A former Nebraska Wesleyan University football player made national news recently as Jason Licht was named the General Manager of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League.

Licht (pronounced LIGHT) becomes the fifth general manager in Buccaneers franchise history and joins forces with Lovie Smith who was named the new Tampa Bay head coach on January 2.

Jason Licht has worked for nearly two decades in the NFL in scouting and player personnel.  He most recently served as the vice president of player personnel for the Arizona Cardinals.  He also had stints with the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles.  During that time he helped shape the rosters for four teams that reached the Super Bowl.

A defensive tackle at Nebraska Wesleyan, he earned First-Team All-NIAC honors in 1993.  He led all NWU defensive lineman in total tackles in both the 1992 and 1993 seasons with the Plainsmen.  Licht came to NWU from the University of Nebraska where he was a linebacker and guard from 1989-91.

Licht graduated from Nebraska Wesleyan with a bachelor's degree in biology.