Gus Frerotte

Gustave Joseph "Gus" Frerotte (born July 31, 1971 in Kittanning, Pennsylvania) is an American football quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League. He was originally 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 Pro Bowl with the Redskins in 1996, has also played for the Detroit Lions, Denver Broncos, Cincinnati Bengals, Miami Dolphins and St. Louis Rams.

Early years

Frerotte attended Ford City High School in Ford City, Pennsylvania and was a student and a letterman in football, basketball, and baseball. In football, as a senior, he led his team to a District Title. In baseball, he was a four-year letterman. Gus Frerotte graduated from Ford City High School in 1989.

Frerotte is the cousin of Mitch Frerotte, a former offensive lineman who played for the Buffalo Bills during the 1990s and died in 2008.

College career

At the University of Tulsa, he finished his college career as the school's 2nd-ranked all-time passer behind T.J. Rubley, a teammate from 1991-92. During his career he threw for 5,480 yards and 32 TDs on 432-of-860 passing. His 2,871 passing yards as a senior were the most by a Tulsa QB in 28 years. As a sophomore, Frerotte handled punting duties for the team and averaged 35.5 yards per punt. As a redshirt freshman, he was forced into starting role for 8 games in 1990 after Rubley was injured, starting his 1st career game at Oklahoma. During his time as an undergraduate, he joined the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity.

Professional career

Washington Redskins

His pro career started with the Washington Redskins in 1994 as a seventh round draft pick in the same draft where the Redskins selected Heath Shuler with the #3 overall pick. However, by the next season Frerotte was the starting quarterback due to Shuler's injuries and struggles adjusting to the pro game and would remain the Redskins' starting QB until Opening Day 1998. Frerotte was selected to one Pro Bowl team in 1996, but may be better remembered for an incident in which he injured himself by ramming his head into a padded cement wall in celebration of a touchdown in a 7-7 tie against the New York Giants on Sunday Night Football, spraining his neck.

Detroit Lions

In 1999, he played for the Detroit Lions, where he backed up Charlie Batch. Frerotte started for the Lions in the playoffs, as Batch was injured, the Lions losing in the first round to the Washington Redskins

Denver Broncos

In 2000, he started for the Denver Broncos after Brian Griese was injured and led the Broncos to the playoffs, falling in the opening round to eventual Super Bowl Champion the Baltimore Ravens. He remained the Broncos' backup until the end of the 2001 NFL season.

Cincinnati Bengals

He joined the Cincinnati Bengals in 2002, winning the starting job before giving way three games in to the season to Jon Kitna under the soon-to-be-fired Dick LeBeau.

First stint with Vikings

In 2003 and 2004, Frerotte backed up Daunte Culpepper for the Minnesota Vikings. As a starter he was 2-0 with the Vikings.

Miami Dolphins

Frerotte earned the Miami Dolphins starting job in 2005. He guided the Dolphins to a 9-7 record, starting 15 games and throwing for 18 touchdowns against 13 interceptions, including 2 touchdowns in an upset victory over the Denver Broncos in Week 1. He completed 52% of his passes and finished the season with a 71.9 quarterback rating.

St. Louis Rams

Afterwards, he joined the St. Louis Rams as back-up to Marc Bulger. St. Louis cut Frerotte after two seasons on February 28, 2007.

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.

External links

• Pro-football-reference.com - Career Statistics