Drew Bledsoe

Drew McQueen Bledsoe (born February 14, 1972) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons, primarily with the New England Patriots.

After gaining the starting job at the end of the 1990 season as a true freshman (joined later by Jeff Tuel and Jayden de Laura as the only three in school history), he quickly became the face of the Cougars' offense.

In 1992, Bledsoe led WSU to a 9–3 record (ranking #17 in the coaches poll and #15 in the AP) and a 31–28 win over Utah in the Copper Bowl in which Bledsoe completed 30 of 46 passes for 476 yards and two touchdowns.

He also established WSU records in single-game passing yards (476), single-season pass completions (241), and single-season passing yards (3,246).

He was named the Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year.

Following an impressive junior year in 1992, Bledsoe decided to forgo his senior season and enter the 1993 NFL Draft.

In the 34 starts of his collegiate career he amassed 7,373 yards, 532 completions, and 46 touchdowns.

He played college football at Washington State University, where he won Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year as a junior, and was selected by the Patriots first overall in the 1993 NFL Draft.

Considered the face of the Patriots franchise during his nine seasons with the team, Bledsoe helped improve New England's fortunes from 1993 to 2001.

Under Bledsoe, the Patriots ended a seven-year postseason drought, qualified for the playoffs four times, clinched their division twice, and made a Super Bowl appearance in Super Bowl XXXI.

Bledsoe was the first overall selection in the 1993 NFL Draft, taken by the New England Patriots.

He started right away for the Patriots in 1993, as they improved from two to five wins.

On November 13, 1994, the Patriots had won just three of their first nine games and were losing, 20–3, to the Minnesota Vikings at halftime.

Bledsoe led a comeback victory in which the Patriots won, 26–20, in overtime, as he set single-game records in pass completions (45) and attempts (70).

The win sparked the beginning of a new age for the Patriots, as they rallied behind Bledsoe and won their final six games to finish with a 10–6 record and capture the wild card spot; however, they lost to the Cleveland Browns (led by future Patriots head coach Bill Belichick) in the wild-card round 20–13.

Due to his performance, Bledsoe was selected to his first Pro Bowl as an alternate.

He was also named to three Pro Bowls and became the youngest quarterback to play in the NFL's Pro Bowl game in 1995.

Following a difficult 1995 season, Bledsoe turned it around in 1996, ranking among the top passers in the league with the help of wide receiver Terry Glenn, pushing the Patriots to reach the playoffs again and winning the AFC championship over the Jacksonville Jaguars, 20–6.

This led to an appearance in Super Bowl XXXI, where they lost to the Green Bay Packers, 35–21.

Bledsoe completed 25 of 48 passes for 253 yards, two touchdowns, and four interceptions in the loss.

He was also named a starter for the Pro Bowl that season, the second of his career.

During the 1997 season, Bledsoe helped the Patriots win five of their final seven games to once again qualify for the playoffs, the fourth time in eight years as a Patriots starter he would lead the team to a postseason appearance.

The Patriots lost in the second round to the Pittsburgh Steelers; however, Bledsoe built a career-high 87.7 passer rating, passed for 3,706 yards, tossed 28 touchdowns, and earned his third Pro Bowl invitation.

In 1998 he became the first NFL quarterback to complete game-winning touchdown passes in the final 30 seconds of two consecutive games.

In doing so, he propelled New England into the postseason for the third straight year.

He completed these come-from-behind efforts while playing with a broken index finger on his throwing hand, an injury that would later sideline him for the postseason.

Bledsoe started the 1999 season very strong, with thirteen touchdowns and only four interceptions as the Patriots held a 6–2 mid-season record.

However, Bledsoe subsequently threw only six touchdowns versus seventeen interceptions, and the team finished with an 8–8 record, while Bledsoe was sacked a career-high 55 times.

The team's slide continued into the 2000 season as the Patriots ended with a record of 5–11.

Bledsoe threw a then-career low thirteen interceptions that year but was sacked 45 times.

Following a period of declining success and two consecutive seasons in which the Patriots missed the playoffs, Bledsoe suffered a near-fatal injury early in the 2001 season that led to backup Tom Brady becoming the team's starter.

He was unable to regain his starting position for the remainder of the season due to Brady's success, which led to the Patriots winning their first championship in Super Bowl XXXVI and began a dynasty for the franchise.

Bledsoe then spent three seasons with the Buffalo Bills, where he made a fourth Pro Bowl appearance, and his final two with the Dallas Cowboys.

While his tenure with the Patriots would be eclipsed by Brady, Bledsoe is recognized for helping rebuild the franchise and his role during their first Super Bowl-winning season when he relieved an injured Brady to help win the 2001 AFC Championship.

In March 2001, Bledsoe signed a then-record ten-year, $103 million contract.

For his accomplishments in New England, he was inducted to the Patriots Hall of Fame in 2011.

Bledsoe attended Walla Walla High School and was a letterman in football, basketball, and track.

In football, he was named a first-team All-State selection by the Tacoma News Tribune.

In track, he competed in the throwing events, recording top-throws of 45.34 m in the discus throw and 54.70 m in the javelin throw.

Bledsoe spent his college career at Washington State University in Pullman.