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{{Short description|American football player (born 1974)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2023}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name = Danny Wuerffel
| image = DWuerffel Headshot.png
| alt =
| caption = Wuerffel in 2019
| number = 7, 17
| position = [[Quarterback]]
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1974|5|27|mf=y}}
| birth_place = [[Fort Walton Beach, Florida]], U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 1
| weight_lb = 212
| high_school = [[Fort Walton Beach High School|Fort Walton Beach]]
| college = [[Florida Gators football|Florida]] (1993–1996)
| draftyear = 1997
| draftround = 4
| draftpick = 99
| expansiondraftyear = 2002
| expansiondraftround = 1
| expansiondraftpick = 17
| pastteams =
* [[New Orleans Saints]] ({{NFL Year|1997|1999}})
* [[Rhein Fire (NFL Europe)|Rhein Fire]] ({{RHE season|2000}})
* [[Green Bay Packers]] ({{NFL Year|2000}})
* [[Chicago Bears]] ({{NFL Year|2001}})
* [[Houston Texans]] ({{NFL Year|2002}})*
* [[Washington Commanders|Washington Redskins]] ({{NFL Year|2002}})
| highlights =
* [[World Bowl]] champion ([[World Bowl 2000|2000]])
* [[College football national championships in NCAA Division I FBS|National champion]] ([[1997 Sugar Bowl|1996]])
* [[Heisman Trophy]] (1996)
* [[Maxwell Award]] (1996)
* 2× [[Davey O'Brien Award]] (1995, 1996)
* [[Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award]] (1996)
* [[Walter Camp Award]] (1996)
* [[William V. Campbell Trophy]] (1996)
* [[Sammy Baugh Trophy]] (1995)
* [[Draddy Trophy]] (1996)
* [[Sporting News College Football Player of the Year|''SN'' Player of the Year]] (1996)
* [[Touchdown Club of Columbus#Kellen Moore Award|Quarterback of the Year]] (1996)
* Consensus [[College Football All-America Team|All-American]] ([[1996 College Football All-America Team|1996]])
* Second-team All-American ([[1995 College Football All-America Team|1995]])
* 2× [[Southeastern Conference football individual awards#Player of the Year|SEC Player of the Year]] (1995, 1996)
* 2× First-team [[List of All-SEC football teams|All-SEC]] ([[1995 All-SEC football team|1995]], [[1996 All-SEC football team|1996]])
* [[Southeastern Conference football individual awards#Freshman of the Year|SEC Freshman of the Year]] (1993)
* [[Florida Gators football#Ring of Honor|Florida Football Ring of Honor]] (2006)
| statlabel1 = Passing attempts
| statvalue1 = 350
| statlabel2 = Passing completions
| statvalue2 = 184
| statlabel3 = Completion percentage
| statvalue3 = 52.6%
| statlabel4 = [[Touchdown|TD]]–[[Interception|INT]]
| statvalue4 = 12–22
| statlabel5 = Passing yards
| statvalue5 = 2,123
| statlabel6 = [[Passer rating]]
| statvalue6 = 56.4
| pfr = W/WuerDa00
| CollegeHOF = 2355
}}
'''Daniel Carl Wuerffel''' (born May 27, 1974) is an American former [[American football|football]] [[quarterback]] who played in the [[National Football League]] (NFL). He played [[college football]] for the [[Florida Gators football|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 [[1996 Florida Gators football team|their first national championship]]. In 2013, he was inducted into the [[College Football Hall of Fame]].
After graduating from the [[University of Florida]], he was selected in the [[1997 NFL Draft]] by the [[New Orleans Saints]]. He spent six years in the league with four teams, including the [[Green Bay Packers]], the [[Chicago Bears]] and the [[Washington Commanders|Washington Redskins]], though his playing time and on-field success in the NFL was limited. Wuerffel also played one season in [[NFL Europe]], where he led the [[Rhein Fire (NFL Europe)|Rhein Fire]] to a league championship in [[World Bowl 2000]].
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.<ref name="heismancharity">{{cite web | url=http://heisman.com/news/2014/11/19/Weurffel_Desire_Ministries.aspx?path=general | title=Charity Spotlight: Danny Wuerffel and Desire Street Ministries | publisher=The Heisman Trust | access-date=February 27, 2016}}</ref> Under Wuerffel, Desire Street Ministries moved its headquarters to Atlanta and expanded its programs to other inner cities in the American South.<ref name="desiredocumentary">{{cite news | url=http://www.nola.com/katrina/index.ssf/2015/08/danny_wuerffel_desire_academy.html | title=ESPN to premiere Desire Street Academy documentary 'Wuerffel's Way' | work=New Orleans Times-Picayune | date=August 19, 2015 | access-date=February 27, 2016 | author=Walker, Dave}}</ref>
==
Wuerffel was born in [[Pensacola, Florida]], in 1974,<ref name=pfrprofile>Pro-Football-Reference.com, Players, [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/W/WuerDa00.htm Danny Wuerffel]. Retrieved July 9, 2010.</ref> the son of a Lutheran [[minister (Christianity)|minister]] who was a [[chaplain]] in the [[United States Air Force|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]].<ref name=dbfprofile>databaseFootball.com, Players, [http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=WUERFDAN01 Danny Wuerffel] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100205192827/http://databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=WUERFDAN01 |date=February 5, 2010 }}. Retrieved July 9, 2010.</ref>
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.<ref>{{Cite news|date=January 30, 1992|title=Wuerffel says he will stay in his home state|page=2B|work=TimesDaily|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=LV4eAAAAIBAJ&sjid=o8gEAAAAIBAJ&dq=danny%20wuerffel&pg=3754%2C3843337}}</ref> He graduated from high school as his class co-[[valedictorian]].
==College career==
===1993–1994===
Wuerffel accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the [[University of Florida]] in Gainesville, Florida, where he played quarterback for head coach Steve Spurrier's Florida Gators football team from [[1993 Florida Gators football team|1993]] to 1996.<ref name=ufmediaguide>''[http://web.gatorzone.com/football/media/2011/media_guide.pdf 2011 Florida Gators Football Media Guide] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402035222/http://web.gatorzone.com/football/media/2011/media_guide.pdf |date=April 2, 2012 }}'', 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.</ref> One of the most decorated players in Florida's football history,<ref name=ufmediaguide/> he was a key member of the Gators teams that won four consecutive [[Southeastern Conference]] titles between 1993 and 1996. Wuerffel graduated from the university with a bachelor's degree in public relations, and was inducted into the [[List of University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame members|University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame]] as a "Gator Great" in 2006.<ref>F Club, Hall of Fame, [http://www.gatorfclub.org/hall-of-fame/greats Gator Greats]. Retrieved December 15, 2014.</ref><ref>Robbie Andreu, "[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=dPRPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=QwkEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6757,1825513&dq=gators+hall-of-fame&hl=en Wuerffel, Doering to enter UF Hall]," ''Ocala Star-Banner'' (April 21, 2006). Retrieved July 22, 2011.</ref> On September 30, 2006, Wuerffel was inducted into the [[Gator Football Ring of Honor]] alongside his former coach Spurrier and two other former Gator players, [[Jack Youngblood]] and [[Emmitt Smith]]. Wuerffel was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2013.<ref>Ivan Maisel, "[https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/9250529/vinny-testaverde-danny-wuerffel-ron-dayne-lead-college-football-hall-fame-class Heisman trio highlight Class of 2013]," ESPN (May 7, 2013). Retrieved May 7, 2013.</ref><ref>"[https://footballfoundation.org/news/2013/5/7/_53641.aspx?path=football NFF Proudly Announces Stellar 2013 College Football Hall of Fame Class]," National Football Foundation (May 7, 2013). Retrieved May 7, 2013.</ref>
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 [[1993 Kentucky Wildcats football team|Kentucky]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gatorsports.com/article/20100921/ARTICLES/100929892?p=2&tc=pg|title=Gators' streak vs. 'Cats filled with close calls|work=Gatorsports.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150928170800/http://www.gatorsports.com/article/20100921/ARTICLES/100929892?p=2&tc=pg|archive-date=September 28, 2015}}</ref> 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!"<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gatorcountry.com/florida-gators-football/flashback-friday-with-the-florida-gators-chris-doering-and-kentucky-1993/|title=FlashBack Friday with the Florida Gators: Chris Doering|author=Kassidy Hill|work=GatorCountry.com}}</ref> The next week, Florida recovered and defeated [[Heath Shuler]]-led and fifth-ranked [[1993 Tennessee Volunteers football team|Tennessee]] 41–34 in a "shootout".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1995-09-14/sports/9509130481_1_heath-shuler-tennessee-florida-s-offense|title=Shuler's Advice To Vols: Avoid A Gator Shootout|work=tribunedigital-sunsentinel|access-date=2016-04-12|archive-date=2015-09-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150928222917/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1995-09-14/sports/9509130481_1_heath-shuler-tennessee-florida-s-offense|url-status=dead}}</ref>
===1995–1996===
[[File:Danny Wuerffel University of Florida Heisman Quarterback 01.jpg|thumb|Wuerffel playing for the Florida Gators, October 1996]]
Wuerffel had split playing time with fellow quarterback [[Terry Dean]] for much of the 1993 and 1994 seasons. With Dean graduated, Wuerffel was the clear starter coming into the 1995 season, and he made the most of his opportunity. The Gators went through the regular season undefeated, and Wuerffel set several [[Southeastern Conference]] (SEC) and NCAA records for passing, including the SEC season record for touchdown passes and the NCAA record for [[passing efficiency]] .<ref>[https://assets.espn.go.com/SEC/football/2015/Record%20Book.pdf SEC Record book]</ref> Highlights included a September win over rival [[1995 Tennessee Volunteers football team|Tennessee]] in which Florida rallied from a 30–14 deficit to win 62-37 behind Wuerffel's SEC record 6 touchdown passes. ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' had sent a team of reporters to cover the top-10 matchup and had planned to put Tennessee quarterback [[Peyton Manning]] on the cover. However, after the Gators' win, they decided to put Wuerffel on the cover instead, bringing him his first major national attention.<ref name="NCAAcover">{{Cite web |url=https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/article/2016-09-22/college-football-throwback-thursday-top-florida-tennessee-rivalry |title=College football Throwback Thursday: Top Florida-Tennessee rivalry moments |last=Harris |first=Janie |date=September 22, 2006 |website=NCAA.com}}</ref><ref>[http://www.tnjn.com/2015/09/25/greatest-moments-tennessee-florida-football/ "Greatest Moments: Tennessee-Florida Football. ''Tennessee Journalist''. 15 September 2015]</ref><ref name="Spurriercover">{{Cite web |url=http://floridagators.com/news/2016/8/25/chris-harry-spurriers-11-favorite-games-on-the-field-to-bear-his-name.aspx |title=Spurrier's 11 Favorite Games on the Field to Bear His Name |last=Harry |first=Chris |date=September 1, 2016 |website=floridagators.com}}</ref><ref name="sentinelcover">{{Cite news |url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1996-09-15/sports/9609200328_1_eric-kresser-danny-wuerffel-gators |title=Gators' QB Playing for an "Audience of One" |last=Harry |first=Chris |date=September 15, 1996 |newspaper=Orlando Sentinel}}</ref><ref name="bookcover">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RK2DBQAAQBAJ&q=wuerffel+%22sports+illustrated%22+cover+manning&pg=PA183 |title=Spurrier: How The Ball Coach Taught the South to Play Football |last=Henry |first=Ran |publisher=Lyons Press |year=2014 |isbn=978-0762791842}}</ref>
He led the Gators to the [[Bowl Alliance]] National Championship game following the 1995 season, but ultimately lost 62–24 to the [[1995 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team|Nebraska Cornhuskers]] in the [[1996 Fiesta Bowl|Fiesta Bowl]]. Wuerffel won the 1996 Heisman Trophy,<ref>Sports-Reference.com, College Football, [https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/awards/heisman-1996.html 1996 Heisman Trophy Voting]. Retrieved April 26, 2012.</ref> 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 (American football)|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 [[1996 Florida State Seminoles football team|Florida State Seminoles]] 52–20 in the [[1997 Sugar Bowl|Sugar Bowl]].<ref name=ufmediaguide/>
===Individual awards and honors===
Wuerffel was a first-team [[College Football All-America Team|All-American]] in [[1995 College Football All-America Team|1995]], and a consensus first-team All-American in [[1996 College Football All-America Team|1996]].<ref name=ufmediaguide/><ref>''2012 NCAA Football Records Book'', [http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2012/Awards.pdf Award Winners], National Collegiate Athletic Association, Indianapolis, Indiana, pp. 10 & 14 (2012). Retrieved September 14, 2012.</ref> He received the [[Sammy Baugh Trophy]] in 1995, the [[Davey O'Brien Award]] in 1995 and 1996, and the [[Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award]] in 1996,<ref name=ufmediaguide/> and was named the [[Touchdown Club of Columbus#Quarterback of the Year|Quarterback of the Year]] by the Touchdown Club of Columbus in 1996.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.touchdownclubofcolumbus.com/PastHonorees.htm |title=NCAA Quarterback of the Year |work=Touchdown Club of Columbus |date=April 6, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121205081717/http://www.touchdownclubofcolumbus.com/PastHonorees.htm |archive-date=December 5, 2012 }}</ref> Wuerffel declined to be included on ''[[Playboy]]'' magazine's All-America team as well as its Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, saying, "That's not the type of person I am or would like to portray myself as."<ref>{{Cite news|last=Dame|first=Mike|date=May 10, 1996|title=UF's Wuerffel Nixes Playboy Offer as Top Scholar-Athlete|work=Orlando Sentinel|url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1996-05-10-9605090896-story.html|access-date=December 16, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/05/10/sports/sports-people-college-football-florida-s-wuerffel-spurns-playboy-honor.html | work=The New York Times | title=SPORTS PEOPLE: COLLEGE FOOTBALL;Florida's Wuerffel Spurns Playboy Honor | date=May 10, 1996}}</ref> His Gators teammates picked him as the squad's most valuable player in 1995 and 1996; his coaches chose him as one of the Gators' team captains.<ref name=ufmediaguide/> He was later named to ''[[The Gainesville Sun]]'''s Florida Gators Team of the Century in 1999, was chosen by the ''Sun'' as the number one player in the first 100 years of Gators football, and was listed as a member of the Florida Gators 100th Anniversary Team in 2006.<ref name=ufmediaguide/><ref>Robbie Andreu & Pat Dooley, "[http://www.gainesville.com/article/20060902/GATORS70/60901022 No. 1 Danny Wuerffel]," ''The Gainesville Sun'' (September 2, 2006). Retrieved March 30, 2013.</ref>
He is one of only two Heisman Trophy winners to also receive the [[Draddy Trophy]], which is presented annually by the National Football Foundation and the College Football Hall of Fame to the nation's top football scholar-athlete. Wuerffel was also a first-team [[Academic All-America]]n in 1995 and 1996.<ref name="ufmediaguide" />
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.<ref name="ufmediaguide" /> 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.
[[File:Danny Wuerffel University of Florida Heisman Quarterback 02.jpg|thumb|Wuerffel playing for the Florida Gators, November 1996]]
===College statistics===
{| class=wikitable style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Season
! rowspan="2"| Team
! colspan="7"| Passing
|-
! Cmp !! Att !! Yds !! Pct !! TD !! Int !! Rtg
|-
! [[1993 NCAA Division I-A football season|1993]] || [[1993 Florida Gators football team|Florida]]
| 159 || 273 || 2,230 || 58.2 || 22 || 10 || 146.1
|-
! [[1994 NCAA Division I-A football season|1994]] || [[1994 Florida Gators football team|Florida]]
| 132 || 212 || 1,754 || 62.3 || 18 || 9 || 151.3
|-
! [[1995 NCAA Division I-A football season|1995]] || [[1995 Florida Gators football team|Florida]]
| 210 || 325 || 3,266 || 64.6 || 35 || 10 || 178.4
|-
! [[1996 NCAA Division I-A football season|1996]] || [[1996 Florida Gators football team|Florida]]
| 207 || 360 || 3,625 || 57.5 || 39 || 13 || 170.6
|-
! colspan="2"|[https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/danny-wuerffel-1.html Total]!! 708 !! 1,170 !! 10,875 !! 60.5 !! 114 !! 42 !! 163.6
|}
==Professional career==
{{NFL predraft
| height ft = 6
| height in = 1 3/4
| weight = 212
| dash = 4.90
| ten split = 1.68
| twenty split = 2.85
| shuttle = 4.42
| vertical = 28.0
| arm span = 31 1/2
| hand span = 9 1/2
}}
Wuerffel was considered a "marginal" prospect for the [[1997 NFL Draft]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/1997/04/21/ditka-ordains-wuerffel-a-saint/ | title=Ditka Ordains Wuerffel a Saint | date=21 April 1997 }}</ref> As such, the New Orleans Saints selected Wuerffel in the fourth round of the 1997 NFL Draft as the third quarterback selected in the draft.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1997 NFL Draft Listing |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1997/draft.htm |access-date=2023-03-30 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> He was selected to potentially serve as the number three quarterback, as the team already had [[Heath Shuler]] and [[Jim Everett]] on the roster under new head coach [[Mike Ditka]]. He played for the Saints for three seasons from {{NFL Year|1997}} to {{NFL Year|1999}}.<ref name=nflprofile>National Football League, Historical Players, [http://www.nfl.com/players/dannywuerffel/profile?id=WUE563610 Danny Wuerffel]. Retrieved April 7, 2011.</ref> Wuerffel spent the offseason before the [[2000 NFL season]] with the Rhein Fire in [[NFL Europa]], where he led the team to a league championship and was named [[Most Valuable Player|MVP]] of World Bowl 2000.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.footballdb.com/teams/nfle/rhein-fire/stats/2000 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111120142440/http://footballdb.com/teams/nfle/rhein-fire/stats/2000 |archive-date=2011-11-20 |title=2000 Rhein Fire Stats - The Football Database}}</ref> He spent single seasons as a backup with the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears in 2000 and 2001. Wuerffel was drafted by the [[Houston Texans]] in the [[2002 NFL Expansion Draft]], only to be traded to the [[Washington Redskins]] a week later, reuniting him with college coach Steve Spurrier.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://a.espncdn.com/nfl/columns/pasquarelli_len/1340816.html|title=Texans deal Wuerffel to 'Skins in first-ever trade|author=Len Pasquarelli|author-link=Len Pasquarelli|work=[[ESPN]]|access-date=September 20, 2016|date=February 26, 2002}}</ref> Wuerffel started several games that season, alternating with fellow Florida Gator alumnus [[Shane Matthews]], but was released by the team before the 2003 season, much to the chagrin of Spurrier.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Low|first=Chris|date=December 11, 2012|title=Why did Steve Spurrier fail in NFL?|work=ESPN|url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/8735835/college-football-unhealthy-culture-contributed-steve-spurrier-failure-nfl|access-date=December 16, 2020}}</ref>
After not being signed by another team in 2003, Wuerffel decided to retire from professional football in February 2004.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A54670-2004Feb19.html?sections=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/sports|title=Wuerffel Announces Retirement From NFL|agency=[[Associated Press]]|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=September 21, 2016|date=February 19, 2004}}</ref>
==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 [[Wuerffel Trophy]] in his honor in 2005. Florida sculptor [[W. Stanley "Sandy" Proctor|W. Stanley Proctor]] created the design which commemorates Danny Wuerffel, "as he prays after a touchdown.<ref name="Cobb">{{cite press release |publisher=Division of Cultural Affairs, [[Secretary of State of Florida]] |first1=Sue M. |last1=Cobb |author-link1=Sue M. Cobb |first2=Allison |last2=McCarthy |location=Tallahassee, Florida |date=March 8, 2006 |title=W. Stanley "Sandy" Proctor to be Inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame |url=http://www.proctorbronzes.com/press_release.html |access-date=August 21, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140814135418/http://www.proctorbronzes.com/press_release.html |archive-date=August 14, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Wuerffel trophy">{{cite web |url=http://wuerffeltrophy.org/ |title=The Wuerffel Trophy news |year=2014 |publisher=All Sports Association |location=Fort Walton Beach, Florida |access-date=August 22, 2014}}</ref> It is awarded annually by the All Sports Association of Fort Walton Beach, Florida to the athlete who best exemplifies Wuerffel's character on the field of play and in the classroom.<ref name="Cobb"/><ref name="Wuerffel trophy"/>
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.<ref>Pat Dooley, "[http://www.gatorsports.com/article/20110615/ARTICLES/110619738 Wuerffel leaves hospital after treatment for nervous system disorder] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110617154400/http://www.gatorsports.com/article/20110615/ARTICLES/110619738 |date=June 17, 2011 }}," ''The Gainesville Sun'' (June 15, 2011). Retrieved June 15, 2011.</ref>
In 2014, Emerald Bay Country Club in [[Destin, Florida]], hosted the 1st Annual Danny Wuerffel Golf Classic, known as the "Danny Cup".<ref name="digital.turn-page.com">{{cite web|title=1st Annual Danny Wuerffel Golf Classic|url=http://digital.turn-page.com/i/276916-destin-magazine-mar-apr14/112|website=Destin Magazine|access-date=January 14, 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304053816/http://digital.turn-page.com/i/276916-destin-magazine-mar-apr14/112|archive-date=March 4, 2016}}</ref> A small stretch of road between the Mid-Bay Bridge and [[Highway 98]] in Destin, still his parents' home,<ref name="digital.turn-page.com"/> has been dedicated as "Danny Wuerffel Way" by the Florida state legislature.<ref name="roadbill">{{Cite web|url=http://election.dos.state.fl.us/laws/97laws/ch_97-314.pdf|title=Division of Elections - Florida Department of State}}</ref>
Wuerffel is currently a motivational speaker, executive director of Desire Street Ministries and maintains a personal website at [https://Dannywuerffel.com 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 sports|Professional]] plays with celebrity from their [[Alma mater]]. In the first event ever Wuerffel and his teammate [[Kyle Yates]], who was a former [[Florida Gators|UF tennis]] player, won the event.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Davis |first1=Derrick |title=PICKLEBALL FOR ALL: Danny Wuerffel, Drew Brees, Rick Barry join pickleball craze on St. Simons |url=https://thebrunswicknews.com/sports/local_sports/pickleball-for-all-danny-wuerffel-drew-brees-rick-barry-join-pickleball-craze-on-st-simons/article_0f9d038a-6842-5e27-9094-166c63376fc2.html |work=The Brunswick News |date=October 27, 2022 |language=en}}</ref> Yates and Wuerffel successfully defended their Picklebowl title in 2023 in [[Atlanta]] at the [[Intercollegiate Tennis Association]]
==See also==
{{Portal|American football|Biography|College football}}
* [[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==
{{Reflist|30em}}
==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., [https://books.google.com/books?id=_Tk-IQepI6cC ''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==
{{commons}}
* {{Official website|http://www.DannyWuerffel.com/}}
* {{College Football HoF|2355}}
* {{Heisman|danny-wuerffel}}
* {{Footballstats |nfl=danny-wuerffel |espn=1264 |cbs= |yahoo= |si= |pfr=W/WuerDa00}}
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[[Category:1974 births]]
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