Richard Joseph Gannon, better known as Rich Gannon, is a former National Football League quarterback who spent eighteen seasons in the league (NFL). In 2002, he was awarded NFL MVP.
He started as a punter at the University of Delaware as a freshman, then switched to quarterback in his second season. From 1999 to 2004, he also played with the Oakland Raiders. Rich and the Raiders made it to the Super Bowl in 2003, but they were defeated by Warren Sapp and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Gannon led Delaware to three consecutive seasons with at least 2,000 offensive yards and was named the Yankee Conference Offensive Player of the Year as a senior. On August 6, 2005, he announced his retirement from football and began working as an NFL commentator for CBS. Rich was also fired as a CBS analyst on February 22, 2021, however he continues to work for the network as Monday QB on CBS Sports Network.
Rich Gannon’s Bio
Rich Gannon initially opened his eyes on December 20, 1965, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Richard Joseph Gannon was his true name when he was born into a Roman Catholic household. He is an American national with an ethnic heritage of American whites. Rich will be 55 years old in 2020, and his zodiac sign is Sagittarius, according to his birthdate. As a result, his race is white. Gannon has kept his family’s identity a secret.
Rich received three varsity letters in football and crew, as well as two varsity letters in basketball, while attending Saint Joseph’s Preparatory School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was named first-team All-City as a punter and quarterback his senior year. During his senior year, he passed for 1,567 yards. He went on to the University of Delaware after that.
What was Rich Gannon’s football career like?
Rich Gannon began his football career as a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon at the University of Delaware, where he began as a punter before moving to quarterback as a sophomore with the Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens. He established 21 school milestones, including total offense (7,432 yards), passing yards (5,927), pass attempts (845), and completions (462), and was the only athlete at the time at Delaware to record at least 2,000 yards of offense three years in a row. In 1984, he was named Division I-AA Rookie of the Year by the Eastern College Athletic Conference, and in 1986, he was named Yankee Conference Offensive Player of the Year and an honorable mention All-American.
When he led the Raiders to Super Bowl XXXVII in 2003, he became the second player from the University of Delaware to do it.
A professional life
Rich was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fourth round (98th overall) in the 1987 NFL Draft and began his career with the Minnesota Vikings as a backup quarterback to Wade Wilson. In his debut season in 1987, he appeared in four regular season games and one playoff game, accumulating statistics for the Week 10 (November 22nd) game, a 24-13 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. He threw for 18 yards on 2 of 6 attempts. He also carried for three yards in the Vikings’ Wild Card game, a 44-10 victory against the New Orleans Saints in what was the Saints’ first playoff game. The 1987 Minnesota Vikings finished 8-7 and lost the NFC title game to the eventual Super Bowl XXII winner Washington Redskins.
Rich then played three games in 1988, while Gannon completed 7 of 15 passes for 90 yards but was sacked twice for 15 yards in a 24-7 defeat to the Miami Dolphins in Week 5 (2nd October). In the Vikings’ Week 8 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on October 23rd, he took a knee. In a 44-17 victory against the Detroit Lions in Week 10 (6 November), Gannon was sacked for 7 yards and scrambled for 15 yards. The 1988 Vikings finished 11-5 and progressed to the divisional stage of the playoffs, an improvement from 1987. He did not appear in the regular season in 1989, when the Vikings finished 10-6, although he did sprint for 7 yards and was sacked twice for a total of 20 yards.
After Wade Wilson tore thumb ligaments, he started his first game in Week 4 (September 30) of 1990. He would play 14 games in 1990, starting 12. Week 9 (4th November) saw him earn his first professional start, a 27-22 victory against the Denver Broncos. Gannon led the Vikings to a 17-7 victory against the Detroit Lions with a 56-yard trick play throw to Herschel Walker. The next week, against the Lions, Gannon raced for a one-yard score and threw for 147 yards, completing 12 of 17 passes. He completed 182-of-349 passes for 2,278 yards and 16 touchdowns while throwing 16 interceptions. He was sacked 34 times and carried for 268 yards on 52 carries. He started his first game of the year against the Denver Broncos in Week 5 (September 29), and the Vikings went 6-5 with Gannon as a starter for the last 11 games of 1991, finishing with an overall record of 8-8. He completed 211 of 354 passes for 2,166 yards, 12 touchdowns, and six interceptions. He was sacked 19 times for 91 yards and ran 43 times for 236 yards and two scores on the ground.
Rich eventually became the Vikings’ starting quarterback in 1992, and in the last exhibition game of the year, he led the Vikings to a 30-0 victory against the reigning Super Bowl champion Washington Redskins on the Redskins’ home field, completing 14 of 21 passes for 124 yards and three touchdowns. In week 7, he started against the Detroit Lions and threw for 146 yards and two touchdowns on 8 of 10 passing for a 24-0 lead (15th October). Following the Week 12 (23rd November) victory against the Cleveland Browns, Dennis Green benched Gannon in favor of Salisbury, with Minnesota leading the NFC Central with an 8-3 record. Gannon was dealt to the Washington Redskins on August 19, 1993, in exchange for a conditional 1994 fifth-round draft selection. From Weeks 12 to 15, he appeared in eight games, starting four of them. He started his first game of the 1993 season in Week 5 (4 October), a Monday night game against the Miami Dolphins and Dan Marino, taking over for Cary Conklin.
In Week 12 (November 21st) against the Los Angeles Rams, he completed 24 of 39 passes for 170 yards, was sacked three times for 11 yards, and carried twice for 18 yards. In the fourth quarter, he threw two touchdown passes to give the Redskins a 14-10 lead against the Philadelphia Eagles. Gannon threw two interceptions and two touchdowns on 20-of-31 passing for 279 yards in the contest. He was sacked five times for a total of 27 yards and was rushed four times for a total of 25 yards. Later, he led the Redskins to a 23-17 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 14 (December 5), opening with a 17-0 advantage by the third quarter. Gannon carried 7 times for 12 yards and completed 9 of 16 throws for 71 yards. On 74-for-125 throwing, he threw for 704 yards, three touchdowns, and seven interceptions while rushing 21 times for 88 yards and one score (59.2 percent). The Redskins concluded the 1993 season with a 4-12 record, and Gannon was 1-3 as a starter, with all three defeats coming by four points or fewer.
In 1995, Gannon joined with the Kansas City Chiefs and spent two years as Steve Bono’s backup quarterback. Coach Marty Schottenheimer decided to play Grbac instead of Gannon in the playoffs, and the Chiefs lost 14-10. After Grbac was hurt in Week 1, the two ended up sharing snaps in 1998.
Rich joined the Oakland Raiders as a free agency in February 1999 and was selected to the Pro Bowl in his debut year as a Raider, the first of four consecutive appearances. He earned the Pro Bowl MVP title in both 2001 and 2002, a feat no other NFL player has accomplished.
In addition, following a record-setting 2002 season in which he threw for 4,689 yards and 26 touchdowns while establishing a career-high 97.2 passer rating, he was named the NFL Most Valuable Player Award, making him the first former Blue Hens quarterback to start a Super Bowl. After a 2-5 start in 2003, a shoulder injury in Week 7 terminated his season, but a devastating neck injury in 2004 essentially ended his career. Gannon was wounded in Week 3 as he scrambled and collided with Tampa Bay defender Derrick Brooks in a helmet-to-helmet collision.
Later on, he not only retained his starting quarterback position, but also excelled at it. In the season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers, he passed for 305 yards and a 40-yard touchdown pass to Doug Gabriel. The Raiders came close to defeating a Steelers club that ended the season with 15 wins. With Gannon as quarterback, the Raiders were a competitive team, finishing 2-1 when he began and 3-10 after his injury.
Retirement
Rich Gannon announced his retirement from football on August 6, 2005, and went on to work as an NFL commentator for CBS. In the same year, he was inducted into the University of Delaware Athletics Hall of Fame. For his achievements in the NFL, he was ranked the twenty-eighth best quarterback of the modern era by Football Nation.
Broadcasting
Rich joined CBS Sports in August 2005 as an NFL game commentator, and he also serves as a preseason game analyst for the Las Vegas Raiders. On February 22, 2021, he was fired as a CBS commentator. He does, however, continue to work for CBS as the Monday QB on CBS Sports Network.
Achievements and Awards
Champion of the AFC (2002), AP MVP of the National Football League (2002), 4 Pro Bowl selections (1999-2002), 2nd-Team All-Pro by the Associated Press (2000, 2002), 3rd place in the AFC Player of the Year voting (2000-2002), 2nd place in the AFC Offensive Player of the Year voting (2000, 2002), 2 MVP of the Pro Bowl (2000, 2001), 2nd Annual NFL Alumni Quarterback Award (2000, 2002), Leader in passing yards in the NFL (2002), Leader in passing touchdowns in the AFC (2001), Leader in AFC Passer Ratings (2001), Leader in AFC Completion Percentage (2001), Bert Bell Award No. 2 (2000, 2002), 4th Week Offensive Player of the Week in the AFC (Week 10, 1999; 2000; 2001; 2002), Offensive Player of the Week in the NFC (Week 4, 1992), In 2005, he was inducted into the University of Delaware Athletics Hall of Fame.
What is the name of Rich Gannon’s wife?
Rich Gannon is a footballer who is married. He is married to Shelley Brown, his lovely wife, and they have two kids together. Her parents are national speakers for the Celiac Disease Foundation and host an annual Celiac Walk at Holy Family Catholic High School in Victoria, Minnesota, after one of their daughters was diagnosed with celiac disease. Rich and Brown seem to be quite content in their home. She is a strong supporter of him and his chosen vocation. When it comes to Rich’s sexual orientation, he is a straight man.
Rich Gannon’s net worth
As of 2022, Rich Gannon’s net worth is $8.5 million. He also earns a substantial income of more than $105,000 dollars every year. He has amassed a sizable fortune through his work, since his football quarterbacking career is his primary source of revenue. His most recent source of income, though, comes from his television job. Rich has yet to conduct any brand endorsement work.
What is Rich Gannon’s height?
Rich Gannon is 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 meters) tall and weighs roughly 210 pounds (95 kg). He seems to have kept his physique throughout the years by exercising regularly. Gannon has dark brown eyes and light brown hair. In addition, he has an athletic body type.
What If I Told You…
Rich started as a punter as a freshman at the University of Delaware before switching to quarterback in his second year. In 2003, he and the Raiders made it to the Super Bowl, but they were defeated by Warren Sapp and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Alexis and Danielle are his two kids. Jerry Rice was one of his wide receivers when the Raiders made it to the Super Bowl with him. From 1999 to 2004, he was a member of the Oakland Raiders.