Throughout his career, he had a 50.7 percent completion rate, a total of 17,199 yards and 135 touchdowns, and a passer rating of 74.8. In 1966, he was voted NFL Player of the Year, and he was selected to the Pro Bowl three times. According to the NFL, his 83-yard throw to Bob Hayes was the longest pass with no yards after catch (YAC).
Meredith entered the NFL in 1955 as part of the original Detroit Lions team. He was the third player taken in the 1956 NFL draft, behind Jerry Kramer from Wisconsin and Dave Robinson from Michigan State. Meredith was an immediate hit with fans and reporters, thanks in large part to his energetic playstyle that included sprinting downfield after every pass. He also gained attention for his stylish hair style.
In his first season, he completed 63.6 percent of his passes for 2,214 yards, 19 touchdowns, and seven interceptions while leading the Lions to a 7-5 record. In 1957, his numbers improved to 69.1 percent completions, 2,775 yards, 33 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. However, the Lions fell short of the playoffs after losing their final four games of the season. In 1958, he completed 62.9 percent of his passes for 3,894 yards, 42 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions while helping the Lions win their first NFL championship in school history. That same year, he was named MVP of the NFL Championship Game after throwing for two touchdowns and running for another.
When he retired, he was the Rams' all-time passing leader with 22,223 yards and 154 touchdowns (1,705 com./3,313 att.) and the Eagles' all-time passing leader with 7,221 yards and 45 touchdowns (661 com./1,185 att.). He led the NFL with 3,219 yards and 23 touchdown passes in 1973, earning him the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award. The following year, he was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Gabriel's 22,223 career yards are second only to Joe Montana (23,462) among active quarterbacks. His 154 touchdown passes are third behind Dan Marino (173) and Brett Favre (165).
Gabriel played in 14 seasons for three teams (Rams, Eagles, Cowboys), finishing with a record of 86-64-1. He threw for at least 200 yards six times and scored at least one touchdown in each of his first 13 seasons, from 1969-1971 with the Rams and then from 1973-1975 with the Eagles, before being traded to the Cowboys for Billy Howton and Kevin Dyson. There, he helped Dallas win its first Super Bowl title in 1977. After one season with the Cowboys, he decided to retire.
He came back for one more season in 1981 with the Redskins, but he never regained his previous form and was released after one game. At the time of his retirement, he had thrown for 7,221 yards and 45 touchdowns.
He graduated as the school's second-best all-time passer, after only Rubley. During his undergraduate career, he completed 432-of-860 passes for 5,480 yards and 32 touchdowns. As a senior, his 2,871 throwing yards were the most by a Tulsa quarterback in 28 years. That year, he threw 22 touchdowns and just one interception.
In the spring of 1999, Frerotte announced that he was leaving Tulsa to enter the NFL draft. He ended up being selected third overall by the Denver Broncos.
On August 30th, 2007, the Tulsa World reported that Frerotte had been charged with first-degree manslaughter for his role in the death of an 18-year-old woman during a party at his home in 2004. The newspaper reported that prosecutors would not file charges against any other participants in the incident, including Frerotte's wife and her friend. Both women gave birth several months later. Frerotte entered a plea agreement and was sentenced to three years' probation and 60 hours of community service.
In 2008, Frerotte signed with the Spokane Shock of the UFL. He played in two games for the team before being released due to injury. He finished with 216 passing yards, one touchdown, and an interception.
After spending some time away from football, Frerotte returned in 2013 when he signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League.
Randall Cunningham has the two lowest-rated 400-yard outings in the league (50.5 and 52.0; both were losses). Quarterbacks have passed for at least 500 yards passing twenty-five times; the most recent instance being Ben Roethlisberger's 501-yard performance against the Cleveland Browns in 2021.
With 115 games, Drew Brees has the most games with 300+ passing yards. Who has the most games with 300 or more throwing yards in a regular-season game? StatMuse contains game-level passing yard data dating back to the 1950 season.
Kurt Warner is the first Super Bowl quarterback to have thrown a 400-yard game. Only seven times in the regular season have two quarterbacks accumulated 400 passing yards in the same game, and only seven times has one quarterback had two consecutive 400-yard games. In 1943, the first year in which a quarterback threw for 400 yards or more,
In 1951, Norm Van Brocklin set an NFL record with 554 yards throwing. None of these games are among the top 10 in terms of yards per attempt in a game with 400 or more passing yards. Thirteen of the twenty-five games have been won by teams with a 500-yard passer.
Randall Cunningham has the two lowest-rated 400-yard outings in the league (50.5 and 52.0; both were losses). Quarterbacks have passed for at least 500 yards passing twenty-five times; the most recent instance being Ben Roethlisberger's 501-yard performance against the Cleveland Browns in 2021.
Fitzgerald caught 161 receptions for 2,677 yards and 34 receiving touchdowns in just 26 games throughout his undergraduate career. He became the first player in school history to have back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons, and his 14 games with at least 100 yards receiving eclipsed Antonio Bryant's previous Panthers all-time mark of 13.
A third-round pick by the Cardinals in 2004, Fitzgerald joined Tony Gonzalez (2002-03) and Michael Westbrook (2001) as the only players in CU history to catch at least 20 touchdowns during their first three seasons on campus. The only other player to do so was Rod Smith in 1990.
During his junior season in 2003, Fitzgerald set a new Carolina Panthers record with 16 receiving touchdowns, which is also a team record. His 161 catches also ranked second behind Smith's 170 in 1990 and 2001. The most receptions ever by a CU player came in 1994 when Drew Bennett had 175.
In addition to his work with Student Athlete Institute, where he mentors younger players and works with coaches on game day strategy, Fitzgerald volunteers with Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Central North Carolina, Habitat for Humanity and the Special Olympics. He has been selected to two Pro Bowls (2005, 2011) and was voted First Team All-Pro twice (2005, 2011). In 2012, he finished with 101 catches for 1,246 yards and 12 touchdowns.
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