquisition | Drafted by NYJ (1977) GM Jim Kensil |
Joe Klecko is finally a Pro Football Hall of Fame player. Arguably, the greatest New York Jets defender in franchise history (save for only Darrelle Revis arguments) was both dominant and versatile.
NAVIGATION
SHOW
Klecko made the Pro Bowl at three different positions along the defensive line: defensive tackle, nose tackle and defensive end. The Temple product wasn’t a highly-touted prospect coming out of college, but his grit and workmanship made him an instant fan favorite.
It all resulted in No. 73 being retired by the organization.
CAREER STATS
| G | SACKS | INT | FR | FR TD (INT TD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jets Regular Season | 140 | 78 | 0 | 8 | 0 (0) |
| Regular Season | 155 | 78 | 0 | 9 | 0 (0) |
| Jets Playoffs | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 (0) |
DEFENSE BY SEASON
| Year | Tm | G | GS | Sk | Int | Int Yds | Int TD | Int Lng | PD | FF | FR | FR Yds | FR TD | Sfty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 |  | 13 | 6 | 8 | 0 | |||||||||
| 1978 | | 16 | 16 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 1979 | | 16 | 16 | 7 | 0 | |||||||||
| 1980 | | 15 | 15 | 10.5 | 0 | |||||||||
| 1981 | | 16 | 16 | 20.5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 1982 | | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 1983 | | 16 | 16 | 6.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 1984 | | 12 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 1985 | | 16 | 16 | 7.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 1986 | | 11 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 1987 | | 7 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 1988 |  | 15 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
PLAYOFFS DEFENSE BY SEASON
| Year | Tm | G | GS | Sk | Int | Int Yds | Int TD | Int Lng | PD | FF | FR | FR Yds | FR TD | Sfty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| 1982 | | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| 1985 | | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Awards & Records
Honors:
- 4 Pro Bowls (1981, 1983-85)
- 2-time All-Pro (1981, 1985)
- PFWA Defensive Player of the Year (1981)
- No. 73 retired by Jets
- New York Jets Ring of Honor
Jets all-time regular season ranks:
- 20th in Pro-Football-Reference’s Approximate Value (79)
- 27th in games played (140)
Miscellaneous Jets records:
- 4th-most regular season games played among DL (140)
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