Vinny Testaverde

Vincent Frank Testaverde Sr. (/tɛstəˈvɜːrdi/; born November 13, 1963) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 21 seasons. He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes, earning consensus All-American honors and winning the Heisman Trophy in 1986.

Testaverde was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the first overall pick of the 1987 NFL draft. After leaving as a free agent, he signed with the Cleveland Browns and was among the people taken away to play for the new Baltimore Ravens during the team's controversial move. He then joined the New York Jets, where he achieved his greatest success. In the last four seasons of his career, he played for the Dallas Cowboys, the Jets for a second time, New England Patriots, and Carolina Panthers for one year each.

Testaverde's professional career is principally noted for its duration: 21 seasons with seven teams. He finished in the top 10 in most career passing statistics: 6th in career passing yardage, 7th in career touchdown passes, 6th in career completions. But he holds the NFL records for losses as a starting quarterback (123) and lowest career regular-season winning percentage for any quarterback with at least 70 wins (42.3%). He started five postseason games in his NFL career with a record of 2–3. Testaverde was known for his strong arm and high volume, but was also known for his frequent interceptions. Testaverde threw more than 20 interceptions in four of his 21 seasons; during his second season with the Buccaneers, he threw 35 interceptions.

Testaverde was born in Brooklyn, New York City. While living in Elmont, New York, on Long Island, Testaverde attended Sewanhaka High School in Floral Park, and graduated in 1981. He then attended Fork Union Military Academy in Fork Union, Virginia for a post-graduate year of college preparatory work. Growing up, he was a fan of the New York Jets.

Testaverde accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Miami, where he played for the Miami Hurricanes football team from 1982 to 1986. He redshirted as a freshman, backed up Bernie Kosar for the next two seasons, and became the starter in 1985. As a senior in 1986, he was a Unanimous First-team All-American and won the Heisman Trophy, on his way to becoming the Hurricanes' all-time leader in career touchdown passes with 48. In addition to the Heisman Trophy, he also won the Davey O'Brien Award, the Maxwell Award, the Sammy Baugh Trophy, and the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award. His 26 touchdown passes and passer rating of 165.8 in the 1986 season led major college football. He played in the 1987 Fiesta Bowl against Penn State for the 1986 national championship, a game in which the Miami Hurricanes were heavily favored but lost 14–10 in a game in which Testaverde threw five interceptions.

Testaverde played an important part in the University of Miami's history as one of the top college football programs of the 1980s and 1990s. Along with Jim Kelly, Mark Richt, Bernie Kosar, Steve Walsh, Gino Torretta, Craig Erickson, and Ken Dorsey, Testaverde is considered part of the University of Miami's quarterback dynasty, and was inducted into the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame in 1998. On May 7, 2013, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Testaverde was selected as the first overall draft pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 1987 NFL draft. He made his NFL debut in Week 2, throwing four passes in a 20–3 loss to the Chicago Bears. He made his first start in a Week 13 loss to the Saints. He scored his first NFL touchdown on a one-yard rush and he threw his first passing touchdown on a 37-yard pass to Mark Carrier. In his second season, Testaverde struggled heavily with a 47.6% completion rate for 3,240 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 35 interceptions. His 35 interceptions were the second most of any quarterback in a single season in NFL history. During his tenure in Tampa, Testaverde received taunts from fans and radio personalities about his color blindness. In 1988, a radio station in Tampa rented a billboard that had Testaverde standing in front of a blue background. The billboard read: "Vinny thinks this is orange!" The high number of errors caused his intelligence to be called into question. National Football League Players Association president Gene Upshaw, unaware that his comments could be heard by anyone viewing through a direct satellite uplink, once commented during an NFL Live! commercial break that Testaverde was so dumb that he would drag the electric cord through his swimming pool while trimming the hedges, and claimed himself to be a better quarterback (Upshaw was a retired offensive guard) than Testaverde.

In the 1989 season, Testaverde started all 14 games and passed for over 3,000 yards and 20 touchdowns. While Testaverde significantly reduced his interception total in 1989, he again led the league with 22. His numbers continued to improve, and in the 1992 season, his last with Tampa Bay, he threw for a 57.5% completion rate for 2,554 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions.