Place of birth Des Moines, Iowa Name Jerry Groom Place of death Sarasota, Florida Role American football player | Position(s) DT / C / LB College Notre Dame | |
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Date of birth (1929-08-15)August 15, 1929 Date of death February 29, 2008(2008-02-29) (aged 78) Died February 29, 2008, Sarasota, Florida, United States | ||
Education University of Notre Dame | ||
Jerome Paul "Boomer" Groom (August 15, 1929 – February 29, 2008) was an American football player. Born in Des Moines, Iowa, he graduated from Dowling Catholic High School in West Des Moines. He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team and was a consensus selection at the center position on the 1950 College Football All-America Team. He then played professional football in the National Football League (NFL) for the Chicago Cardinals from 1951 to 1955. He was chosen to play in the 1954 Pro Bowl.
Groom later served as a color commentator for the Denver Broncos' radio broadcasts in their inaugural American Football League (AFL) season in 1960. In 1994, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. He died at age 78 in Sarasota, Florida