Gus Frerotte

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Gus Frerotte

Gus Frerotte during the Vikings 2008 Training Camp.
Free Agent — No. --
Quarterback
Date of birth: July 31, 1971 (1971-07-31) (age 37)
Place of birth: Kittanning, Pennsylvania
Height: 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	Weight: 233 lb (106 kg)
Professional debut
1994 for the Washington Redskins
Career history
College: Tulsa
NFL Draft: 1994 / Round: 7 / Pick: 197
Teams: Washington Redskins (1994-1998) Detroit Lions (1999) Denver Broncos (2000-2001) Cincinnati Bengals (2002) Minnesota Vikings (2003-2004) Miami Dolphins (2005) St. Louis Rams (2006-2007) Minnesota Vikings (2008)
Career highlights and awards
Pro Bowl selection (1996) Tied record for longest touchdown pass (99 yards, against the Chicago Bears on November 30, 2008)
Selected NFL statistics (through Week 17 of the 2008 NFL season)
TD-INT	114-106
Passing yards	21,291
QB Rating	74.2
Stats at NFL.com

Gustave Joseph "Gus" Frerotte (pronounced /fɚˈrɑːt/; born July 31, 1971 in Kittanning, Pennsylvania) is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was originally drafted by the Washington Redskins in the seventh round of the 1994 NFL Draft. He played college football at Tulsa.

Frerotte, who was selected to the Pro Bowl while with the Redskins in 1996, has also played for the Detroit Lions, Denver Broncos, Cincinnati Bengals, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, St. Louis Rams and Minnesota Vikings again, totaling seven different teams.

[edit] Early years

Frerotte attended Ford City High School in Ford City, Pennsylvania and was a letterman in football, basketball, and baseball. In football, as a senior, he led his team to a District Title. In baseball, he was a four-year letterman. Frerotte graduated from Ford City High School in 1989.

Frerotte is the cousin of Mitch Frerotte, a former offensive lineman who played for the Buffalo Bills during the 1990s and died in 2008.

[edit] College career

At the University of Tulsa, he finished his college career as the school's second-ranked all-time passer behind T. J. Rubley, a teammate from 1991–92. During his career he threw for 5,480 yards and 32 touchdowns on 432-of-860 passing. His 2,871 passing yards as a senior were the most by a Tulsa quarterback in 28 years. As a sophomore, Frerotte handled punting duties for the team and averaged 35.5 yards per punt. As a redshirt freshman, he was forced into starting role for eight games in 1990 after Rubley was injured, starting his first career game at Oklahoma. During his time as an undergraduate, he joined the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity.

[edit] Professional career

[edit] Washington Redskins

His professional career started with the Washington Redskins in 1994. Frerotte was picked in the seventh round of the draft. Earlier in that draft, the Redskins had selected Heath Shuler with their first-round pick (third overall). However, by the next season Frerotte was the starting quarterback due to Shuler's injuries and struggles adjusting to the pro game. Frerotte would retain the starting job until Opening Day 1998.

Frerotte was selected to the 1997 Pro Bowl, but he may be better remembered for injuring himself by ramming his head into a padded cement wall in celebration of a touchdown in a 7–7 tie against the New York Giants on Sunday Night Football, spraining his neck.

[edit] Detroit Lions

In 1999, he played for the Detroit Lions, where he backed up Charlie Batch. Frerotte started for the Lions in the playoffs, as Batch was injured.

[edit] Denver Broncos

In 2000, he started for the Denver Broncos after Brian Griese was injured and led the Broncos to the playoffs, falling in the opening round to eventual Super Bowl Champion the Baltimore Ravens. He remained the Broncos' backup until the end of the 2001 NFL season.

[edit] Cincinnati Bengals

He joined the Cincinnati Bengals in 2002, winning the starting job before giving way three games in to the season to Jon Kitna under the soon-to-be-fired Dick LeBeau.

[edit] First stint with Vikings

In 2003 and 2004, Frerotte backed up Daunte Culpepper for the Minnesota Vikings. As a starter he was 2–0 with the Vikings.

[edit] Miami Dolphins

Frerotte earned the Miami Dolphins starting job in 2005. He guided the Dolphins to a 9–7 record, starting 15 games and throwing for 18 touchdowns against 13 interceptions, including 2 touchdowns in an upset victory over the Denver Broncos in Week 1. He completed 52% of his passes and finished the season with a 71.9 quarterback rating.

[edit] St. Louis Rams

Afterward, he joined the St. Louis Rams as back-up to Marc Bulger. St. Louis cut Frerotte after two seasons on February 28, 2008. [1]

[edit] Second stint with Vikings

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On April 1, 2008 he returned to the Vikings, signing a two-year, 3.75 million dollar deal. He was Tarvaris Jackson's backup for the first two games of the year. On September 17, 2008, he was named the starter for the rest of the 2008 season by head coach Brad Childress.

On November 30, 2008, Frerotte tied the NFL record for the longest pass from scrimmage by throwing a 99 yard touchdown pass to Bernard Berrian. He later went on to score a touchdown on a quarterback sneak in the same game.

Under him, Frerotte lead the Vikings to a 8-3 record before suffering a back injury, which restarted Tarvaris Jackson. Frerotte had expressed interest in being the starting quarterback for the Vikings for the 2009 NFL Season, if he returned

He was released by the Vikings on February 27, 2009, after the team signed QB Sage Rosenfels.

[edit] Personal

Married to Ann, has a daughter, Abigaile, and two sons, Gunnar and Gabriel .

[edit] External links

• Minnesota Vikings Bio
• Pro-football-reference.com - Career Statistics