Tommie Frazier facts for kids
Frazier with the Nebraska Cornhuskers in 1993
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| No. 15 | |
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| Position: | Quarterback |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | July 16, 1974 Bradenton, Florida, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Weight: | 210 lb (95 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Manatee (Bradenton) |
| College: | Nebraska (1992–1995) |
| Undrafted: | 1996 |
| Career history | |
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| As coach: | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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College Football Hall of Fame
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Tommie James Frazier Jr. (born July 16, 1974) is a famous American former college football player. He was a talented quarterback for the Nebraska Cornhuskers team. In 1995, he was recognized as an All-American, which means he was one of the best players in the country.
Frazier led his team to win two national championships in a row, in 1994 and 1995. He is one of only a few quarterbacks to achieve this since the 1950s. He was also named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in three national championship games in a row, which is a record no other player has matched! The 1995 Nebraska football team is thought to be one of the best college football teams ever. In 2006, a poll by ESPN.com even voted them the best college football team of all time.
In 1999, Sports Illustrated picked Frazier as a top backup quarterback for their "NCAA Football All-Century Team." He was one of six Nebraska players on this special team. In 2013, Frazier was chosen for the College Football Hall of Fame, a huge honor for college players.
Frazier was not picked in the NFL draft because of a health issue: a blood clot in his leg, which was a side effect of Crohn's disease. He played football professionally for one season with the Montreal Alouettes in the Canadian Football League (CFL). After his playing career, he became a coach.
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About Tommie Frazier
Frazier grew up in Palmetto, Florida. He went to Manatee High School. There, he played as an option quarterback. In his last two years of high school, he ran for 1,600 yards and scored 33 touchdowns. He also passed for 2,600 yards and 30 touchdowns.
Frazier is married to Andrea Stephens Frazier, who is from Sioux Falls, South Dakota. They have a son and a daughter. Frazier is also a member of the Iota Phi Theta fraternity. He used to host his own radio shows, Tommie Frazier's X's and O's and The Husker Express Radio Show with Tommie Frazier, on ESPN radio in Omaha, Nebraska.
College Football Journey
Starting Strong: 1992 Season
Frazier received a special scholarship to play football at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln for the Nebraska Cornhuskers football team. The team's coach, Tom Osborne, wanted faster players. He was very happy when Frazier decided to join Nebraska. Frazier was considered one of the top college recruits in the country. He led Nebraska to play in four big New Year's Day bowl games.
Frazier joined the team in 1992 when he was 18. He started as a backup player. Nebraska had a 4–1 record, but after a loss to the Washington Huskies, Frazier got his chance to start as quarterback. His first start was on October 24 against Missouri, which Nebraska won 34–24. He became well-known after the next two games, which were shown on ESPN. On Halloween, he led his team to a big 52–7 win against a strong Colorado team. He didn't throw many passes but ran for 86 yards. The next week, he showed off his throwing arm in a 49–7 win over Kansas, throwing for 161 yards and three touchdowns.
Nebraska finished the 1992 season with a 9–3 record. Frazier started seven games as quarterback. He played well in the FedEx Orange Bowl against Florida State. Even though Florida State won 27–14, Frazier threw a 41-yard touchdown pass and another touchdown pass. For the 1992 season, Frazier played in nine games. He threw for 727 yards and scored 17 touchdowns by running and passing.
Undefeated Regular Season: 1993
In 1993, Frazier helped the Cornhuskers win a close game against UCLA, 14–13. This win helped Nebraska have a perfect record during the regular season. Frazier ran for over 1,000 yards that season. He scored nine rushing touchdowns and threw for 12 touchdowns and 1,159 yards. His longest pass was a 60-yard touchdown against Colorado.
The FedEx Orange Bowl on January 1, 1994, was a rematch between Nebraska and Florida State. Frazier, now a sophomore, played against Charlie Ward, who had just won the Heisman Trophy. Florida State won 18–16 after a last-minute field goal. Even though Nebraska lost, Frazier was named the Most Valuable Player of the game. He threw for 206 yards and a 34-yard touchdown, and ran for 77 yards. Nebraska ended the season with an 11–1 record.
Winning a National Title: 1994
In the first half of the 1994 season, Frazier was considered a possible winner for the Heisman Trophy. However, he missed the second half of the season because of a blood clot in his leg. Before his injury, he had an amazing game against West Virginia on August 28. He threw for 100 yards and ran for 130 yards, scoring four touchdowns in a 31–0 win. His last game of the regular season was on September 24, when his leg problems started.
Another quarterback, Brook Berringer, led the team to the FedEx Orange Bowl with a perfect 12–0 record. They played against the Miami Hurricanes for the national championship. Frazier started the game, but was replaced by Berringer. Miami took the lead 17–7. With seven minutes left, Coach Osborne put Frazier back in the game. Frazier led two touchdown drives that helped Nebraska win 24–17. Nebraska's plays tired out the Miami defenders. Frazier's clever fakes allowed fullback Cory Schlesinger to score two touchdowns. The Cornhuskers won their first national title since 1971. Frazier was again named MVP, even after being out for three months.
A Perfect Season: 1995
Frazier was healthy again in 1995 and led the Cornhuskers to another perfect season. He had a strong arm and had improved his passing skills. He completed 56.4 percent of his passes and threw 17 touchdowns. His best passing game was on October 28 against Colorado, where he threw for 241 yards and two touchdowns. This performance made him a strong candidate for the Heisman Trophy, though he finished second.
The 1995 team had many great running backs, including Lawrence Phillips and Ahman Green. Together, they set a college record for rushing yards per attempt. The Cornhuskers averaged almost 400 rushing yards and over 52 points per game. In the regular season, Frazier threw for 1,362 yards and ran for 604 yards and 14 touchdowns. He was never tackled behind the line of scrimmage (never sacked). He won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and was named a Consensus All-American.
Nebraska finished the regular season with an 11–0 record. They played against the 12–0 Florida Gators in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl on January 2, 1996. Frazier won his third straight national championship game MVP award as Nebraska beat Florida 62–24. He ran for 199 yards and threw a 16-yard touchdown pass. In the third quarter, Frazier made an incredible 75-yard touchdown run, breaking seven tackles! Sports Illustrated called it one of college football's greatest plays.
After the game, Frazier thanked his team and fans, and gave thanks to God. Frazier graduated from Nebraska after this amazing season.
Tommie Frazier's Legacy
Tommie Frazier's place in the University of Nebraska's football history is very special. He helped the Cornhuskers win many national and conference championships. His team record as a starter was 33 wins and only 3 losses. He had 5,476 total yards of offense and scored 79 touchdowns. In 1996, his jersey number 15 was retired, meaning no other player at Nebraska will wear it. Sport Magazine listed him as one of the greatest college football players of the century.
In 2013, Tommie Frazier was officially chosen for the College Football Hall of Fame. He was also named to the Nebraska Hall of Fame in 2023.
Professional Playing Career
Frazier won the MVP award for the East-West Shrine Game on January 13, 1996. This game is watched by many NFL scouts. West Coach Terry Donahue said Frazier's performance really helped his chances for the NFL draft. He called Frazier "the most dangerous player in college football." Frazier completed 11 of 20 passes for 163 yards, ran for 33 yards, scored a five-yard touchdown, and threw a 52-yard touchdown pass.
However, before the NFL Scouting Combine, Frazier had more problems with blood clots. Because of his health issues, Frazier was not picked in the NFL Draft. But he did get an offer from the Montreal Alouettes in the Canadian Football League. He signed with them on July 15, 1996. He played in only one game on August 30, 1996, coming off the bench in the fourth quarter.
Frazier's short professional football career ended when he was admitted to the hospital with pneumonia on September 4, 1996. He needed two weeks to recover. On September 17, he decided to retire from football.
Coaching Career
After playing, Frazier became an assistant football coach at Baylor University. He also worked as an assistant director for athletic development at Nebraska. At Baylor, he started as a graduate assistant in 1999, working with the quarterbacks. He was then promoted to coach Baylor's running backs from 2000 to 2002.
In 2005, Frazier became the head football coach at Doane College in Crete, Nebraska. He coached there for two seasons before resigning after the 2006 season.
Key Achievements and Records
Tommie Frazier holds many impressive records and achievements from his college career:
- He had a fantastic 33–3 record as a starting quarterback.
- He led his team to 2 national championships.
- He won 4 Big Eight Conference championships.
- He once held the Nebraska Cornhuskers record for total offense in his career (5,476 yards).
- He also held the Nebraska record for career touchdown passes (43).
- He set a Nebraska record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a single season (14).
- He held an NCAA record for rushing yards by a quarterback in a bowl game (199 yards).
- He had the longest touchdown run in a bowl game (75 yards).
| Passing | Rushing | |||||||||
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| YEAR | CMP | ATT | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | ATT | YDS | AVG | TD |
| 1992 | 54 | 121 | 44.6 | 873 | 12 | 3 | 93 | 400 | 4.3 | 7 |
| 1993 | 90 | 186 | 48.4 | 1,365 | 13 | 6 | 140 | 781 | 5.6 | 9 |
| 1994 | 22 | 49 | 44.9 | 298 | 4 | 3 | 40 | 279 | 7.0 | 6 |
| 1995 | 98 | 177 | 55.4 | 1,467 | 18 | 6 | 113 | 803 | 7.1 | 16 |
| Totals | 250 | 509 | 49.1 | 4,003 | 47 | 18 | 386 | 2,263 | 5.9 | 36 |
Notes – These statistics include his performances in bowl games.
Awards and Honors
Tommie Frazier received many awards and honors during his career:
- First-Team All-American (1995)
- Heisman Trophy Runner-Up (1995)
- Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Winner (1995)
- UPI Player-of-the-Year (1995)
- Sporting News Player of the Year (1995)
- ESPY Play of the Year (1996)
- First-Team All-Big Eight (1995)
- Big Eight Offensive Player-of-the-Year (1995)
- 1994 Orange Bowl MVP
- 1995 Orange Bowl MVP
- 1996 Fiesta Bowl MVP
- Big Eight Freshman/Newcomer-of-the-Year (1992)
