National Football Foundation

Chad Pennington competed in the classroom with the same ferocity that made him Marshall's all-time leading passer, and his competitive fire produced three consecutive Mid-American Conference Championships for the team while giving him a 3.83 GPA as a journalism major.

A two-time First Team Academic All-American, the 1999-2000 CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year, and a Rhodes Scholarship finalist, Pennington completed 433 passes for 4,006 yards and 38 touchdowns in 1999, leading the Herd to a perfect 13-0 season. The Knoxville, Tenn., native was an All-MAC First Team and Offensive Player of the Year selection as well as a finalist for the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award and John Unitas Golden Arm Award.

He set school records in several passing categories and established an NCAA season record for most touchdown passes (24) from a passer to a single receiver (Randy Moss), breaking the previous mark of 19. He finished his career at Marshall with 1,712 completions for 13,143 yards and 115 touchdowns.

Selected by the New York Jets as the 18th overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft, he played seven seasons with the Jets, leading them to the playoffs three times. He subsequently signed with the Miami Dolphins, taking them from a 1-15 record in 2007 to an 11-5 showing in 2008 and their first playoff appearance since 2001.

Pennington retired from the NFL in 2011. Pennington and his wife, Robin, founded the 1st and 10 Foundation, which seeks to build stronger communities and improve the quality of life in West Virginia, Tennessee and the New York Metropolitan areas. They reside in Florida with their three boys.