Daunte Culpepper

File:Culpepper ucf.jpg

Culpepper while playing for UCF

Daunte Culpepper (born January 28, 1977 in Ocala, Florida) is an American football player and currently is the starting quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings. Culpepper was drafted by the Vikings in the first round of the 1999 NFL Draft (11th overall) out of the University of Central Florida. Aside from great arm strength, his quickness and large build (6'4" and 260 lb (118 kg)) are considered a great advantage at his position, allowing him to avoid tackles while passing or running. As he has aged and injuries have taken their toll on him, however, he has had to rely more on his arm then his legs.

Early life

Daunte was born in jail and raised by a foster mother, Emma Culpepper. They lived in Ocala, Florida, where he attended Vanguard High School. He was originally selected in the 26th round by the New York Yankees in the 1995 First-Year Player Draft to play baseball.

College career

Although he had a love for baseball, Culpepper committed to the University of Central Florida to play football as quarterback. At UCF, he rewrote mostly all quarterback records (more than 30 in all). He also set an NCAA record for single-season completion percentage at .736, breaking a 15-year-old mark set by Steve Young (.713) and accomplished a feat equalled by only two others in NCAA history when he topped the 10,000 yard passing mark and the 1,000 yard rushing mark in his career. He finished his career sixth on the NCAA's all-time total offense list for all divisions with 12,459 yards and was responsible for 108 career touchdowns (84 passing, 24 rushing).

After his junior season, he was being lured out of the collegiate ranks to enter the draft and join the NFL, but instead returned to UCF to graduate and play his senior year. UCF posted a 9-2 record, with losses only coming to Purdue and Auburn University.

NFL career

Daunte was drafted in the 1st round (11th overall) by the Minnesota Vikings in 1999, but saw limited playing time and did not throw a pass in his first year. He was often compared to the other noteworthy quarterback drafted in 1999, Donovan McNabb.

In 2000, he was named the starting quarterback. He won the first seven games of the year, and helped the Vikings finish 11-5 and lead the Vikings to the NFC Championship game, where they were routed by the New York Giants, 41-0. During the season he passed for 3937 yards, 33 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions. He also rushed for 470 yards and seven touchdowns. At the end of the year he was selected to his first Pro Bowl.

Daunte struggled over the next two years, 2001 and 2002, while the Vikings were 5-11 in 2001 and 6-10 in 2002.

Culpepper made a comeback in 2003, leading to Vikings to a 9-7 record, although they missed the playoffs. He passed for 3479 yards, 25 touchdowns, and only 11 interceptions, which helped him earn his second trip to the Pro Bowl.

In 2004, if not for Peyton Manning, Daunte would have been named NFL MVP. He enjoyed his best statistical season as a professional and though the Vikings were only 8-8, they reached the playoffs for the second time with Culpepper. Passing for a league-leading 4717 yards, and Viking-record 39 touchdowns, and only 11 interceptions. Culpepper was named to his third career Pro Bowl. Culpepper also broke Dan Marino's NFL record for combined passing and rushing yards, amassing 5,123 total yards.

His first two games of the 2005 season were a disappointment, as the Vikings went 0-2 while Culpepper threw no touchdown passes, eight interceptions, and fumbled twice, but Culpepper rebounded in the third week, Throwing for 300 yards and 3 touchdowns while beating the New Orleans Saints 33-16 at home. But in week 4 the Vikings stumbled again as Daunte threw 2 interceptions and lost a fumble in Atlanta, where they lost 30-10. After returning from a bye week in week five, the Vikings were determined to win following a party boat scandal that occured during the off week. Going into Soldier Field to face the 1-3 Chicago Bears, Daunte started out smooth, with a high completion percentage and drives leading to the redzone, but in the second half, things fell apart. The Bears scored 3 touchdowns and Daunte threw 2 interceptions as the Vikings went on to lose 28-3.

Trivia

• Among all qualified quarterbacks in NFL history (at least 1500 passing attempts), Culpepper ranks third in passer rating and second in completion percentage.[1]
• He once walked 5 yards on his hands to win a wager of $500 from a fellow Viking.
• Culpepper also appeared on the cover of the Madden NFL 2002 video game.

College Statistics

Year	Team	Passing Yards	TD	INT
1995	UCF	2071	12	10
1996	UCF	2565	19	15
1997	UCF	3086	25	10
1998	UCF	3690	28	7

NFL Statistics

Year	Team	Passing Yards	TD	INT
1999	MIN	0	0	0
2000	MIN	3937	33	16
2001	MIN	2612	14	13
2002	MIN	3853	18	23
2003	MIN	3479	25	11
2004	MIN	4717	39	11
2005	MIN	1256	4	12

• Career to date: 19,854 Passing yards; 133-TD; 86-INT

External links

• Daunte Culpepper at ESPN.com
• Daunte Culpepper at NFL.com
• Daunte Culpepper fantasy news and stats from Sandbox Fantasy News