His Own Man Young Kramer Develops Role As A Football Standout

The football with fancy white panels bore the signatures of 20 Heisman Trophy winners.

Until young Jordan Kramer got a hold of it.

“I threw it around the yard, up in trees, into the pond and the dog chewed on it,” Jordan said.

The ball was a gift years ago from his dad, Jerry Kramer, who launched his All-Pro career at the University of Idaho. Jordan is now a starting safety for the Vandals.

“He said, `That’s neat, dad,’ and the next thing I know I find the ball in the pond,” Jerry Kramer said. “One of the panels was tore off. You couldn’t read a name on it.

“I put that ball up - as a lesson to me, not him.”

Jordan is just beginning to comprehend the depth of his dad’s accomplishments - five All-Pro selections and a couple of Super Bowl rings.

To be sure, he’s proud of his father. But Jordan has never had any problem just being Jordan.

Some sons of legendary fathers walk around with the weight of the world perched on their shoulders. Jordan walks around like a typical college student.

“People ask me that a lot, but I’d say it was just a normal family, like anybody’s,” Jordan said. “Growing up around him and his friends, he was always just dad.

“I’m sure there were a lot of expectations and stuff. I always tuned it out in high school.”

But he didn’t tune out his dad, probably because Jerry’s booming voice could be heard, at times, during Jordan’s high school basketball and football games at Parma, Idaho.

By the time Jordan’s games came along, Jerry had toned down, for the most part, his sideline behavior. Jerry had three kids with his first wife and three more with second wife, Wink.

Jordan was the youngest.

“I am exquisitely aware of the pushy parent that makes an ass of themselves and their children’s lives,” Jerry said. “I had a little practice with my three kids before I married Wink. I was so concerned about not pushing them and being that kind of parent, it almost came to the point I neglected those kids. So I said that isn’t right. If they want to play ball, then we’ll play ball, and I’ll help every step along the way.”

Enter Jordan, who showed promise when he wasn’t scaring the wits out of his parents when he was racing motorcycles.

Jerry and Wink divorced when Jordan was in junior high - and soon became best friends. They still travel to games together, sit together. “Kind of an odd divorce,” Jerry said.

Jordan lived with Wink and became a standout running back, enduring an occasional taunt from opposing team’s parents.

“It wasn’t bad 90 percent of the time,” he said. “I never had any players say anything, but I got a little from other players who would say, `Hey Kramer, you blah, blah, blah.’ But I love that stuff. It gets me fired up to prove something.”

When it came to choosing a college, Jordan was free to go anywhere, but his dad left a trail of bread crumbs leading to Idaho.

“Like I told somebody, I just took him up there every year for 15 years and let him make his own decision,” Jerry says, chuckling.

Jordan redshirted his first season. He tore a ligament in his finger as a redshirt freshman and missed most of the season. He won the starting safety job last spring, then lost it this fall to Ighe Evero.

“We have to run 16 100-yard sprints before the coach counts to `15’ (seconds),” Jordan said. “I didn’t make it the first or second time and Coach (Tom) Cable has a thing where you have to go to last place and work your way back up. And then Ighe had about as good a fall camp as you can have.”

After a couple of 6 a.m. running sessions, Kramer finally passed the test. About that time, he called to lean on Dad’s shoulder and got a dose of reality.

“Don’t talk about it, do it,” was Jerry’s instruction.

That was roughly the same message Jordan received from his coaches.

“They sat me down and said they saw a lack of maturity,” Jordan said. “Coming out of Parma, you don’t have to do much to win a spot. I’m glad now that the coaches did that to me. I feel like I had to work for it.”

By the third game, the 6-foot2, 208-pound sophomore moved into the starting lineup. Kramer has made 49 tackles, tied with Brad Rice for tops on the team.

“He was pretty good against Washington State. He was very good against Montana State,” Cable said. “And last week against West Virginia, he was exceptional. He’s very athletic. He can run and he can hit you.”

“He plays hard every down,” defensive coordinator Ed Rifilato said. “If he knows where he’s going, he’s very, very good. And that’s our job as coaches to make sure he knows where he’s going.”

Kramer has an idea of where he’s going, but he’s happy in the present.

“I’m just trying to find my place and trying to get a grasp on my potential,” Jordan said. “It’s a lot of fun, playing with Nofo (Chris Nofoaiga), Rice, (Rick) Giampietri. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

Neither could dad.

“I’ve tried to give him positive reinforcement with a critical eye on perfection,” Jerry said. “He’s right on schedule. I see some spark there.”