Dan Burrow is an American former college football player born in September 1981 in Ames, Iowa. He is best known as the older brother of Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.
Dan played defensive back at the University of Nebraska before moving into a career in medical sales.
Who is Dan Burrow?
Dan Burrow is the middle son in the Burrow family, sitting between older brother Jamie and younger brother Joe.
He grew up in a household built around football. His father, Jim Burrow, played professionally before spending decades as a college defensive coordinator. Dan followed that same path onto the field at Nebraska.
He never reached the NFL himself, unlike Joe. Instead, he built a quieter career in business while staying close to his family. Dan and Jamie often speak about mentoring Joe through his early years in football.
Early Life of Dan Burrow
Dan Burrow was born in September 1981 in Ames, Iowa. At the time, his father Jim was coaching on the Iowa State University staff.
Jim coached in Iowa through 2000, so Dan spent much of his childhood in the state. He grew up alongside his brother Jamie, who is close to him in age.
Joe arrived years later, in December 1996. By then, Dan was already a freshman in high school. Jamie once told The New York Times that the age gap made him and Dan feel more like “hybrid uncles” than brothers to Joe.
The Burrow family’s athletic history stretches back generations. Dan’s paternal grandmother, Dot Ford, set a Mississippi high school basketball scoring record in the 1940s.
His paternal grandfather, James Burrow, played basketball at Mississippi State University, and his uncle Johnny Burrow later played football at the University of Mississippi.
Dan Burrow Age
Dan Burrow is 44 years old as of 2026, born in September 1981. His zodiac sign has not been publicly confirmed since his exact birth date is unavailable.
Even so, Dan was already a college freshman by the time his youngest brother Joe was born in 1996.
Dan Burrow Ethnicity and Nationality
Dan Burrow is American. He was born in Ames, Iowa, and grew up moving between college towns as his father took various coaching jobs.
His family’s athletic roots run deep, tracing back to his paternal grandparents, who both competed in sports in Mississippi.
Dan Burrow Height and Weight
Dan Burrow stands at approximately 6 feet tall, or 183 cm. His weight is listed at around 176 lbs, or 80 kg. He resembles his younger brother Joe in build, though several accounts describe him as somewhat shorter.
Dan Burrow Education
Dan Burrow attended the University of Nebraska, where he also played football. He enrolled around 2000 and remained with the program through 2004.
His time at Nebraska overlapped with his brother Jamie, who played linebacker for the same team a few years earlier.
Dan Burrow Career
College Football at Nebraska
Dan Burrow played defensive back and safety for the University of Nebraska from 2000 to 2004. During that stretch, the Cornhuskers won a share of the national championship in 2001.
He followed both his father and brother Jamie into the program, continuing a family tradition tied to Nebraska football. Unlike Joe, Dan never advanced to a professional football career.
Even so, his years at Nebraska shaped how he later talked about the sport. He described his position, the safety spot, as one that required reading the game like a puzzle. That perspective later gave him insight into his younger brother’s game as a quarterback.
Dan’s college run also overlapped briefly with his father’s coaching career at other programs. Jim Burrow spent time on staffs at Iowa State, Washington State, and Nebraska over the years.
That shared history gave the Burrow name a lasting connection to Nebraska football beyond Dan’s own playing days.
Life After Football
After graduating, Dan Burrow moved away from athletics and into the business world. He built a career in medical sales, eventually settling in Houston, Texas.
That shift took him far from the football fields of his youth. Dan has kept a low public profile compared to his famous brother.
He met his now-wife, Jama Cash, in 2018. The two crossed paths in Auburn, Alabama, while Dan was there watching Joe’s third career start for LSU. Dan proposed to Jama in 2019, according to The New York Times.
That trip to Auburn came during a pivotal stretch of Joe’s college career. LSU was still building toward the national championship run that would follow a year later.
Dan’s presence at that game reflected how closely he tracked his younger brother’s rise, even while building his own life away from the football spotlight.
Recent Public Appearances
In 2020, Dan Burrow joined NFL Media’s Move the Sticks podcast to discuss his brother’s football journey. During that appearance, he addressed the moment Nebraska passed on recruiting Joe out of high school.
“Joe is a man of few words, so there wasn’t a ton of conversation with Joe about it,” Dan said on the show. He has also spoken with Sports Illustrated about his time as a Nebraska safety in the early 2000s.
Dan continues to appear occasionally in NFL coverage tied to Joe’s career with the Cincinnati Bengals. He and Jamie are frequently mentioned together as the brothers who shaped Joe’s path into football.
Their father Jim retired from college coaching in 2019, closing out a career spent mostly at Iowa State and Ohio University.
Dan Burrow Wife
Dan Burrow is married to Jama Cash. The couple met in 2018 at a football game in Auburn, Alabama, where Dan had traveled to watch Joe play. Dan proposed to Jama the following year, in 2019. Details about their wedding have not been made public.
Dan keeps most aspects of his marriage away from media attention. He and Jama are known to live together in Houston, Texas, where Dan works in medical sales.
Dan Burrow Net Worth
Dan Burrow’s estimated net worth is $750,000 as of 2026. His income comes primarily from his career in medical sales rather than football or public appearances.
That figure sits well below his brother Joe’s NFL earnings, though Dan has never pursued that level of public wealth.
Dan has largely avoided the endorsement deals and media contracts that come with his brother’s NFL fame.
The Bottom Line
Dan Burrow played defensive back for the University of Nebraska from 2000 to 2004, during the same era the Cornhuskers won a share of the national title. That chapter closed his football career before he moved into medical sales.
Dan grew up moving through Iowa college towns as his father Jim coached, then followed his brother Jamie’s footsteps onto the Nebraska roster. He is known for keeping his personal life private, unlike his brother Joe.
Today, Dan lives in Houston with his wife, Jama Cash, and occasionally appears in NFL media discussing his brother’s career.
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