J.T. O'Sullivan
Encyclopedia
John Thomas "J. T." O'Sullivan (born August 25, 1979) is an American football
quarterback
who is currently a free agent
. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints
in the sixth round of the 2002 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at UC Davis.
O'Sullivan holds the record for most NFL teams as a player at 11. He has been a member of the New Orleans Saints
, Green Bay Packers
, Chicago Bears
, Minnesota Vikings
, New England Patriots
, Carolina Panthers
, Detroit Lions
, San Francisco 49ers
, Cincinnati Bengals
, San Diego Chargers
, and Oakland Raiders
.
and attended Jesuit High School
in Carmichael, California
, where he was a letterman in football and baseball. In football, he was a two-time All-Metro League selection and led his school to a Sac-Joaquin Section crown in 1995. In baseball, he played catcher and was an All-Metro League selection. O'Sullivan graduated from Jesuit High School in 1997.
, and holds an NCAA Division II record (tie) for touchdown passes in a playoff game with 6, set on November 25, 2000 against Mesa State. He finished his three-year college career with 10,745 passing yards and 94 touchdown passes. He was also Chapter President of the Phi Delta Theta
chapter at University of California, Davis
in the league and led his team to World Bowl XII
. He was with the New Orleans Saints
in 2002 and 2003 before being traded with a second round draft pick to the Green Bay Packers
for Mike McKenzie in 2004.
.
. In 2007, He also participated again in NFL Europa for the Frankfurt Galaxy
franchise for the second time. Prior to World Bowl XV
, O'Sullivan (along with Centurions
RB Derrick Ross) shared the 2007 NFL Europa offensive MVP.
O'Sullivan was released by the Chicago Bears
on July 7, 2007.
. Due to injuries to Detroit's other two quarterbacks, starter Jon Kitna
and backup Dan Orlovsky
, O'Sullivan played the Lions' final two 2007 preseason games in their entirety. On September 16, 2007, during his second career regular season game O'Sullivan threw his first regular season touchdown pass, a seven-yarder to Calvin Johnson
.
, the San Francisco 49ers
signed O'Sullivan to a one-year contract on February 29, 2008. On August 12, 2008, Coach Mike Nolan
appeared on KNBR
's "Murph and Mac Show" and announced that O'Sullivan had moved into the lead for the 49ers starting quarterback job.
On August 22, 2008, Coach Mike Nolan officially declared O'Sullivan as the starting quarterback for the 49ers 2008 regular season. After a poor performance against the Seattle Seahawks (2 interceptions, 4 fumbles) on October 26, O'Sullivan was benched and replaced by Shaun Hill
by the new coach Mike Singletary. O'Sullivan led the league in both interceptions and fumbles at the time of his demotion. Hill was named the starting quarterback for the remainder of the season.
on March 5, 2009. He was released by the Cincinnati Bengals
on September 5, 2010.
claimed him off waivers.
O'Sullivan was released by the Chargers on October 20, 2010.
.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
who is currently a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
in the sixth round of the 2002 NFL Draft
2002 NFL Draft
The 2002 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936. The draft took place April 20–21, 2002 at the theater at...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at UC Davis.
O'Sullivan holds the record for most NFL teams as a player at 11. He has been a member of the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
, Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
, Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
, New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
, Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
, Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
, San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
, Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
, San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, and Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
Early years
O'Sullivan was born in Burbank, CaliforniaBurbank, California
Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....
and attended Jesuit High School
Jesuit High School of Sacramento
Jesuit High School of Sacramento is a Catholic high school founded and run by the Society of Jesus. The school enrolls about 1,000 young men from all over the greater Sacramento Valley in California. It is located within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento.- About :Jesuit High School is a...
in Carmichael, California
Carmichael, California
Carmichael is a census-designated place in Sacramento County, California, United States. It is part of the Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 61,762 at the 2010 census, up from 49,742 at the 2000 census.-Geography and geology:Carmichael...
, where he was a letterman in football and baseball. In football, he was a two-time All-Metro League selection and led his school to a Sac-Joaquin Section crown in 1995. In baseball, he played catcher and was an All-Metro League selection. O'Sullivan graduated from Jesuit High School in 1997.
College career
He played quarterback for the University of California, DavisUniversity of California, Davis
The University of California, Davis is a public teaching and research university established in 1905 and located in Davis, California, USA. Spanning over , the campus is the largest within the University of California system and third largest by enrollment...
, and holds an NCAA Division II record (tie) for touchdown passes in a playoff game with 6, set on November 25, 2000 against Mesa State. He finished his three-year college career with 10,745 passing yards and 94 touchdown passes. He was also Chapter President of the Phi Delta Theta
Phi Delta Theta
Phi Delta Theta , also known as Phi Delt, is an international fraternity founded at Miami University in 1848 and headquartered in Oxford, Ohio. Phi Delta Theta, Beta Theta Pi, and Sigma Chi form the Miami Triad. The fraternity has about 169 active chapters and colonies in over 43 U.S...
chapter at University of California, Davis
University of California, Davis
The University of California, Davis is a public teaching and research university established in 1905 and located in Davis, California, USA. Spanning over , the campus is the largest within the University of California system and third largest by enrollment...
New Orleans Saints
He spent time in NFL Europe, and in 2004 he finished with the 2nd best passer ratingPasser rating
Passer rating is a measure of the performance of quarterbacks or any other passers in American football and Canadian football. There are at least two formulae currently in use: one officially used by the National Football League and the Canadian Football League, and one used in college football...
in the league and led his team to World Bowl XII
World Bowl XII
World Bowl XII was NFL Europe's 2004 championship game. The game was played at Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen, Germany on June 12, 2004. In this game, the defending champion Frankfurt Galaxy returned to try to protect their title after going through a 7–3 regular season. Their opponent was...
. He was with the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
in 2002 and 2003 before being traded with a second round draft pick to the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
for Mike McKenzie in 2004.
Green Bay Packers
He played the first regular season game of his career in 2004 while with the Packers, where he took a knee twice to end the game.Carolina Panthers
On December 26, 2006, O'Sullivan was signed to the practice squad for the Carolina PanthersCarolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
.
Second stint with Bears
On February 8, 2007 he signed with the Chicago BearsChicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. In 2007, He also participated again in NFL Europa for the Frankfurt Galaxy
Frankfurt Galaxy
The Frankfurt Galaxy was a professional American football team that originally played in the World League of American Football and later in the resurrected NFL Europe. The team was based in Frankfurt, Germany and played in the Commerzbank-Arena, formerly called the Waldstadion.-History:In 1991, the...
franchise for the second time. Prior to World Bowl XV
World Bowl XV
World Bowl XV was NFL Europa's 2007 championship game, and the final game in the league's history. It was played at Commerzbank-Arena in Frankfurt, Germany on Saturday, June 23, 2007. The defending World Bowl champion Frankfurt Galaxy hosted the Hamburg Sea Devils in their own home stadium.The...
, O'Sullivan (along with Centurions
Cologne Centurions
The Cologne Centurions were an American football team that played in NFL Europe. The Centurions began competing in the league in the 2004 season, having replaced the defunct Barcelona Dragons. They played their home games at RheinEnergieStadion in Cologne....
RB Derrick Ross) shared the 2007 NFL Europa offensive MVP.
O'Sullivan was released by the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
on July 7, 2007.
Detroit Lions
On July 10, 2007, O'Sullivan was signed by the Detroit LionsDetroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
. Due to injuries to Detroit's other two quarterbacks, starter Jon Kitna
Jon Kitna
Jon K. Kitna is an American football quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He was signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 1996...
and backup Dan Orlovsky
Dan Orlovsky
Daniel John Orlovsky is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. The Detroit Lions drafted Orlovsky in the fifth round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
, O'Sullivan played the Lions' final two 2007 preseason games in their entirety. On September 16, 2007, during his second career regular season game O'Sullivan threw his first regular season touchdown pass, a seven-yarder to Calvin Johnson
Calvin Johnson (American football)
Calvin Johnson, Jr. is an American football wide receiver for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Lions second overall in the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Georgia Tech....
.
San Francisco 49ers
After hiring O'Sullivan's former offensive coordinator Mike MartzMike Martz
Michael Martz is a former NFL head coach and currently the offensive coordinator for the National Football League's Chicago Bears....
, the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
signed O'Sullivan to a one-year contract on February 29, 2008. On August 12, 2008, Coach Mike Nolan
Mike Nolan
Mike Nolan is an American football coach and the current defensive coordinator of the Miami Dolphins...
appeared on KNBR
KNBR
KNBR, The Sports Leader, is the on-air branding used by two AM radio stations in the San Francisco, California, area broadcasting a sports radio format, owned by Cumulus Media....
's "Murph and Mac Show" and announced that O'Sullivan had moved into the lead for the 49ers starting quarterback job.
On August 22, 2008, Coach Mike Nolan officially declared O'Sullivan as the starting quarterback for the 49ers 2008 regular season. After a poor performance against the Seattle Seahawks (2 interceptions, 4 fumbles) on October 26, O'Sullivan was benched and replaced by Shaun Hill
Shaun Hill
Shaun Hill is an American football quarterback for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League. He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2002...
by the new coach Mike Singletary. O'Sullivan led the league in both interceptions and fumbles at the time of his demotion. Hill was named the starting quarterback for the remainder of the season.
Cincinnati Bengals
An unrestricted free agent in the 2009 offseason, O'Sullivan signed a two-year contract with the Cincinnati BengalsCincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
on March 5, 2009. He was released by the Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
on September 5, 2010.
San Diego Chargers
After O'Sullivan was cut by the Bengals, the San Diego ChargersSan Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
claimed him off waivers.
O'Sullivan was released by the Chargers on October 20, 2010.
Oakland Raiders
O'Sullivan was signed by the Oakland Raiders on December 2, 2010, replacing injured quarterback Bruce GradkowskiBruce Gradkowski
Bruce Raymond Gradkowski is an American Football quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the sixth round of the 2006 NFL Draft after playing college football at Toledo.Gradkowski has previously been a member of the Tampa...
.