Jerome Barkum was a wide receiver and tight end in the National Football League. He played 12 years with New York Jets. He was drafted by the Jets out of Jackson State University with the 9th overall pick in the first round of the 1972 NFL Draft. In 1973, he was selected to the Pro Bowl as a WR. His biggest catch in the NFL was made in Shea Stadium in a 1981 clash against the Miami Dolphins in the last seconds of the game to lift the Jets to victory 16-15. The Jets made the playoffs that year for the first time since their loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in 1969.