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Former Eagles player Runyan to run against Adler for Congress
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Former Philadelphia Eagles football player Jon Runyan will run for Congress next year against U.S. Rep. John Adler.
Runyan signed Tuesday with the San Diego Chargers but said this would be his last season before challenging Adler, D-3rd, to represent a district that spans parts of Ocean, Burlington and Camden counties.
“Yesterday, I received an offer to pursue my professional dream of winning a Super Bowl, and have decided to sign with the San Diego Chargers for the remainder of this season through the playoffs,” Runyan said through a statement released Tuesday by Burlington County Republican consultant Chris Russell. “Win or lose, these will be my final games as an NFL player. Last night, I personally informed the Republican County Chairmen in NJ’s 3rd Congressional District that after the season is over I plan to officially retire from football and pursue a campaign for the United States Congress.”
Runyan earned a reputation as one of the NFL’s toughest players and best right tackles, but he also is viewed by many as one of its dirtiest players. Sports Illustrated once named him the league’s second dirtiest player, and a new teammate called him the league’s dirtiest just last week, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. He became a popular player during his stint with the Eagles, moreso than most offensive linemen, appearing in McDonald’s restaurant commercials that played upon his toughness and massive size.
Runyan’s former teammates on the Eagles offensive line said Runyan’s decision to run for Congress seemed in character for him. Offensive tackle Winston Justice said Runyan was a smart man who often kept teammates informed about current events.
“I’m not surprised at all,” Eagles center Jamaal Jackson said. “Jon’s a very intelligent person. Everybody sees him as this mauler, this nasty guy, on the football field. But he’s very educated (University of Michigan) and knows a lot about a lot of things. He’s able to talk about almost any topic, whether it’s the economy, politics or football.”
The public knows much less about him, and Runyan has yet to publicly articulate his political views.
His voting history shows he registered to vote in Burlington County in 2000 but didn’t become a registered Republican until Nov. 10 of this year, according to Burlington County voting records. He voted in the 2000, 2004, 2006 and 2008 general elections. It’s unclear whether he voted this year because Burlington County election officials have not finished updating records for the 2009 election. He has never voted in a school board election.
So far, support for Runyan’s candidacy has been tepid from Republican leaders in Ocean County, which comprises part of the district that also spans parts of Burlington and Camden counties. Ocean County Republican Chairman George Gilmore said he has spoken with Runyan for “all of 15 minutes,” and that’s not enough for he and county Republican committee members to make a decision.
“If he has a good season with the Chargers, they might offer him a (new) contract,” Gilmore said. “Just because he says he’s running for Congress, it doesn’t mean he will.”
Gilmore said three other candidates are considering running for the seat, including retired Navy rear admiral and Toms River councilman Maurice Hill, former state assemblywoman and lottery director Virginia Haines, and current state Sen. Chris Connors, R-Ocean, Burlington, Atlantic. Gilmore said party leaders would like to avoid a primary battle like the one that depleted the funds of Adler’s 2008 Republican congressional challenger, Chris Myers, but he said party leaders have not decided to back any particular candidate yet.
Hill and Connors did not return phone calls Wednesday, and neither did Russell. Runyan, who Russell said previously would be avoiding public comments for now, could not be reached for comment Wednesday. Adler was also unavailable, though his chief of staff, Jill Greco, said he is not currently paying attention to campaigns and is focused on his work in Congress.
Runyan would not be the first professional athlete to run for public office after retiring. Former U.S. senator Bill Bradley of New Jersey won his senate seat in 1978, the year after he retired as a professional basketball player. Jack Kemp won his congressional seat in 1970, the year after he retired as quarterback of the Buffalo Bills. Former NBA player Tom McMillen retired in 1986 and won a seat in the House of Representatives that year.
The seat Runyan is targeting could be hotly contested. It was held by Republicans for more than a century until Adler won it in 2008. With the NFL postseason ending in February, Runyan would have a few months before New Jersey’s primary election next year.
Should Runyan and Adler face off in the general election, it would be a match of clear physical contrasts. Runyan is listed at 6-foot-7 and 330 pounds. Adler, D-3, stands 5-foot-9 and weighs less than half that, coming in at less than 160 pounds, according to Greco.
“He never struck me as a politician,” Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter said, “but if the 'Terminator’ can become governor of California, then Jon Runyan can run for Congress.”
Athletes who sought political careers
Steve Largent
Hall of Fame wide receiver with the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks. Represented Oklahoma in the U.S. House of Representatives,1994-2002. Ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2002.
Bill Bradley
Hall of Fame basketball player for the New York Knicks and Princeton University. Won a U.S. Senate seat in 1978, the year after he retired from the NBA, left Senate in 1997. Ran unsuccessfully for president in 2000.
Jack Kemp
Played quarterback for the NFL’s Buffalo Bills. Represented New York in the House from 1971 through 1989, before serving as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Ran unsuccessfully for vice president in 1996. Holds several career passing records for the old American Football League.
Jim Bunning
Incumbent senator from Kentucky. Hall of Fame baseball player for the Philadelphia Phillies and three other teams. One of only six pitchers ever to throw a perfect game and another no-hitter.
Heath Shuler
Incumbent congressman representing North Carolina’s 11th district. Former NFL quarterback and runner-up for the 1993 Heisman Trophy.
Tom McMillen
Former NBA player and 1972 Olympian. Represented Maryland in the House from 1987 through 1993. Thought to be the tallest person ever elected to Congress.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Incumbent governor of California. Seven-time Mr. Olympia as a bodybuilder nicknamed the Styrian Oak. Became a world-renowned action movie star. Naturalized American citizen originally from Austria.
Jesse Ventura
Former governor of Minnesota, 1999-2003. Gained fame as a professional wrestler with acting parts in several movies.
Pete Dawkins
1958 Heisman Trophy winner turned Army brigadier general and banking executive. Ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate in New Jersey in 1988.
Staff writer Dave Weinberg contributed to this report.
Contact Daniel Walsh:
856-649-2074
Posted in BREAKING | OCEAN on Wednesday, November 25, 2009 7:00 pm Updated: 10:54 pm.
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