National Football Foundation

A three-year starting quarterback under College Football Hall of Fame coach Lloyd Carr at Michigan, Brian Griese ranks in the top-15 of nearly every passing category in the Wolverine record book. A First Team All-Big Ten selection, he led the team in passing (2,293) and total offense (2,313) in 1997. Griese completed 355-of-606 passes for 4,383 yards and 33 touchdowns in his career and holds the school record for single-game touchdown passes (4). He led the Wolverines to a 17-5 record, including a perfect 12-0 season in 1997, culminating in a 21-16 Rose Bowl victory over Washington State to win the school’s first national championship since 1948. Griese earned MVP honors after throwing for 251 yards and all three Wolverine touchdowns. In 2012, he was inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame.

A three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, Griese was a three-time recipient of the U-M Athletic Academic Achievement Award and the recipient of the Dr. Arthur D. Robinson Scholarship Award as the team’s most outstanding senior scholar-athlete. Compiling a 3.4 GPA in environmental policy, he received the Tom Harmon Endowed Scholarship for Football. Griese was selected in the third round (91^st overall) of the 1998 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos and won a Super Bowl with the Broncos in his rookie season. In 1999, he became the starting quarterback, throwing for 3,032 yards and 14 touchdowns. Griese started 51 games for the Broncos from 2000-02, completing 1,044-of-1,678 passes for 11,763 yards and 71 touchdowns in his time in Denver. He was selected to the 2000 Pro Bowl after leading the league with a 102.9 passer rating.

Griese played six more seasons with the Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Chicago Bears, earning a second trip to the Super Bowl with the Bears in 2006. He finished his career with 19,440 yards and 119 touchdowns. Griese covered college football on ESPN starting in 2009. He also served as radio color commentator for 850 KOA (AM)'s coverage of Denver Broncos' football from 2010–2011. Griese is the founder and board president of Judi's House, a children's grief support center in Denver. For his work with Judi's House, he was awarded the 2011 Patterson Award for Excellence in Sports Philanthropy, presented each year by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Griese has also been recognized by the Big Ten with the Dungy-Thompson Humanitarian Award and the 2015 Ford-Kinnick Leadership Award. He is currently the quarterback's coach for the San Francisco 49ers.