Mike Quinn
Encyclopedia
Michael Patrick Quinn is a former professional gridiron football
quarterback
. He was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers
as an undrafted free agent in 1997 and was also a member of the Rhein Fire
, Indianapolis Colts
, Dallas Cowboys
, Miami Dolphins
, Houston Texans
, Denver Broncos
, Montreal Alouettes
and Winnipeg Blue Bombers
. He played college football
at Stephen F. Austin
.
Quinn attended Lee High School in Houston, Texas
and Stephen F. Austin University. He started playing football in high school and played in his university, where he started for one season, his senior season. After he went undrafted in the 1997 NFL Draft
he signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers. With Pittsburgh, he ended up making the roster as the third–string quarterback. Following the season, he was allocated to the Rhein Fire, whom he led to the championship game. He spent 1998 and 1999 as a backup for the Indianapolis Colts and Dallas Cowboys before signing with the Miami Dolphins. Quinn spent two seasons backing up for the Dolphins. In 2002, he was one of the first group of players signed by the National Football League
(NFL) expansion franchise, the Houston Texans. As he had done for the previous years in his career, Quinn spent two seasons as a backup for the new franchise. The final year of his NFL career was spent with the Denver Broncos in training camp and with the Steelers' practice squad. After going unsigned, Quinn signed with the Montreal Alouettes joining their practice squad in August 2005, leaving the team after the season. Quinn joined another Canadian team, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in March 2006 but after receiving playing time in a backup role he was released in August.
. He was named to the state All-Star
team during his tenure. Currently, he and his wife, Jennifer, live in Houston, Texas. At Stephen F. Austin, he majored in accounting.
, Quinn came into the game for starting quarterback James Ritchey and threw three touchdown
passes.
In the game against Samford
on October 27, 1996, Quinn led Stephen F. Austin to a 43–14 win after throwing a touchdown pass to Chris Jefferson at the end of the first half. SFA held the lead for the rest of the game. Against McNeese State
on November 3, Quinn led a come from behind win for SFA by throwing two touchdowns to Mikhael Ricks
in the fourth quarter. The next week, Quinn threw for 283 yards and threw four touchdown passes to lead Stephen F. Austin to another win making them 7–2. However, against Southwest Texas State on November 17, Quinn threw 23 incomplete passes.
, Mike Tomczak
and Jim Miller
on the depth chart, but after training camp Quinn had beaten out Miller and became the team's third-string quarterback. He saw his only game action on November 9 against the Baltimore Ravens
, throwing for 10 yards on one completion. Following the 1997 season, the Steelers allocated Quinn to play in NFL Europe
, he later agreed to play for the Rhein Fire
. In his second game with the Fire on April 12, Quinn completed 13 of 21 passes for 194 yards. He also completed two touchdown passes. With Quinn as the starting quarterback, the Fire played in the World Bowl
. However, Quinn was hampered by a sprained ankle and could not play in the game. He returned to the Steelers after the NFL Europe season but was waived
on August 31.
After being waived by Pittsburgh, Quinn was claimed off waivers by the Indianapolis Colts on September 1. To make room for Quinn the Colts had to release Jim Miller, who had lost a roster spot on the Steelers to Quinn a year earlier. However, after signing Doug Nussmeier
, the Colts waived Quinn.
The Dallas Cowboys, who were unsuccessful claiming Quinn 10 days earlier, claimed him after he was waived by the Colts. In Dallas, Quinn became the Cowboys second-string quarterback after Troy Aikman
was injured and Jason Garrett
became the starter. He played in three games for the Cowboys in 1998, completing one pass for 10 yards. In 1999, Quinn did not play in a game for Dallas. During the 2000 off–season, Garrett signed as a free agent
with the New York Giants
and quarterback Paul Justin
was signed by Dallas to compete for the backup spot with Quinn. He was released on May 5, 2000.
Quinn signed with the Miami Dolphins on May 23, 2000. On November 6, Quinn threw a touchdown pass to Deon Dyer
but was waived by the Dolphins on November 10, only to be re-signed four days later. In the 2001 preseason, Quinn sprained a joint in his shoulder and was waived/injured. He was released from injured reserve with an injury settlement on September 6.
The Houston Texans, the newest franchise in the NFL, signed Quinn to a reserve/future contract on December 30, 2001. Following the 2002 NFL Draft
in which the Texans drafted quarterback David Carr
with their first ever pick, Quinn became the backup. Quinn and Tony Banks ended up winning the backup jobs to Carr over Kent Graham
and Ben Sankey
. Banks was second–string with Quinn being the third–string quarterback. The Texans waived Quinn during final cuts on August 25, 2003. He was the final member of the Texans first signings still on the team. He was re-signed to the practice squad on November 17 after David Carr suffered a sprained right shoulder. However, when Banks also became injured, Quinn was signed from the practice squad to back up the now healthy Carr and rookie Dave Ragone
.
Quinn was re-signed by the Steelers on September 22 and assigned to their practice squad. He was released from the practice squad on November 10.
Quinn was signed to the Montreal Alouettes practice roster on August 29, 2005.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers signed Quinn on March 22, 2006 joining quarterbacks Tee Martin
, Russ Michna
and Kevin Glenn
on Winnipeg's roster. In his CFL preseason debut against the Montreal Alouettes on June 2, Quinn threw a 24 yard touchdown pass to Quentin McCord
however the Blue Bombers lost 25–24. After making the team out of training camp, Quinn injured his sternum and shoulder which caused him to miss three weeks. In his first week back with Winnipeg, Quinn was forced into the starting role after Kevin Glenn suffered a knee injury. However, a string of poor performances which included an interception in the end zone while Winnipeg was in field goal position led to his release on August 28.
Gridiron football
Gridiron football , sometimes known as North American football, is an umbrella term for related codes of football primarily played in the United States and Canada. The predominant forms of gridiron football are American football and Canadian football...
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...
. He was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
as an undrafted free agent in 1997 and was also a member of the Rhein Fire
Rhein Fire
The Rhein Fire was a professional American football team in NFL Europe, formerly the World League of American Football. Established in Germany in 1995, the franchise resurrected the name of the former Birmingham Fire team which was active during the 1991-1992 WLAF seasons.-History:The team was...
, Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
, Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
, Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Houston Texans
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is currently a member of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Montreal Alouettes
Montreal Alouettes
The Montreal Alouettes are a Canadian Football League team based in Montreal, Quebec.The current franchise named the Alouettes moved to Montreal from Baltimore, Maryland, in 1996 where they had been known as the Baltimore Stallions...
and Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League . They play their home games at Canad Inns Stadium, and plan to move to a new stadium for the 2012 season.The Blue Bombers were founded...
. 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 Stephen F. Austin
Stephen F. Austin State University
Stephen F. Austin State University is a public university located in Nacogdoches, Texas, United States. Founded as a teachers' college in 1923, the university was named after one of Texas' founding fathers, Stephen F. Austin. Its campus resides on part of the homestead of another Texas founding...
.
Quinn attended Lee High School in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
and Stephen F. Austin University. He started playing football in high school and played in his university, where he started for one season, his senior season. After he went undrafted in the 1997 NFL Draft
1997 NFL Draft
The 1997 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 19–20, 1997. No teams elected to claim any players in the supplemental draft that...
he signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers. With Pittsburgh, he ended up making the roster as the third–string quarterback. Following the season, he was allocated to the Rhein Fire, whom he led to the championship game. He spent 1998 and 1999 as a backup for the Indianapolis Colts and Dallas Cowboys before signing with the Miami Dolphins. Quinn spent two seasons backing up for the Dolphins. In 2002, he was one of the first group of players signed by the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
(NFL) expansion franchise, the Houston Texans. As he had done for the previous years in his career, Quinn spent two seasons as a backup for the new franchise. The final year of his NFL career was spent with the Denver Broncos in training camp and with the Steelers' practice squad. After going unsigned, Quinn signed with the Montreal Alouettes joining their practice squad in August 2005, leaving the team after the season. Quinn joined another Canadian team, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in March 2006 but after receiving playing time in a backup role he was released in August.
Personal
Quinn attended Robert E. Lee High School in Houston, TexasHouston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
. He was named to the state All-Star
All-star
All-star is a term designating an individual as having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry...
team during his tenure. Currently, he and his wife, Jennifer, live in Houston, Texas. At Stephen F. Austin, he majored in accounting.
College career
On November 12, 1995 in a game against Southwest Texas StateTexas State Bobcats football
The Texas State Bobcats football program is a college football team that represents Texas State University-San Marcos. The team is currently categorized as an FCS Independent as it transitions to FBS. They will become a member of the FBS Western Athletic Conference as of July 1, 2012. The program...
, Quinn came into the game for starting quarterback James Ritchey and threw three touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
passes.
In the game against Samford
Samford Bulldogs
Samford University fields 17 varsity teams . The Bulldogs have done well in recent years in both football and men's basketball, participating in the 1999 and 2000 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. The women's basketball team made its initial NCAA tournament appearance in the 2011 NCAA...
on October 27, 1996, Quinn led Stephen F. Austin to a 43–14 win after throwing a touchdown pass to Chris Jefferson at the end of the first half. SFA held the lead for the rest of the game. Against McNeese State
McNeese State University
McNeese State University is a public university located in Lake Charles, Louisiana, in the United States. Founded in 1939 as a junior college, McNeese experienced growth due to economic activity in the region. It adopted its present name in 1970....
on November 3, Quinn led a come from behind win for SFA by throwing two touchdowns to Mikhael Ricks
Mikhael Ricks
Mikhael Roy Ricks is a former National Football League tight end/wide receiver . He was 6'5" and weighed 260 pounds....
in the fourth quarter. The next week, Quinn threw for 283 yards and threw four touchdown passes to lead Stephen F. Austin to another win making them 7–2. However, against Southwest Texas State on November 17, Quinn threw 23 incomplete passes.
1997–2003
Quinn signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent following the 1997 NFL Draft. Quinn entered training camp behind Kordell StewartKordell Stewart
Kordell Stewart, nicknamed "Slash" , is a former American NFL quarterback. Stewart attended the University of Colorado and was drafted 60th in the 1995 NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers...
, Mike Tomczak
Mike Tomczak
Michael John "Mike" Tomczak is a former American football player. Tomczak played quarterback for several NFL teams including the Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Cleveland Browns, and Pittsburgh Steelers....
and Jim Miller
Jim Miller (quarterback)
James Donald Miller is a former NFL quarterback, last under contract with the New York Giants. He was drafted in the 6th round of the 1994 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers, 178th overall. Miller attended Waterford Kettering High School and graduated in 1989...
on the depth chart, but after training camp Quinn had beaten out Miller and became the team's third-string quarterback. He saw his only game action on November 9 against the Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
, throwing for 10 yards on one completion. Following the 1997 season, the Steelers allocated Quinn to play in NFL Europe
NFL Europe
NFL Europe was an American football league which operated in Europe from 1991 until 2007. Backed by the National Football League , the largest professional American football league in the United States, it was founded as the World League of American Football to serve as a type of spring league...
, he later agreed to play for the Rhein Fire
Rhein Fire
The Rhein Fire was a professional American football team in NFL Europe, formerly the World League of American Football. Established in Germany in 1995, the franchise resurrected the name of the former Birmingham Fire team which was active during the 1991-1992 WLAF seasons.-History:The team was...
. In his second game with the Fire on April 12, Quinn completed 13 of 21 passes for 194 yards. He also completed two touchdown passes. With Quinn as the starting quarterback, the Fire played in the World Bowl
World Bowl
The World Bowl was the American football Championship game of NFL Europe, similar to the Super Bowl of the National Football League.The World Bowl trophy itself was a globe made of glass measuring 35.5 cm in diameter and weighing 18.6 kg .-World League of American Football:When NFL Europe was...
. However, Quinn was hampered by a sprained ankle and could not play in the game. He returned to the Steelers after the NFL Europe season but was waived
Waivers (American football)
Waivers is a National Football League labor management procedure by which a team makes an American football player contract or NFL rights available to all other teams...
on August 31.
After being waived by Pittsburgh, Quinn was claimed off waivers by the Indianapolis Colts on September 1. To make room for Quinn the Colts had to release Jim Miller, who had lost a roster spot on the Steelers to Quinn a year earlier. However, after signing Doug Nussmeier
Doug Nussmeier
Douglas Keith "Doug" Nussmeier is a college football coach, currently the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Washington under head coach Steve Sarkisian....
, the Colts waived Quinn.
The Dallas Cowboys, who were unsuccessful claiming Quinn 10 days earlier, claimed him after he was waived by the Colts. In Dallas, Quinn became the Cowboys second-string quarterback after Troy Aikman
Troy Aikman
Troy Kenneth Aikman is a former American football quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League. The number one overall draft pick in 1989, Aikman played twelve consecutive seasons as quarterback with the Cowboys...
was injured and Jason Garrett
Jason Garrett
Jason Calvin Garrett is an American former National Football League player and the current head coach of the Dallas Cowboys...
became the starter. He played in three games for the Cowboys in 1998, completing one pass for 10 yards. In 1999, Quinn did not play in a game for Dallas. During the 2000 off–season, Garrett signed as 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....
with the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
and quarterback Paul Justin
Paul Justin
Paul Donald Justin is a retired National Football League quarterback.Justin, a graduate and football standout at Arizona State University, played with three different teams in his NFL career: the Indianapolis Colts , the Cincinnati Bengals , and the St. Louis Rams...
was signed by Dallas to compete for the backup spot with Quinn. He was released on May 5, 2000.
Quinn signed with the Miami Dolphins on May 23, 2000. On November 6, Quinn threw a touchdown pass to Deon Dyer
Deon Dyer
Deon Joseph Dyer is a former American football fullback in the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the fourth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at the North Carolina.-External links:**...
but was waived by the Dolphins on November 10, only to be re-signed four days later. In the 2001 preseason, Quinn sprained a joint in his shoulder and was waived/injured. He was released from injured reserve with an injury settlement on September 6.
The Houston Texans, the newest franchise in the NFL, signed Quinn to a reserve/future contract on December 30, 2001. Following 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...
in which the Texans drafted quarterback David Carr
David Carr
David Duke Carr is an American football quarterback for the New York Giants of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Houston Texans first overall in the 2002 NFL Draft...
with their first ever pick, Quinn became the backup. Quinn and Tony Banks ended up winning the backup jobs to Carr over Kent Graham
Kent Graham
Kent Douglas Graham is a former professional American football quarterback in the National Football League. Graham played quarterback at the University of Notre Dame before transferring to Ohio State University...
and Ben Sankey
Ben Sankey
Ben Sankey is a professional gridiron football quarterback who is currently a member of the Wichita Wild. He was signed as a street free agent by the Calgary Stampeders in 2000...
. Banks was second–string with Quinn being the third–string quarterback. The Texans waived Quinn during final cuts on August 25, 2003. He was the final member of the Texans first signings still on the team. He was re-signed to the practice squad on November 17 after David Carr suffered a sprained right shoulder. However, when Banks also became injured, Quinn was signed from the practice squad to back up the now healthy Carr and rookie Dave Ragone
Dave Ragone
David Patrick Ragone is an American football coach and former professional quarterback. He is currently the wide receivers coach for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League.-Early years:...
.
2004–2006
The Denver Broncos signed Quinn as an unrestricted free agent in March 2004. At the end of training camp, Quinn was released by the Broncos.Quinn was re-signed by the Steelers on September 22 and assigned to their practice squad. He was released from the practice squad on November 10.
Quinn was signed to the Montreal Alouettes practice roster on August 29, 2005.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers signed Quinn on March 22, 2006 joining quarterbacks Tee Martin
Tee Martin
Tamaurice Nigel "Tee" Martin is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League and Canadian Football League...
, Russ Michna
Russ Michna
Russell Walter Michna is a gridiron football quarterback who is currently a Free Agent of the Arena Football League. He was signed by the St. Louis Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2004...
and Kevin Glenn
Kevin Glenn
Kevin Glenn, Jr. is a professional Canadian football quarterback for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League. He was signed by the Saskatchewan Roughriders as an undrafted free agent in 2001...
on Winnipeg's roster. In his CFL preseason debut against the Montreal Alouettes on June 2, Quinn threw a 24 yard touchdown pass to Quentin McCord
Quentin McCord
John Quentin McCord is an Arena football wide receiver for the Kentucky Horsemen of af2. He was drafted in the seventh round of the 2001 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons...
however the Blue Bombers lost 25–24. After making the team out of training camp, Quinn injured his sternum and shoulder which caused him to miss three weeks. In his first week back with Winnipeg, Quinn was forced into the starting role after Kevin Glenn suffered a knee injury. However, a string of poor performances which included an interception in the end zone while Winnipeg was in field goal position led to his release on August 28.