Hugh Millen
No. 12, 7, 17 | |||||||
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Position: | Seattle, Washington) | ||||||
College: | Washington | ||||||
NFL draft: | 1986 / Round: 3 / Pick: 71 | ||||||
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 PFR |
Hugh Breedlove Millen (born November 22, 1963) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Los Angeles Rams, Atlanta Falcons, New England Patriots, Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos. He played college football for the Washington Huskies.
Early life
Born in
As a junior in 1984, Millen registered 1,051 passing yards, five touchdowns, nine interceptions, and led the Huskies to a win over Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl, known as the infamous "Sooner Schooner" game. The win propelled Washington (11–1) to the #2 national ranking, behind unbeaten Brigham Young.[2] As a senior in 1985, he posted 1,565 passing yards, six touchdowns and fourteen interceptions. Millen started 17 of the 20 games he appeared in for the Huskies, throwing for 2,657 yards, eleven touchdowns, and 23 interceptions.
Professional career
Los Angeles Rams
Millen was selected by the
Atlanta Falcons
On August 30, 1988, the Atlanta Falcons picked him up off waivers and ended up playing in three games, while throwing for 215 yards.[5] The following season, he played in five games – with one start – and completed 62% of his passes for 432 yards. In 1990, he started two games for the Falcons – winning both – completing 54% of his throws for 427 yards.
New England Patriots
On April 1,
Millen threw for 3,073 yards with 9 touchdown passes and 18 interceptions. It marked only the fifth time in team history that a quarterback had thrown for 3,000 yards in a season. Millen had several notable performances, beginning with his first start against the Houston Oilers where he led the Patriots to a 24-20 upset win by completing 22 of 33 passes for 244 yards and a 34-yard game-winning touchdown strike to Greg McMurtry with 34 seconds left in the game. He had his first career 300-yard passing performance against the Minnesota Vikings on October 22 – when he was 22 out of 32 for 326 yards and a touchdown pass.
He was named player of the game two consecutive weeks in November when he completed 20 out of 26 passes for 257 yards and a touchdown pass against the Miami Dolphins, then completed 30 passes for 372 yards and a touchdown throw the following week against the New York Jets. The next week, he scored his first rushing touchdown, with a one-yard sneak in a 16-13 win against the Buffalo Bills. Then on December 8 – he completed 21 of 40 passes for 330 yards for two touchdowns, including a 45-yard game winning strike to wide receiver Michael Timpson in overtime against the Indianapolis Colts.
During the 1992 season, Millen shared quarterback duties with three others; Tommy Hodson, Scott Zolak, and Jeff Carlson. He led all Patriot quarterbacks with 1,203 passing yards and 8 touchdown passes, but New England's final record was a poor 2-14. Millen suffered a third degree separated shoulder on the seventh play of the season, but still managed to play in 7 games with the persistent injury.[6]
The Patriots 2-14 record led to a complete overhaul of the team and franchise in
Dallas Cowboys
In
As it turned out, Millen never did attempt a pass in the regular season, as Aikman healed well from his injury and Garrett passed him on the depth chart for the backup position. On November 10, the Cowboys signed quarterback Bernie Kosar after he had been released by the Cleveland Browns midway during the season and Millen was cut to make room for him.[9]
Miami Dolphins
On November 15, 1993, he signed with the Miami Dolphins for depth purposes after Dan Marino was lost for the year with an Achilles injury and Scott Mitchell dislocated his left elbow.[10] He did not appear in any game.
Denver Broncos
Millen would play his final two years in the NFL as a backup to John Elway in Denver during 1994 and 1995. He played in eight games for the Broncos, starting twice, and throwing for 1,090 yards with three touchdown passes and a 63% completion percentage.
New Orleans Saints
On April 22, 1996, he was signed as a free agent by the New Orleans Saints.[11] He was released on August 23.[12]
Personal life
Millen currently works as a football
His son, Cale, also a quarterback, played at Mount Si High School in Snoqualmie, Washington and was recruited by several colleges. He chose the University of Oregon, entering as a freshman in 2019.[13] Cale announced his transfer to the University of Connecticut on December 15, 2021. When Cale graduated from Mount Si, Hugh's next son, Clay, took over the quarterback position.[14] Clay plays at the University of Florida after transferring from Colorado State University.[15][16]
References
- ^ "Millen named Husky QB starter". Spokane Chronicle. (Washington). Associated Press. September 4, 1984. p. B1.
- ^ Rock, Brad (October 6, 2001). "Brad Rock: Wild one in Provo looked a lot like sandlot football". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). Retrieved March 20, 2014.
But BYU's 1984 opponents weren't exactly fearsome, either; they went an unimpressive 61–85–3 (.419) that year.
- ^ "1986 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
- ^ "Transactions". Retrieved February 19, 2016.
- ^ "The Pros". Retrieved February 19, 2016.
- ^ "Giving Pats fans a reason to cheer". Retrieved February 19, 2016.
- ^ "Cowboys Trade For Millen". Retrieved February 19, 2016.
- ^ "With Aikman Injured, Millen Lands in Pigskin Penthouse". The New York Times. June 21, 1993. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
- ^ "Transactions". Retrieved February 19, 2016.
- ^ "Miami To Start Deberg Inks Millen". Retrieved February 19, 2016.
- ^ "Transactions". Retrieved February 19, 2016.
- ^ "Transactions". The New York Times. August 24, 1996. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
- ^ Nemed, Andrew (December 19, 2018). "Cale Millen, 3-star QB and son of Washington Huskies legend, signs with Oregon Ducks". The Oregonian/OregonLive. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
- ^ Webeck, Evan (September 27, 2019). "Next Millen up: Clay Millen takes over reins at Mount Si after his brother's record-breaking career". The Seattle Times. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
- ^ Keeler, Sean (August 21, 2022). "Dad was John Elway's backup. Mom was a model from Lakewood. Meet CSU Rams QB Clay Millen, who took scenic route to Fort Collins". The Denver Post. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
- ^ Goodall, Zach (January 14, 2024). "Florida Secures Colorado State QB Transfer Commitment". Sports Illustrated Florida Gators News, Analysis and More. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from ESPN · Pro Football Reference ·
- New England Patriots bio Archived 2016-09-27 at the Wayback Machine