Danny Wuerffel
No. 7, 17 | |||||||||||||
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Position: | Quarterback | ||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||
Born: | Fort Walton Beach, Florida, U.S. | May 27, 1974||||||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||
Weight: | 212 lb (96 kg) | ||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||
High school: | Fort Walton Beach | ||||||||||||
College: | Florida (1993–1996) | ||||||||||||
NFL draft: | 1997 / Round: 4 / Pick: 99 | ||||||||||||
Expansion draft: | 2002 / Round: 1 / Pick: 17 | ||||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |||||||||||||
Daniel Carl Wuerffel (born May 27, 1974) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida Gators, where he was a prolific passer under head coach Steve Spurrier. Wuerffel led the NCAA in touchdown passes in 1995 and 1996 and set numerous school and conference records during his career. During his senior year in 1996, he won the Heisman Trophy while leading the Gators to their first national championship. In 2013, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
After graduating from the
After retiring from professional football, Wuerffel returned to New Orleans to work with Desire Street Ministries, a nonprofit organization that seeks to help impoverished neighborhoods through spiritual and community development. Wuerffel had first become involved with the organization while playing for the Saints in the late 1990s, and as the organization attempted to recover from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, he became its executive director.[1] Under Wuerffel, Desire Street Ministries moved its headquarters to Atlanta and expanded its programs to other inner cities in the American South.[2]
Early life
Wuerffel was born in Pensacola, Florida, in 1974,[3] the son of a Lutheran minister who was a chaplain in the U.S. Air Force. While he was growing up, his family and he lived in South Carolina, Spain, Nebraska, and Colorado before he attended Fort Walton Beach High School in Fort Walton Beach, Florida.[4]
Wuerffel was a standout high school football and basketball player for the Fort Walton Beach Vikings. In football, he led the Vikings to an undefeated season as a senior quarterback, while winning the Florida Class 4A state football championship in 1991 and earning the number two national ranking in USA Today. Wuerffel was widely considered the top high school football recruit in the state of Florida, and USA Today's high school player of the year in Florida during his senior year.[5] He graduated from high school as his class co-valedictorian.
College career
1993–1994
Wuerffel accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the
The 1993 season was the first in which the Gators were ranked in the AP top 10 every week. In the second week, quarterbacks Wuerffel and Terry Dean throw a total of seven interceptions against Kentucky.[11] With eight seconds left, Wuerffel threw a pass down the middle to walk-on receiver Chris Doering for the game-winning touchdown; Gator play-by-play announcer Mick Hubert shouted, "Doering's got a touchdown!"[12] The next week, Florida recovered and defeated Heath Shuler-led and fifth-ranked Tennessee 41–34 in a "shootout".[13]
1995–1996
Wuerffel had split playing time with fellow quarterback
He led the Gators to the Bowl Alliance National Championship game following the 1995 season, but ultimately lost 62–24 to the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Fiesta Bowl. Wuerffel won the 1996 Heisman Trophy,[20] as the outstanding college football player in America, while quarterbacking the Gators into their second consecutive Bowl Alliance national championship game with help from teammates Fred Taylor at running back; Reidel Anthony, Ike Hilliard, and Jacquez Green at wide receiver; and Jeff Mitchell on the offensive line. Wuerffel and the Gators won the 1996 national championship in decisive fashion by defeating the Florida State Seminoles 52–20 in the Sugar Bowl.[6]
Individual awards and honors
Wuerffel was a first-team
He is one of only two Heisman Trophy winners to also receive the
He finished his Gator career by completing 708 of 1,170 passes for 10,875 yards with 114 touchdown passes, the best in SEC history and second-most in major college history.[6] His career pass efficiency rating of 163.56 was the best in major college history and his percentage of passes which went for a touchdown (9.74) ranked first in collegiate history. In 1995, his efficiency rating of 178.4 set a single-season collegiate record. During his Heisman-winning season of 1996, he completed 207 of 360 passes for 3,625 yards (an SEC record at the time) for 39 touchdowns (leading the nation) and his efficiency rating of 170.6 made him the first quarterback to ever post a rating of 170 or better in back-to-back years.
College statistics
Florida Gators | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Team | Passing | ||||||||
Cmp | Att | Yds | Pct | TD | Int | Rtg | ||||
1993 | Florida | 159 | 273 | 2,230 | 58.2 | 22 | 10 | 146.1 | ||
1994 | Florida | 132 | 212 | 1,754 | 62.3 | 18 | 9 | 151.3 | ||
1995 | Florida | 210 | 325 | 3,266 | 64.6 | 35 | 10 | 178.4 | ||
1996 | Florida | 207 | 360 | 3,625 | 57.5 | 39 | 13 | 170.6 | ||
Total | 708 | 1,170 | 10,875 | 60.5 | 114 | 42 | 163.6 |
Professional career
Wuerffel was considered a "marginal" prospect for the
After not being signed by another team in 2003, Wuerffel decided to retire from professional football in February 2004.[32]
Personal life
Wuerffel began work at Desire Street Ministries, a nonprofit, faith-based organization focusing on spiritual and community development in areas of New Orleans.
The All Sports Association of Fort Walton Beach created the
In June 2011, The Gainesville Sun reported that Wuerffel was suffering from Guillain–Barré syndrome, a disorder of the nervous system, and was undergoing treatment for it.[35]
In 2014, Emerald Bay Country Club in
Wuerffel is currently a motivational speaker, executive director of Desire Street Ministries and maintains a personal website at dannywuerffel.com .
Before the Pickleball craze hit the US, Wuerffel was one of the first celebrity players trying to grow the game. In 2022, Wuerffel hosted his first Picklebowl tournament, a play on the Super Bowl , the event is a Celebrity Pro–am , where a Professional plays with celebrity from their Alma mater. In the first event ever Wuerffel and his teammate Kyle Yates, who was a former UF tennis player, won the event.[38] Yates and Wuerffel successfully defended their Picklebowl title in 2023 in Atlanta at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association
See also
- List of Chicago Bears players
- List of Florida Gators football All-Americans
- List of Florida Gators in the NFL Draft
- List of Green Bay Packers players
- List of Heisman Trophy winners
- List of NCAA Division I FBS career passing touchdowns leaders
- List of NCAA Division I FBS career passing yards leaders
- List of NCAA major college football yearly passing leaders
- List of New Orleans Saints players
- List of University of Florida alumni
- List of University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame members
- List of Washington Redskins players
References
- ^ "Charity Spotlight: Danny Wuerffel and Desire Street Ministries". The Heisman Trust. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
- ^ Walker, Dave (August 19, 2015). "ESPN to premiere Desire Street Academy documentary 'Wuerffel's Way'". New Orleans Times-Picayune. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
- ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com, Players, Danny Wuerffel. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
- ^ databaseFootball.com, Players, Danny Wuerffel Archived February 5, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
- ^ "Wuerffel says he will stay in his home state". TimesDaily. January 30, 1992. p. 2B.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i 2011 Florida Gators Football Media Guide Archived April 2, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 83, 86, 88, 93, 97, 99, 100–103, 125, 158, 159, 162, 173, 186 (2011). Retrieved September 1, 2011.
- ^ F Club, Hall of Fame, Gator Greats. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
- ^ Robbie Andreu, "Wuerffel, Doering to enter UF Hall," Ocala Star-Banner (April 21, 2006). Retrieved July 22, 2011.
- ^ Ivan Maisel, "Heisman trio highlight Class of 2013," ESPN (May 7, 2013). Retrieved May 7, 2013.
- ^ "NFF Proudly Announces Stellar 2013 College Football Hall of Fame Class," National Football Foundation (May 7, 2013). Retrieved May 7, 2013.
- ^ "Gators' streak vs. 'Cats filled with close calls". Gatorsports.com. Archived from the original on September 28, 2015.
- ^ Kassidy Hill. "FlashBack Friday with the Florida Gators: Chris Doering". GatorCountry.com.
- ^ "Shuler's Advice To Vols: Avoid A Gator Shootout". tribunedigital-sunsentinel. Archived from the original on 2015-09-28. Retrieved 2016-04-12.
- ^ SEC Record book
- ^ Harris, Janie (September 22, 2006). "College football Throwback Thursday: Top Florida-Tennessee rivalry moments". NCAA.com.
- ^ "Greatest Moments: Tennessee-Florida Football. Tennessee Journalist. 15 September 2015
- ^ Harry, Chris (September 1, 2016). "Spurrier's 11 Favorite Games on the Field to Bear His Name". floridagators.com.
- ^ Harry, Chris (September 15, 1996). "Gators' QB Playing for an "Audience of One"". Orlando Sentinel.
- ISBN 978-0762791842.
- ^ Sports-Reference.com, College Football, 1996 Heisman Trophy Voting. Retrieved April 26, 2012.
- ^ 2012 NCAA Football Records Book, Award Winners, National Collegiate Athletic Association, Indianapolis, Indiana, pp. 10 & 14 (2012). Retrieved September 14, 2012.
- ^ "NCAA Quarterback of the Year". Touchdown Club of Columbus. April 6, 2009. Archived from the original on December 5, 2012.
- ^ Dame, Mike (May 10, 1996). "UF's Wuerffel Nixes Playboy Offer as Top Scholar-Athlete". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
- ^ "SPORTS PEOPLE: COLLEGE FOOTBALL;Florida's Wuerffel Spurns Playboy Honor". The New York Times. May 10, 1996.
- ^ Robbie Andreu & Pat Dooley, "No. 1 Danny Wuerffel," The Gainesville Sun (September 2, 2006). Retrieved March 30, 2013.
- ^ "Ditka Ordains Wuerffel a Saint". 21 April 1997.
- ^ "1997 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
- ^ National Football League, Historical Players, Danny Wuerffel. Retrieved April 7, 2011.
- ^ "2000 Rhein Fire Stats - The Football Database". Archived from the original on 2011-11-20.
- ^ Len Pasquarelli (February 26, 2002). "Texans deal Wuerffel to 'Skins in first-ever trade". ESPN. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
- ^ Low, Chris (December 11, 2012). "Why did Steve Spurrier fail in NFL?". ESPN. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
- ^ "Wuerffel Announces Retirement From NFL". The Washington Post. Associated Press. February 19, 2004. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
- ^ a b Cobb, Sue M.; McCarthy, Allison (March 8, 2006). "W. Stanley "Sandy" Proctor to be Inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame" (Press release). Tallahassee, Florida: Division of Cultural Affairs, Secretary of State of Florida. Archived from the original on August 14, 2014. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
- ^ a b "The Wuerffel Trophy news". Fort Walton Beach, Florida: All Sports Association. 2014. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
- ^ Pat Dooley, "Wuerffel leaves hospital after treatment for nervous system disorder Archived June 17, 2011, at the Wayback Machine," The Gainesville Sun (June 15, 2011). Retrieved June 15, 2011.
- ^ a b "1st Annual Danny Wuerffel Golf Classic". Destin Magazine. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
- ^ "Division of Elections - Florida Department of State" (PDF).
- ^ Davis, Derrick (October 27, 2022). "PICKLEBALL FOR ALL: Danny Wuerffel, Drew Brees, Rick Barry join pickleball craze on St. Simons". The Brunswick News.
Bibliography
- Carlson, Norm, University of Florida Football Vault: The History of the Florida Gators, Whitman Publishing, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia (2007). ISBN 0-7948-2298-3.
- Golenbock, Peter, Go Gators! An Oral History of Florida's Pursuit of Gridiron Glory, Legends Publishing, LLC, St. Petersburg, Florida (2002). ISBN 0-9650782-1-3.
- Hairston, Jack, Tales from the Gator Swamp: A Collection of the Greatest Gator Stories Ever Told, Sports Publishing, LLC, Champaign, Illinois (2002). ISBN 1-58261-514-4.
- McCarthy, Kevin M., Fightin' Gators: A History of University of Florida Football, Arcadia Publishing, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina (2000). ISBN 978-0-7385-0559-6.
- Nash, Noel, ed., The Gainesville Sun Presents The Greatest Moments in Florida Gators Football, Sports Publishing, Inc., Champaign, Illinois (1998). ISBN 1-57167-196-X.
External links
- Official website
- Danny Wuerffel at the College Football Hall of Fame
- Danny Wuerffel at Heisman.com
- Career statistics and player information from NFL.com · ESPN · Pro Football Reference