A three-year starting quarterback at Purdue, Drew Brees led the Boilermakers to a 24-13 record, a Big Ten title and a 37-34 victory over Kansas State in the 1998 Alamo Bowl, earning game MVP honors after throwing for 230 yards and three touchdowns. A two-year team captain, he holds virtually every school and Big Ten passing record. Brees completed 1,026-of-1,678 passes for 11,792 yards and 90 touchdowns, all program records. The team leader in passing in 1998 (3,983), 1999 (3,909) and 2000 (3,668), he is the only Purdue quarterback to throw for 3,000 yards in three separate seasons. Brees is also the only Boilermaker to gain 4,000 yards of total offense in three separate seasons, leading the team and the Big Ten in 1998 (4,176), 1999 (4,086) and 2000 (4,189). In 2000, Brees led the NCAA in total offense. Brees is tied for the NCAA record for longest touchdown pass with a 99-yard strike to Vinny Sutherland in a 31-23 win over Northwestern.
The recipient of the Maxwell Award as college football’s most outstanding player, Brees finished fourth in the 2000 Heisman Trophy voting. The 2000 Big Ten MVP was twice named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and received Big Ten Player of the Week Honors eight times. A three-time All-Big Ten selection, Brees was the 2000 team MVP and was selected to play in the Hula Bowl, completing 10-of-20 passes for 119 yards and a touchdown in the North’s 31-23 win over the South. A two-time Academic All-American and three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, he was named the 2000 Academic All-American of the Year.
Brees was selected in the second round (32nd overall) of the 2001 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers and saw limited action in his rookie season behind College Football Hall of Famer and 1984 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Doug Flutie. He became the primary starter in 2002 and started 58 games for San Diego from 2002-05, completing 1,125-of-1,809 passes for 12,348 yards and 80 touchdowns. After a disappointing 2003 season and the selection of Phillip Rivers in the 2004 NFL Draft, Brees put up Pro Bowl-worthy numbers and was named the NFL Comeback Player of the Year.
Following the 2005 season, Brees signed with the New Orleans Saints, where he has played for the past nine seasons and missed only one start. In his first season with New Orleans, he threw for a league-leading 4,418 yards and led the Saints to a NFC South title and an appearance in the NFC Championship Game. A First Team All-Pro selection, Brees was named to his second Pro Bowl, finished second in the NFL MVP voting to College Football Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson and was a co-recipient of the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award. He was also named the team MVP, the NFC Offensive Player of the Year, the FedEx Air Player of the Year and the NFL Alumni Quarterback of the Year.
A three-time All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowl selection in his next eight seasons with New Orleans, Brees led the league in at least one passing category every season. In the 2009-2010 season, he led the Saints to their first Super Bowl title in franchise history and was named the Super Bowl MVP, the NFL Alumni Quarterback of the Year, NFC MVP, team MVP, NFC Offensive Player of the Year and FedEx Air Player of the Year. In nine seasons in New Orleans, Brees has completed 3,812-of-5,649 passes for 43,685 yards and 316 touchdowns and is the career franchise leader in every passing category.
The NFL’s all-time leader in completion percentage, Brees recorded a league-record 71.2 completion percentage in 2011. He is the fastest player to ever reach 40,000 and 50,000 passing yards in league history and holds the record for most seasons with 5,000 passing yards (5). A five-time leader in single-season passing yards, Brees also holds the league record for most consecutive games with a passing touchdown (54). Through the 2017 season, he has completed 6,222-of-9,294 passes for 70,445 yards and 488 touchdowns. Brees needs just 1,496 passing yards to slide by the all-time leader Peyton Manning.
Brees and his wife Brittany run the Brees Dream Foundation, founded in 2003, whose mission is to improve the quality of life for cancer patients and provide care, education and opportunities for children and families in need. Since his move to New Orleans, the foundation has expanded to help with Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.
Brees now serves as a football analyst for NBC.
