Rex Grossman

Biography[]

Rex Grossman (born August 23, 1980 in Bloomington, Indiana) is an American football player and a quarterback. Grossman currently plays in the National Football League for the Chicago Bears. Grossman played college football at the University of Florida, where he set multiple school passing records, was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, and received national recognition.

High school career[]

Grossman played quarterback for Bloomington High School South in Bloomington, Indiana. In his senior year, Grossman led his team to the 1998 5A state title, throwing 216 yards and five touchdowns in a 35-14 victory over Homestead High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana [1]. Grossman's five touchdown passes set a record for the most touchdown passes thrown in an Indiana state high school championship game.

College career[]

Grossman elected to attend the University of Florida rather than the school in his hometown, Indiana University, where both his father and grandfather played football. After redshirting his freshman year, in 2000 Grossman found himself the third-string quarterback in an extremely competitive group that included senior Jesse Palmer and highly rated true freshman Brock Berlin. Nevertheless, after an injury to Palmer, he quickly established himself as the Gators' starter, achieving the third highest passer efficiency rating in the history of the NCAA. His sophomore year he came second to University of Nebraska quarterback Eric Crouch in the closest vote in Heisman Trophy history. His sophomore campaign culminated in the famed "Slinging in the Rain" game against LSU. In this game, Grossman threw 22 completions in 32 attempts, for 464 yards and 5 touchdowns, en route to a victory over the Tigers. He broke or approached many records set by Danny Wuerffel.

After his junior season in 2002 under new Florida head coach Ron Zook, who had replaced Steve Spurrier at the end of the previous season, Grossman opted to forego his final year of collegiate eligibility and declare for the NFL draft.

Career Stats at Florida[]

Pass Attempts

Career : 1,110
Season : 503(2002) (UF Record)
Game : 51 (2001) vs. Tennessee

Pass Completions

Career : 677
Season : 287(2002) (UF Record)
Game : 36 (2002) vs. Georgia (UF Record)

Pass Yards

Career : 9,164
Season : 3,896(2001) (UF Record)
Game : 464 (2001) at. LSU (UF Record)

Professional career[]

The Chicago Bears selected Grossman during the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft. Under the coaching of Dick Jauron, Grossman was sidelined in favor of veteran quarterbacks Chris Chandler and Kordell Stewart. Grossman only saw playtime during the final three games of the season, after the Bears were eliminated from the playoffs. Grossman was removed from the final game of the campaign after breaking a finger in his left (non-throwing) hand.

Before the start of the 2004 NFL season, the Bears fired Jauron and hired Lovie Smith, who declared Grossman the team's starting quarterback. Grossman was criticized when he threw a game-ending interception against the Detroit Lions on opening day. Criticism of his durability intensified when he damaged his knee ligaments while scrambling for a touchdown. The injury forced Grossman to spend the remainder of the season recuperating.

Grossman missed most 2005 NFL season after breaking his ankle in a pre-season game. Grossman appeared in a press conference after the game, where he remarked, “Shit happens” to crowd of spectators.[2] On December 18, 2005, Lovie Smith choose to substitute a fully recovered Grossman in favor of Kyle Orton. Although Grossman only played for one half, he managed to lead the Bears to 3-16 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. Grossman continued his momentum that following week by leading the Bears to 24-17 victory over the Green Bay Packers. After a loss to the Vikings, Grossman and the Bears prepared to battle the Carolina Panthers. In Grossman’s first playoff game, he completed 17 of 41 passes, and threw one interception and touchdown for a 29-21 loss.

During a Chicago FOX Sports interview before the 2006 season, Grossman stated that he was eager to leave his injury-prone past behind him. Despite a sub par pre-season performance, Grossman led the Bears to a 26-0 victory over the Green Bay Packers. The following week, Grossman spearheaded the Bears to a 7-34 victory over the Detroit Lions by throwing four touchdowns. Grossman's week two performance earned him the "FedEx Air & Ground Player of the week award", as well as the NFL's highest overall quarterback rating.

On September 28, Grossman was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Month for September 2006 [3]. Three days later, Grossman lead the Bears to a 6-37 victory over the Seattle Seahawks, throwing two touchdowns and 232 yards. Grossman's week four stellar performance earned him another "FedEx Air & Ground Player of the week award". The following week, Grossman lead the Bears to 7-40 victory over the Buffalo Bills, marking the Bears' best start since 1986.

Personal life[]

Grossman has been married to Alison Miska since 2005.

Trivia[]

Besides football, Rex enjoys playing basketball in his free time [4].
Despite the bitter rivalry between the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers, Rex Grossman has always admired Brett Favre
Rex claims his most prized NFL career moment came when he returned to the football field on December 18th, 2005, and lead the Bears to a victory over the Atlanta Falcons.
Grossman is a third-generation football player. Both his father, Daniel, and paternal grandfather, Rex Sr., played football for Indiana University.
Grossman's grandfather, Rex, played for the Baltimore Colts in the late 1940s.

External links[]

Statistics[]

<stats> Player=Rex Grossman Sport=NFL </stats>