Gus Frerotte
Gustave Joseph Frerotte is a former American football quarterback. He was 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 1997 Pro Bowl while with the Redskins, also played for the Detroit Lions, Denver Broncos, Cincinnati Bengals, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, and St. Louis Rams.
Early years
Frerotte attended Ford City High School in Ford City, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. In high school, he was a letterman in football, basketball, and baseball. Frerotte graduated in 1989.Frerotte is the cousin of Mitch Frerotte, an offensive lineman who played for the Buffalo Bills during the 1990s.
College career
At the University of Tulsa, he started eight games as a redshirt freshman in 1990 after quarterback T.J. Rubley was injured, starting his first career game at Oklahoma. He finished his college career as the school's second-ranked all-time passer, behind Rubley. During his collegiate 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 also handled punting duties for the team and averaged 35.5 yards per punt.As an undergraduate, he joined the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity.
Career as athlete
Washington Redskins
Frerotte was picked in the seventh round of the draft with the 197th overall pick by the Washington Redskins; earlier in the same draft, the Redskins had selected Heath Shuler with their first-round pick. However, by the next season Frerotte was the starting quarterback due to Shuler's injuries and struggles adjusting to the professional game. Frerotte would retain the starting job until 1998.Frerotte was selected to the 1997 Pro Bowl, but sprained his neck by ramming his head into a padded cement wall during a touchdown celebration in a 7-7 tie against the New York Giants on ESPN Sunday Night Football.
During his Pro Bowl season in 1996, Frerotte passed for 3,453 yards, also ranking 9th in pass completions, finishing the year completing 270 of 470 passes. Frerotte also ranked 3rd in the league in average yards per pass completion. Frerotte had led the league in that category the season before, his first as a steady starter, finishing that year with 199 completions in 396 attempts for 2,751 yards with 13 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
Detroit Lions
In 1999, he played for the Detroit Lions, where he backed up Charlie Batch. Frerotte wound up starting for the Lions in the playoffs while Batch was out with injuries; the Lions lost in the Wild Card round to the Redskins, Frerotte's former team, 27-13.The 1999 season statistically was one of Frerotte's best, posting a career-high 60.2% completion percentage and an 83.6 passer rating. He also finished in the NFL Top 10 for Highest Average yards Per Pass Attempt at 6.88 & Passing Yards Per Game at 235.2. Frerotte's best game of the season came vs Chicago completing a career best 29 completions for 309 yards with 2 Touchdowns and no interceptions, a key player in a narrow 21-17 win. The following week Frerotte again played well, this time facing his former team, helping Detroit beat Washington 33-17 completing 21 of 32 passes for 280 yards with 1 Touchdown and no interceptions. Frerotte established a then career high 375 yards, completing 24 of 39 passes again with 2 touchdowns and no interceptions in a losing effort vs Arizona on 11/14/99.
Denver Broncos
In 2000, Gus was a backup for the Denver Broncos. After Brian Griese was injured, he led the Broncos to the playoffs. The team lost in the opening round to the eventual Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens. He remained the Broncos' backup until the 2001 NFL season was over.Playing in 10 games subbing for the injured Griese, Frerotte lead Denver to four wins in his six starts, finishing the season with a 59.8% completion percentage, passing for 1,776 yards with nine touchdowns and eight interceptions. Frerotte finished 4th in the league in Average Yards Per Pass Completion and 10th in Average Yards Per Pass Attempt.
Among his more notable performances, Frerotte quarterbacked a wild 38-37 win over Division Rival San Diego on November 19, overcoming 4 interceptions and a lost fumble by passing for a career-high 462 yards and 5 Touchdowns. He was far more efficient in wins over New Orleans on 12/03/00 and in the regular season finale vs San Francisco on 12/23/00. At one stretch Denver scored at least 38 points in three consecutive games with Frerotte starting at quarterback.
Cincinnati Bengals
He joined the Cincinnati Bengals in 2002, winning the starting job before losing the position after three games to Jon Kitna under the soon-to-be-fired coach Dick LeBeau. His most notable play with the Bengals came against the Cleveland Browns on September 15: Frerotte, attempting to avoid a sack by Orpheus Roye, threw the ball with his left hand and was intercepted by Browns defensive lineman and former teammate with the Washington Redskins, Kenard Lang, who returned the ball 71 yards to the Bengals 8-yard line.2003–2007: Vikings, Dolphins, and Rams
In 2003 and 2004, Frerotte backed up Daunte Culpepper for the Minnesota Vikings, and served as the team's holder on field goals. He won both games as a temporary starter for the team in 2003.Frerotte earned the Miami Dolphins starting job in 2005. He started 15 games, guiding the Dolphins to a 9-6 record, throwing for 18 touchdowns and 13 interceptions, completing 52% of his passes and finished the season with a 71.9 quarterback rating.
After, he joined the St. Louis Rams as back-up to Marc Bulger. St. Louis cut Frerotte after two seasons with the team on February 28, 2008.
Second stint with Vikings
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. Frerotte led the Vikings to an 8–3 record before suffering a back injury, which reinstated Jackson as the starter.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 against the Chicago Bears.
Frerotte had expressed interest in being the starting quarterback for the Vikings for the 2009 NFL season, but was released on February 27, 2009, after the team traded for quarterback Sage Rosenfels. The Vikings, however, would end up signing Brett Favre to be their eventual starter.