 Wuerffel in 2019 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 7, 17 | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Quarterback | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born: | May 27, 1974 Fort Walton Beach, Florida, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| 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 | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Daniel Carl Wuerffel (born May 27, 1974) is an American former professional 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 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 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 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.[1] Under Wuerffel, Desire Street Ministries moved its headquarters to Atlanta and expanded its programs to other inner cities in the American South.[2]
- ^ "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.