Daunte Culpepper facts for kids
Culpepper in 2009
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| No. 12, 11, 8 | |||||||||||||||||
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| Position: | Quarterback | ||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
| Born: | January 28, 1977 Ocala, Florida, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 260 lb (118 kg) | ||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||
| High school: | Vanguard (Ocala, Florida) |
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| College: | UCF (1995–1998) | ||||||||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1999 / Round: 1 / Pick: 11 | ||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||||||
Daunte Rachard Culpepper (born January 28, 1977) is a former American football quarterback. He played for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), mostly for the Minnesota Vikings. He played college football for the UCF Knights and was picked by the Vikings in the first round of the 1999 NFL draft.
In his seven seasons with the Vikings, Culpepper was selected for three Pro Bowls. He led the team to the playoffs twice. His best year was in 2004, when he set an NFL record for the most total yards by a quarterback in a single season.
A major knee injury the next season changed his career. After the injury, he played for the Miami Dolphins, Oakland Raiders, and Detroit Lions. Culpepper's last professional season was with the Sacramento Mountain Lions in the United Football League (UFL).
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Early Life and High School
Culpepper was born in Ocala, Florida. His birth mother was unable to care for him. When he was one day old, he was adopted by Emma Lewis Culpepper. She raised him as one of her more than 15 children.
Culpepper went to Vanguard High School in Ocala. He was a star athlete in football, basketball, and baseball. In 1994, he was named Florida's "Mr. Football," an award for the state's best high school player. In 2007, he was named to a list of the top 33 players in the 100-year history of Florida high school football.
A funny story from his high school basketball days led to his famous touchdown celebration. In a championship game, a referee called a "traveling" violation on him as he was about to score the winning basket. Later in the NFL, he would celebrate touchdowns by making the same hand-rolling motion as the referee.
He was also a talented baseball player. The New York Yankees drafted him in 1995, but he chose to go to college to play football instead.
College Career at UCF
Culpepper chose to attend the University of Central Florida (UCF). Bigger college football programs wanted him, but UCF offered to help him with his schoolwork to qualify. Culpepper stayed loyal to UCF even after bigger schools tried to recruit him again.
At UCF, he became one of the best quarterbacks in the school's history. He set about 30 school records. He also set a national NCAA record for the best completion percentage in a season at 73.6%. This means he completed nearly three out of every four passes he threw.
He was one of only three players in NCAA history to pass for over 10,000 yards and rush for over 1,000 yards in a career. After a great junior year, he decided to stay for his senior season, leading UCF to a 9–2 record.
College Statistics
| UCF Knights | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | GP | Passing | Rushing | ||||||||
| Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | TD | ||
| 1995 | 11 | 168 | 294 | 57.1 | 2,071 | 12 | 10 | 123.0 | 85 | 17 | 5 |
| 1996 | 11 | 187 | 314 | 59.6 | 2,565 | 19 | 15 | 138.6 | 94 | 102 | 2 |
| 1997 | 11 | 238 | 381 | 62.5 | 3,086 | 25 | 10 | 146.9 | 136 | 438 | 5 |
| 1998 | 11 | 296 | 402 | 73.6 | 3,690 | 28 | 7 | 170.2 | 141 | 463 | 12 |
| Career | 44 | 889 | 1,391 | 63.9 | 11,412 | 84 | 42 | 146.7 | 456 | 1,020 | 24 |
Professional Football Career
Minnesota Vikings (1999–2005)
The Minnesota Vikings drafted Culpepper with the 11th overall pick in the 1999 NFL draft. After playing in only one game his first year, he became the starting quarterback in 2000.
A Star is Born
In 2000, Culpepper had an amazing season. He led the Vikings to an 11–5 record and the NFC Championship game. He threw for 3,937 yards and 33 touchdowns, and also rushed for 470 yards and seven touchdowns. His great performance earned him his first trip to the Pro Bowl.
Ups and Downs
Culpepper had a tough season in 2001 and missed the last five games with a knee injury. Some fans joked he was a victim of the “Madden Curse” because he was on the cover of the Madden NFL 2002 video game. He returned in 2002 and had a strong year rushing the ball, scoring 10 touchdowns on the ground.
He bounced back in 2003 with a great passing season, throwing for 3,479 yards and 25 touchdowns. This earned him a second trip to the Pro Bowl.
A Record-Breaking Season
In 2004, Culpepper had one of the best seasons ever for a quarterback. He led the league with 4,717 passing yards and threw a Vikings-record 39 touchdowns. He also rushed for 406 yards.
His combined 5,123 passing and rushing yards set a new NFL record. After the season, he said the game felt like it had "slowed down" for him, and he felt "like a Jedi Knight."
Career-Changing Injury
In 2005, Culpepper's success came to a sudden stop. On October 30, he suffered a serious injury to his right knee, tearing three major ligaments. The injury ended his season and his time with the Vikings. He and the team's new owners disagreed on his recovery plan, which led to him leaving Minnesota.
Later Career (2006–2010)
Miami, Oakland, and Detroit
In 2006, Culpepper was traded to the Miami Dolphins. He was still recovering from his knee injury and struggled to play at his old level. He played in only four games for the Dolphins before another surgery ended his season.
He signed with the Oakland Raiders in 2007 and started six games. He showed flashes of his old self, including a game against his former team, the Dolphins, where he scored five touchdowns.
After briefly retiring in 2008, he returned to play for the Detroit Lions. He played parts of two seasons in Detroit but could not find the same success he had in Minnesota.
Final Season in the UFL
In 2010, Culpepper joined the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League (UFL). He was reunited with his old Vikings coach, Dennis Green. He played well and was named the UFL's Offensive Player of the Week twice. After a final tryout with the San Francisco 49ers in 2011, his professional football career came to an end.
Career Statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| NFL record | |
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
NFL Regular Season
| Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | Sacks | Fumbles | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Avg | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Sck | SckY | Fum | Lost | ||
| 1999 | MIN | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 3 | 6 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2000 | MIN | 16 | 16 | 11–5 | 297 | 474 | 62.7 | 3,937 | 8.3 | 33 | 16 | 98.0 | 89 | 470 | 5.3 | 7 | 34 | 181 | 11 | 3 |
| 2001 | MIN | 11 | 11 | 4–7 | 235 | 366 | 64.2 | 2,612 | 7.1 | 14 | 13 | 83.3 | 71 | 416 | 5.9 | 5 | 33 | 186 | 16 | 6 |
| 2002 | MIN | 16 | 16 | 6–10 | 333 | 549 | 60.7 | 3,853 | 7.0 | 18 | 23 | 75.3 | 106 | 609 | 5.7 | 10 | 47 | 244 | 23 | 9 |
| 2003 | MIN | 14 | 14 | 7–7 | 295 | 454 | 65.0 | 3,479 | 7.7 | 25 | 11 | 96.4 | 73 | 422 | 5.8 | 4 | 37 | 196 | 16 | 6 |
| 2004 | MIN | 16 | 16 | 8–8 | 379 | 548 | 69.2 | 4,717 | 8.6 | 39 | 11 | 110.9 | 88 | 406 | 4.6 | 2 | 46 | 238 | 9 | 2 |
| 2005 | MIN | 7 | 7 | 2–5 | 139 | 216 | 64.4 | 1,564 | 7.2 | 6 | 12 | 72.0 | 24 | 147 | 6.1 | 1 | 31 | 169 | 5 | 3 |
| 2006 | MIA | 4 | 4 | 1–3 | 81 | 134 | 60.4 | 929 | 6.9 | 2 | 3 | 77.0 | 10 | 20 | 2.0 | 1 | 21 | 150 | 3 | 0 |
| 2007 | OAK | 7 | 6 | 2–4 | 108 | 186 | 58.1 | 1,331 | 7.2 | 5 | 5 | 78.0 | 20 | 40 | 2.0 | 3 | 21 | 130 | 9 | 3 |
| 2008 | DET | 5 | 5 | 0–5 | 60 | 115 | 52.2 | 786 | 6.8 | 4 | 6 | 63.9 | 12 | 25 | 2.1 | 1 | 14 | 95 | 5 | 1 |
| 2009 | DET | 8 | 5 | 0–5 | 89 | 157 | 56.7 | 945 | 6.0 | 3 | 6 | 64.8 | 18 | 91 | 5.1 | 0 | 14 | 107 | 4 | 0 |
| Career | 105 | 100 | 41–59 | 2,016 | 3,199 | 63.0 | 24,153 | 7.6 | 149 | 106 | 87.8 | 514 | 2,652 | 5.2 | 34 | 298 | 1,696 | 102 | 33 | |
Other Appearances
Culpepper has appeared on television and in movies. He was in an episode of the TV show George Lopez with fellow quarterback Donovan McNabb. He also had a small part in the movie 50 First Dates, where he was shown throwing a touchdown pass.
See also
In Spanish: Daunte Culpepper para niños
- Madden NFL Cover Athletes
- Madden Curse
