No. 12, 7, 17 | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Position: | Quarterback | ||||||
Personal information | |||||||
Born: | Des Moines, Iowa, U.S. | November 22, 1963||||||
Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||
Weight: | 216 lb (98 kg) | ||||||
Career information | |||||||
High school: | Roosevelt (Seattle, Washington) | ||||||
College: | Washington | ||||||
NFL draft: | 1986 / Round: 3 / Pick: 71 | ||||||
Career history | |||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||
| |||||||
Career NFL statistics | |||||||
| |||||||
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.
Born in Iowa, Millen grew up in Seattle and graduated from its Roosevelt High School in 1982. He attended Santa Rosa Junior College in northern California, finishing with 1,217 passing yards and 8 touchdowns. He transferred to the University of Washington after his sophomore season to play under head coach Don James. Coming in as a walk-on, Millen beat out freshman Chris Chandler for the starting job, [1] who later became the starting quarterback and went on to have a successful NFL career.
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.
Millen was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the third round (71st overall) of the 1986 NFL draft. [3] He missed his entire rookie season after fracturing an ankle and landing on the injured reserve list. [4] Millen missed most of the 1987 season with a back injury and only had one pass attempt. By this time, Jim Everett – who the Rams had traded for with the Houston Oilers after being the #3 overall pick in the 1986 NFL Draft – had become entrenched as the Rams starter, and Millen would soon be heading out the door.
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.
On April 1, 1991, he signed with the New England Patriots in Plan B free agency. In the fourth week, Millen replaced Tommy Hodson as the starting quarterback and finished with a 5-7 record, raising the team's overall record for the season to 6-10; which was an improvement from their 1-15 record from the previous year.
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 1993. On April 26, he was traded to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a seventh round draft choice (#222-Marty Moore). [7] With the #1 overall pick in the 1993 NFL draft, the Patriots selected Washington State quarterback Drew Bledsoe.
In 1993, the Dallas Cowboys were the defending Super Bowl champions and acquired Millen as insurance for injured starter Troy Aikman, who had just undergone surgery for a herniated disk. Steve Beuerlein – the backup quarterback from the previous year – had signed with the Phoenix Cardinals as a free agent. Aikman was expected to miss six to 12 weeks at the time, as he rehabbed from his surgery, while Millen and Jason Garrett would fill the void in the meantime. Millen himself had separated his left shoulder three times during the previous season. [8]
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]
On November 15, 1993, Millen 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.
Millen spent 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 threw for 1,090 yards with three touchdown passes and a 63% completion percentage.
On April 22, 1996, Millen was signed as a free agent by the New Orleans Saints, [11] [12] but was released on August 23. [13] [14]
Millen currently works as a football analyst for KJR-AM radio and KCPQ television in Seattle, and lives with his family in Snoqualmie. Additionally, he has helped Baden and Adidas develop a better 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. [15] 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. [16] Clay plays at the University of Florida after transferring from Colorado State University. [17] [18]
LaVonya Quintelle "Quincy" Carter is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs and was selected in the second round of the 2001 NFL draft. Carter played in the NFL for the Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets. Outside the NFL, he also was a member of the Bossier–Shreveport Battle Wings, Kansas City Brigade and Abilene Ruff Riders. Additionally, from 1996 to 1999, he was in the Chicago Cubs minor league baseball organization.
Jon Kelly Kitna is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Seattle Seahawks, Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions, and Dallas Cowboys. He played college football for the Central Washington Wildcats and was signed by the Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 1996. He is currently the head football coach at Lakota East High School in Ohio.
Stephen Taylor Beuerlein is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. After his playing career, he became an NFL and college football analyst for CBS.
Rodney Peete is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the USC Trojans, earning first-team All-American honors in 1988. Peete was selected in the sixth round of the 1989 NFL draft. He played in the NFL for the Detroit Lions, Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, Oakland Raiders, and Carolina Panthers
Ryan Joseph Fitzpatrick is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. Fitzpatrick started at quarterback for nine teams, the most in league history. He is also the only NFL player to have a passing touchdown with eight different teams.
Scott David Zolak is an American broadcaster and former professional football player. He played quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons, primarily with the New England Patriots. Over the course of his career, he played in 55 games, with 7 starts, for the Patriots and Miami Dolphins, completed 124 of 248 passes for 1,314 yards, threw eight touchdowns and seven interceptions, and finished his career with a passer rating of 64.8.
Stephen John Walsh is an American football coach and former player. He played as a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bears, St. Louis Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Indianapolis Colts. He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes, earning consensus All-American honors in 1988.
Anthony Lavon Wright is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals and New York Giants. He played college football for the South Carolina Gamecocks.
Dan Orlovsky is an American football analyst for ESPN and former professional football player. He played as a quarterback for 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily as a backup.
James Bradley Johnson is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for 17 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), Johnson played for the Minnesota Vikings, Washington Redskins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Dallas Cowboys. He is best known for his time with the Buccaneers, whom he led to their Super Bowl XXXVII title over the Oakland Raiders.
Damon Paul Huard is a former American football quarterback. He is the director of community relations and fundraising for the University of Washington football program, his alma mater.
Michael Patrick Quinn is a former professional American football quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Indianapolis Colts, Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins, Houston Texans, and Denver Broncos. He also was a member of the Rhein Fire of NFL Europe, and the Montreal Alouettes and Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Stephen F. Austin State University.
Douglas Keith Nussmeier is an American football coach and former player who is the quarterbacks coach for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played professionally as a quarterback in the NFL and Canadian Football League (CFL). Nussmeier played college football for the Idaho Vandals football, winning the Walter Payton Award as the most outstanding offensive player in NCAA Division I-AA. He was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the fourth round of the 1994 NFL Draft. He finished his playing career with the CFL's BC Lions.
Craig Marion Kupp is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Phoenix Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at Pacific Lutheran University.
Garrett Antone Gilbert is a former American football quarterback. He played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. The son of former NFL quarterback Gale Gilbert, he played college football at the University of Texas at Austin and SMU.
James Richard Garoppolo, nicknamed "Jimmy G", is an American football quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Eastern Illinois Panthers, setting multiple school records for career passing yards and passing touchdowns and winning the Walter Payton Award as a senior. Garoppolo was selected in the second round of the 2014 NFL draft by the New England Patriots, where he spent his first four seasons as Tom Brady's backup and was a member of two Super Bowl-winning teams.
Rayne Dakota Prescott is an American football quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Mississippi State Bulldogs, twice earning first-team All-SEC honors, and was selected by the Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL draft. Prescott ranks fourth all-time in completion percentage with at least 1,500 pass attempts, and is fifth in the NFL's all-time regular season career passer rating.
Cooper Robert Rush is an American football quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Central Michigan Chippewas, and was signed by the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2017.
Jacob Henry Eason is an American football quarterback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Washington and Georgia and was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL draft.
Bailey Michael Zappe is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played his first three seasons of college football for the Houston Baptist Huskies and used his last year of eligibility with the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, where he set the FBS season records for passing yards and passing touchdowns. Zappe was selected by the Patriots in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft and mostly served as backup until becoming their primary starter near the end of the 2023 season.
But BYU's 1984 opponents weren't exactly fearsome, either; they went an unimpressive 61–85–3 (.419) that year.