Danny Wuerffel: Difference between revisions

{{shortShort description|American football quarterbackplayer (born 1974)}}

| name = Danny Wuerffel

| image =File: DWuerffel Headshot.png

| 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_lbs weight_lb = 212

| high_school = [[Fort Walton Beach High School|Fort Walton Beach (FL)]]

| college = [[Florida Gators football|Florida]] (1993–1996)

| draftyear = 1997

| draftround = 4

| draftpick = 99

* [[WashingtonHouston RedskinsTexans]] ({{NFL Year|2002}})*

* [[BowlCollege Alliance|Bowl Alliancefootball national championships in NCAA Division I FBS|National champion]] ([[1997 Sugar Bowl|1996]])

* [[DraddyWilliam V. Campbell Trophy]] (1996)

'''Daniel Carl Wuerffel''' (born May 27, 1974) is aan American former college and professional [[American football|football]] [[quarterback]]. Wuerffelwho attendedplayed in the [[UniversityNational ofFootball FloridaLeague]], where(NFL). heHe wasplayed a[[college prolific passerfootball]] 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 NCAA Division I-A football season|1996]], Wuerffelhe won the [[Heisman Trophy]] while leading the Gators to their [[1996 Florida Gators football team|their first national championship]]. HeIn 2013, he was inducted into the [[College Football Hall of Fame]] in 2013.

After graduating from the [[University of Florida]], Wuerffelhe was draftedselected byin the [[New1997 OrleansNFL Saintsdraft]] ofby the [[NationalNew FootballOrleans LeagueSaints]] (NFL). 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 and was named MVP ofin [[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 | accessdateaccess-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 | accessdateaccess-date=February 27, 2016 | author=Walker, Dave}}</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]].

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 Florida Gators football team|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, "[httphttps://espnwww.goespn.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 Florida Gators football team|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|archiveurlarchive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150928170800/http://www.gatorsports.com/article/20100921/ARTICLES/100929892?p=2&tc=pg|archivedatearchive-date=September 28, 2015|df=}}</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>

[[File:Danny Wuerffel University of Florida Heisman Quarterback 01.jpg|thumb|Wuerffel playing for the [[1996 Florida Gators football team|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>[httphttps://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 30-1430–14 deficit to win 62-3762–37 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 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130709040205/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1996-09-15/sports/9609200328_1_eric-kresser-danny-wuerffel-gators |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 9, 2013 |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&pg=PA183&lpg=PA183&dqq=wuerffel+%22sports+illustrated%22+cover+manning&sourcepg=bl&ots=ExDfhcRjyJ&sig=22l0ZENGCeJlOlGqcBe_h5LwFxQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiF_Zag6J7SAhVL6CYKHUpRAvo4ChDoAQhJMAM#v=onepage&q=wuerffel%20%22sports%20illustrated%22%20cover%20manning&f=falsePA183 |title=Spurrier: How The Ball Coach Taught the South to Play Football |last=Henry |first=Ran |publisher=Lyons Press |year=2014 |isbn=0762791845978-0762791842}}</ref>

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 |archiveurlarchive-url=https://archive.istoday/20121205081717/http://www.touchdownclubofcolumbus.com/PastHonorees.htm |archivedatearchive-date=December 5, 2012 |df= }}</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>http{{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://articleswww.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1996-05-10/sports/9605090896_1_wuerffel-playboy9605090896-offerstory.html|access-scholar-athletedate=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>

! rowspan="2"| Season !! colspan=7|Passing Statistics

! CompCmp !! Att !! Yds !! Pct !! TD !! Int !! [[Passer rating|Rating]]Rtg

! [[1993 NCAA Division I-A football season|1993]] || [[1993 Florida Gators football team|1993Florida]]

| 159 || 273 || 2,230 || 58.2% || 22 || 10 || 146.1

! [[1994 NCAA Division I-A football season|1994]] || [[1994 Florida Gators football team|1994Florida]]

| 132 || 212 || 1,754 || 62.3% || 18 || 9 || 151.3

! [[1995 NCAA Division I-A football season|1995]] || [[1995 Florida Gators football team|1995Florida]]

| 210 || 325 || 3,266 ² || 64.6% || 35 ¹ || 10 || 178.4 ¹

! [[1996 NCAA Division I-A football season|1996]] || [[1996 Florida Gators football team|1996Florida]]

| 207 || 360 || 3,625 ² || 57.5% || 39 ¹ || 13 || 170.6 ²

After not being signed by another team in 2003, Wuerffel decided to retire from professional football in February 2004.<ref>{{cite webnews|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|workagency=[[Associated Press]]|publishernewspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|accessdateaccess-date=September 21, 2016|date=February 19, 2004}}</ref>

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 |authorlink1author-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 |accessdateaccess-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 |accessdateaccess-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 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|accessdateaccess-date=January 14, 2016|url-status=dead|archiveurlarchive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304053816/http://digital.turn-page.com/i/276916-destin-magazine-mar-apr14/112|archivedatearchive-date=March 4, 2016|df=}}</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, Executiveexecutive Directordirector of Desire Street Ministries and maintains a personal website at [https://Dannywuerffel.com dannywuerffel.com] .

* [[List of Florida Gators football players in the NFL draft]]

* [[List of NCAA Division I FBS quarterbacks with at least 80 career passing touchdowns| leaders]]
* [[List of NCAA Division I FBS career passing touchdownyards leaders]]

* [[List of University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame members]]

[[Category:Sportspeople from PensacolaOkaloosa County, Florida]]

[[Category:Players of American football from Pensacola, Florida]]