New York Jets: Top Jersey Numbers in Team History, Part Four

Bruce Harper wore a memorable jersey number, and the legacy continued with Fireman Ed.

This has been fun, so let’s keep going. We continue our trip down memory lane, looking at the jersey numbers of years past, and which ones were worn by the influential players of the past. You know the criteria by now, either worn by two or more influential players, or a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

If you missed yesterday’s installment, have a look by clicking here.  Let’s get going with part number four.  I thought about starting today’s part with #55, but darn it, Vernon Gholston just wasn’t quite good enough to make the list.

Ha ha, like I would have put his number on here.  Now for the real list:

JERSEY NUMBER: 42

MEMORABLE PLAYERS TO WEAR: Randy Beverly, Bruce Harper, Ronnie Lott

Fan favorite in the late 70’s and early 80’s, Bruce Harper is probably the most memorable of the #42s. He was an all around player, amassing 1,829 rushing yards, 2,409 receiving yards, 5,407 yards on kickoff returns, and 1,784 punt return yards. His total for all-purpose TDs was 21. He remained memorable for years after thanks to Fireman Ed donning his jersey for all of these years.

Ronnie Lott is included just because he was a great player. Yes he was a Hall of Famer, but not really for the Jets. He was at the end of his career in New York, and was far from the player he was in San Francisco.

Randy Beverly was a member of the Jets from 1967-1969. For those who don’t know him, he was best remembered for 2 interceptions in Super Bowl III against the Baltimore Colts.

JERSEY NUMBER: 40

MEMORABLE PLAYERS TO WEAR: James Hasty, Bobby Jackson

Remember James Hasty? He spent approximately half of his career in Kansas City, but was drafted by the Jets, and the cornerback was in NY from 1988-1994. Although he played for some historically bad New York Jets teams, Hasty was a high level player, recording 24 interceptions as a member of Gang Green.

Not as many will remember Bobby Jackson, but he was quite the talented defensive back in his own right. Bobby spent his career in NY, from 1978-1985, and amassed 21 interceptions for his career. In 1982, the year the Jets found themselves in the AFC championship game, Bobby Jackson tied his career high with five picks.

JERSEY NUMBER: 31

MEMORABLE PLAYERS TO WEAR: Antonio Cromartie, Aaron Glenn

There isn’t a lot to say about Antonio Cromartie that hasn’t been said already. For a long time, we suffered through “Good Cro” and “Bad Cro”. He would make huge plays, and he would make some serious blunders. One of his biggest plays was the kickoff return that set up the winning field goal over Indianapolis in the 2010 playoffs. However, when he took over for Darrelle Revis last year, we saw Good Cro come to the forefront, as he became the shutdown corner the Jets needed. He has memorable things to say sometimes, but on all accounts, Antonio Cromartie is a memorable dude.

For anyone who doesn’t know, Aaron Glenn was hired back by the Jets in 2012 to work as a personnel scout. Before that, he was quite the cornerback in his own right. His time in New York you say was, the best of times and the worst of times. Aaron played cornerback for the Gang Green from 1994-2001, and in that time, he amassed 24 interceptions, turning 3 into pick sixes.

Look for the final installment of the series tomorrow.