Editing Jeff Blake (section)

==Early life==
Blake was born on December 4, 1970, in [[Daytona Beach, Florida]], to Peggy and Emory Blake. His father was a slotback for the [[Canadian Football League]] with the [[Toronto Argonauts]]. Tragedy struck on July 5, 1976, when his mother died when trying to rescue her younger sibling from drowning at [[Wekiwa Springs State Park]]. Emory decided to cancel a tryout scheduled with the [[Tampa Bay Buccaneers]] and find a job to be with his only son. He was soon hired as a physical education teacher and coach in the school system of [[Sanford, Florida]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fleming |first=David |title=SUDDEN SUCCESS JEFF BLAKE WAS ON THE BRINK OF NFL EXTINCTION WHEN THE BENGALS CALLED; JUST LOOK AT HIM NOW |url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1996/08/01/sudden-success-jeff-blake-was-on-the-brink-of-nfl-extinction-when-the-bengals-called-just-look-at-him-now |access-date=2024-01-10 |website=Sports Illustrated Vault {{!}} SI.com |language=en-us}}</ref> Blake was near his father's side growing up, whether that involved singing in the choir at Progress Missionary Baptist Church to his pastor father or as a sideline helper at Seminole High School to his coach father.

Blake was a star quarterback at Seminole High School in Florida, with his father Emory as offensive coordinator. When it came to recruiting, Florida, Miami, and Florida State tried to recruit him outside of the quarterback position, which he resisted. Of the three to actually offer him a chance to play the QB position, Blake chose [[East Carolina University]], who heavily recruited him and gave him confidence that he could play at the school because "They were used to having black quarterbacks there...so in their eyes I was simply a quarterback."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bembry |first=Jerry |date=2017-11-30 |title=For starters, Jeff Blake never lacked confidence |url=https://andscape.com/features/black-quarterback-jeff-blake-never-lacked-confidence/ |access-date=2024-01-10 |website=Andscape |language=en-US}}</ref>