Gary Danielson

Last updated

Gary Danielson
Gary Danielson.jpg
Danielson in 2013
No. 16, 18
Position: Quarterback
Personal information
Born: (1951-09-10) September 10, 1951 (age 72)
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High school: Divine Child (Dearborn, Michigan)
College: Purdue
Undrafted: 1973
Career history
Career NFL statistics
Passing attempts:1,932
Passing completions:1,105
Completion percentage:57.2%
TD–INT:81–78
Passing yards:13,764
Passer rating:76.6
Player stats at PFR

Gary Dennis Danielson (born September 10, 1951) is an American college football commentator and former professional football player. Danielson was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Detroit Lions from 1976 to 1984 and for the Cleveland Browns in 1985, 1987, and 1988. Since 2006, he has worked for CBS Sports as a commentator for its college football coverage and previously held the same position for ABC Sports from 1997 through 2005 and ESPN from 1990 through 1996.

Contents

Playing career

Danielson played high school football at Divine Child High School under Tony Versaci in Dearborn, Michigan, and graduated from the school in 1969. As the left side wide receiver in his junior year and quarterback in his senior year, he helped Divine Child win two straight Catholic High School League championships. [1] He played college football at Purdue University and graduated in 1973 with a Bachelor of Arts in industrial management. He would later earn a Master's degree in physical education in 1976. Danielson had succeeded Mike Phipps as the Boilermakers' starting quarterback in 1970 and had 14 touchdown passes and 30 interceptions with a 45.6 percent completion rate in three seasons as a starter. [2]

Danielson spent two years in the short-lived World Football League as a non-starter, with the New York Stars/Charlotte Hornets in 1974 and the Chicago Winds in 1975. [3] The Winds franchise folded a month before the league's collapse in October, and Danielson signed with the Lions for the 1976 season.

He amassed 13,764 passing yards and 81 touchdowns in 101 games in the NFL. He ranks fourth in Lions history in passing yards and touchdowns. His five touchdowns in a 1978 game against the Minnesota Vikings is still tied for a Lions record.

Broadcasting career

Danielson began his broadcasting career starting before his playing days were over as a part-time anchor/reporter at WDIV-TV, in Detroit, during the off-season while a member of the Lions. In Cleveland, he co-hosted a sports talk show while a member of the Browns. [4]

After retiring from the Browns, Danielson joined ESPN as a college football analyst. He continued to work in that capacity for ESPN/ABC Sports until 2006 when he joined CBS Sports as a college football analyst, partnering originally with Verne Lundquist (and currently Brad Nessler) on the network's primary broadcast team during Southeastern Conference telecasts. He also serves as the college football radio analyst for Paul Finebaum where he appears weekly during the college football season. Starting in the 2011 college football season, Danielson became a weekly guest on Mike's On: Francesa on the FAN with Mike Francesa. He has also become a regular guest on The Dan Patrick Show .[ citation needed ]

Personal life

Danielson is married to wife Kristy with whom he has four children, Matt David Danielson, Kelly Danielson, Tracy Danielson, and Molly Danielson. [4] The two met in college at Purdue, where Kristy's father, George King , was the head basketball coach and athletic director. [5]

The Danielson family resided in Rochester Hills, Michigan and the children attended Rochester Adams High School. His son, Matt, played college football at Northwestern. [6]

Danielson ran an importing and exporting business with former Lions teammate James Jones in the early 1990s. [7] He has also invested in business ventures with former Browns teammate Bernie Kosar. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Len Dawson</span> American football player (1935–2022)

Leonard Ray Dawson was an American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) and American Football League (AFL) for 19 seasons, primarily with the Kansas City Chiefs franchise. After playing college football at Purdue, Dawson began his professional career with the NFL in 1957, spending three seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers and two with the Cleveland Browns. He left the NFL in 1962 to sign with the AFL's Chiefs, where he spent the last 14 seasons of his career, and rejoined the NFL after the AFL–NFL merger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernie Kosar</span> American football player (born 1963)

Bernard Joseph Kosar Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes, leading the team to a national championship in 1983. He subsequently played in the NFL for the Cleveland Browns from 1985 to 1993 and the Dallas Cowboys (1993) and Miami Dolphins. He was the backup quarterback on the 1993 Cowboys team that won Super Bowl XXVIII.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Griese</span> American football player and coach (born 1975)

Brian David Griese is an American football coach and former quarterback who is the quarterbacks coach for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the third round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He played high school football at Christopher Columbus High School and later college football at Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Millen</span> American football player and executive (born 1958)

Matthew George Millen is an American former professional football player and executive in the National Football League (NFL). Millen played as a linebacker for 12 years for the Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders, San Francisco 49ers, and Washington Redskins, playing on four Super Bowl-winning teams and winning a Super Bowl ring for each of the three franchises for which he played.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andre Ware</span> American football player and analyst (born 1968)

Andre Trevor Ware is an American sports analyst and commentator, and a former football quarterback. He played in the National Football League (NFL), the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the NFL Europe. Ware played college football for the Houston Cougars, winning the Heisman Trophy and Davey O'Brien Award in 1989. He was the first black quarterback to receive the Heisman. In the 1990 NFL Draft, Ware was selected in the first round by the Detroit Lions with the seventh overall pick. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2004.

Todd Alan Blackledge is a former American football quarterback in both the NCAA and National Football League (NFL). In college, he led the Penn State Nittany Lions to a national championship. A member of the famed Class of 1983, he played for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Blackledge is a college football television broadcaster, working for ABC Sports from 1994 through 1998, for CBS Sports from 1999 to 2005, ESPN from 2006 through January 2023, and NBC since February 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Orlovsky</span> American football player and analyst (born 1983)

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul McDonald (American football)</span> American football player (born 1958)

Paul Brian McDonald is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Cleveland Browns and Dallas Cowboys. He played college football for the USC Trojans, earning second-team All-American honors in 1979.

Gregory Paul Landry is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) from 1968 to 1981, and again in 1984. He played for the Detroit Lions, Baltimore Colts and Chicago Bears. He played college football at Massachusetts from 1965–1967. He became an assistant coach after his playing career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Garrett</span> American football player and coach (born 1966)

Jason Calvin Garrett is an American former football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). He played as a quarterback before becoming a coach. Garrett was the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys for 9+1⁄2 seasons from 2010 to 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lomas Brown</span> American football player (born 1963)

Lomas Brown Jr. is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons in the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s. Brown played college football for the Florida Gators, receiving consensus All-American honors. A first-round pick in the 1985 NFL Draft, he played professionally for the Detroit Lions and four other NFL teams. He is currently a color analyst for Lions radio broadcasts on WXYT 97.1 The Ticket, as well as a commentator and analyst for ESPN and other television and radio networks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew Stafford</span> American football player (born 1988)

John Matthew Stafford is an American football quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Georgia and was selected first overall by the Detroit Lions in the 2009 NFL Draft. Ranking in the top 12 of all-time in pass attempts, pass completions, passing yards and passing touchdowns, Stafford is currently fifth all-time in passing yards per game and is the fastest player in NFL history to have reached 40,000 career passing yards.

Donnie Gerald Green was an American football offensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL) for the Buffalo Bills, Philadelphia Eagles, and the Detroit Lions. He played college football at Purdue University and was drafted in the fifth round of the 1971 NFL Draft.

Brandon Michael Kirsch is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at Purdue University, where he would forgo his senior season to enter the 2006 NFL Draft. Kirsch played for the Colorado Crush and Philadelphia Soul of the Arena Football League (AFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kellen Moore</span> American football player and coach (born 1988)

Kellen Christopher Moore is an American football coach and former quarterback who is the offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Boise State Broncos, setting the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) record for quarterback wins. Signed by Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent in 2012, he played as a backup with the Lions and the Dallas Cowboys for three seasons each. Moore retired from playing in 2018 and rejoined the Cowboys as a coach, serving as the team's offensive coordinator from 2019 to 2022. He became the Chargers' offensive coordinator in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ndamukong Suh</span> American football player (born 1987)

Ndamukong Ngwa Suh is an American football defensive tackle who is a free agent. He played college football at Nebraska, where he earned All-American honors, and was selected by the Detroit Lions second overall in the 2010 NFL Draft. He also played for the Miami Dolphins, Los Angeles Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Philadelphia Eagles. He has played in three Super Bowls: Super Bowl LIII with the Rams, Super Bowl LV with the Buccaneers, and Super Bowl LVII with the Eagles.

Quarterback U is a nickname used by sportswriters to refer to colleges that have trained a series of notable football quarterbacks (QBs). It is a literary device invoked in the individual discretion of sportswriters and does not represent any formal decision-making process or organized sportswriters' poll. Generally speaking, the term implies that many of the school's former quarterbacks later had successful careers in professional football, particularly in the National Football League (NFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Blough</span> American football player (born 1995)

David Marshall Blough is an American football quarterback for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Purdue and signed with the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2019. Following an injury to Matthew Stafford and Jeff Driskel, Blough assumed the starting role for the final five games of the Detroit Lions' 2019 season. He has also been a member of the Minnesota Vikings. He is the husband of Colombian-American hurdler Melissa Gonzalez.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amon-Ra St. Brown</span> German-American football player (born 1999)

Amon-Ra Julian Heru John St. Brown is an American football wide receiver for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at USC and was drafted by the Lions in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. St. Brown tied NFL records of scoring touchdowns in 6 consecutive games aged 22-or-younger with Randy Moss and Rob Gronkowski, and recording 8+ receptions in 8 consecutive games with Antonio Brown and Michael Thomas, while also becoming the first player in NFL history to record 8+ receptions and a touchdown in 6 consecutive games, on September 18, 2022, against the Washington Commanders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Penn State Nittany Lions football team</span> American college football season

The 2022 Penn State Nittany Lions football team represented Pennsylvania State University in the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season as a member of the Big Ten Conference. The team was led by ninth-year head coach James Franklin. The Nittany Lions entered the season unranked for the first time since 2016. Prior to the season, the team recruited the former number one quarterback Drew Allar, and the number one running back Nicholas Singleton.

References

  1. ↑ "Gary's Arm Wins For Devine Child". Detroit Free Press . November 2, 1968. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Gary Danielson College Stats".
  3. ↑ WFL summary page - accessed October 9, 2010,
  4. 1 2 "CBS Sports TV Team - CBSSports.com". Archived from the original on October 20, 2012.
  5. ↑ Traylor, Grant (June 9, 2012). "Danielson sounds off on college football". The Herald-Dispatch . Huntington, West Virginia.
  6. ↑ "Matt Danielson Profile". nusports.com. Archived from the original on June 28, 2013. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
  7. ↑ Milian, Jorge (September 9, 1994). "Jones Leaves The Backfield For Broadcast Booth". Sun-Sentinel . Deerfield Beach, Florida.
  8. ↑ "Former NFL Teammates Gary Danielson And Bernie Kosar To Champion Capsalus Corp. Health & Wellness Platform". TheStreet.com. November 17, 2011.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.