William Thomas Stull (born December 18, 1986) is a former
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...
quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
. He played
college football with the
University of Pittsburgh Panthers
The Pittsburgh Panthers, commonly also referred to as the Pitt Panthers, are the athletic teams representing the University of Pittsburgh, although the term is colloquially used to refer to other aspects of the university such as alumni, facu ...
.
Early years
Stull was born in Warren, Ohio. He lived in the small town of Newton Falls when in elementary school he moved with his family to Canfield, OH, Poland OH, Mt. Lebanon PA and then to Pittsburgh later. Stull started during his junior and senior years of high school, where he compiled a record of 19-4 for the Rebels. In his senior year, he threw for 3,310 yards, becoming the only quarterback in WPIAL history to pass for more than 3,000 yards in a single season. Stull also threw 40 touchdowns and only 15 interceptions, completing 239 of 387 passes (61.76%).
Stull played for the traveling Pittsburgh Tigers AAU baseball team. In the Weirton, WV tournament, while pitching in white KSWISS, Stull let up 13 earned runs. He was pulled from the game and proceeded to throw his Wilson A2000 glove over the center field fence. His father dragged him into the car thus ending his traveling Pittsburgh Tigers career.
College career
2005–2007
Stull first came on as a relief quarterback for starter
Tyler Palko
Tyler Palko (born August 9, 1983) is a former American football quarterback. Palko was the starting quarterback at the University of Pittsburgh from 2004 to 2006. The left-handed thrower was not selected in the 2007 NFL Draft, but was signed by ...
. In 2005, he played briefly in a game against
Youngstown State
Youngstown State University (YSU or Youngstown State) is a public university in Youngstown, Ohio. It was founded in 1908 and is the easternmost member of the University System of Ohio.
The university is composed of six undergraduate colleges an ...
and completed a 17-yard pass. In 2006, he completed 6 for 8 passes for 69 yards and a touchdown over the course of four games.
Following Palko's graduation, Stull was elevated to the starting position in 2007 as a junior. However, an injury to his thumb in the opening game against
Eastern Michigan
Eastern Michigan University (EMU, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern), is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School, the school was the fourth normal school established in the United Sta ...
ended his season and he received a
medical redshirt
Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...
.
Pat Bostick and
Kevan Smith started at the position for the rest of the season.
2008
Stull completed 188 for 330 passes in twelve games in 2008 for 2,356 yards, throwing 9 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
This is the only season in Stull's career that he threw more picks than touchdowns.
The Panthers finished the season with a 9-3 overall record. This placed them in a tie for second in the
Big East
The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference that competes in NCAA Division I in ten men's sports and twelve women's sports. Headquartered in New York City, the eleven full-member schools are primarily located in Northeast and M ...
, qualifying them for the
2008 Sun Bowl
The 2008 Brut Sun Bowl, part of the 2008–09 NCAA Division I FBS bowl season, was played on December 31, 2008 at the stadium of the same name on the campus of the University of Texas at El Paso in El Paso, Texas. The 75th annual contest pitted ...
, which they lost 3–0 to
Oregon State in the worst college football game in modern history.
2009
In his last year at the University of Pittsburgh, Stull threw for 2,633 yards, 21 touchdowns, and only 8 interceptions.
At the end of the season, Stull and the Panthers won the
Meineke Car Care Bowl, defeating 2009
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia a ...
19–17. He became the first quarterback since
Dan Marino
Daniel Constantine Marino Jr. (born September 15, 1961) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons with the Miami Dolphins. After a successful college career at Pittsburgh and b ...
in 1981 to lead Pitt to 10 wins.
Professional career
Hartford Colonials
Stull went undrafted in the
2010 NFL Draft
The 2010 NFL Draft was the 75th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The 2010 draft took place over three days, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, with the fir ...
and was later signed by the
Hartford Colonials
The Hartford Colonials, originally the New York Sentinels, were a professional American football team that played in the United Football League in its 2009 and 2010 seasons. A charter member of the UFL, the Sentinels began play in 2009 nominally ...
of the
United Football League. Stull was released after receiving an offer from the
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division.
The t ...
of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ma ...
to attend training camp.
Kansas City Chiefs
Stull was signed by the Chiefs on August 17, 2010.
Stull was released on August 30, 2010.
Spokane Shock
Stull was signed by the
Spokane Shock
The Spokane Shock were a professional indoor American football team based in Spokane, Washington, that played their home games at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena. The team was initially a member of arenafootball2 (af2), the Shock won div ...
of the
Arena Football League
The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 season, making it the third longest-running professional football league in ...
on March 1, 2011. He was released on June 30, 2011. With the Shock, Stull completed 7 of 11 passes for 68 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception. He also had 2 carries for 12 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Pittsburgh Power
Stull was signed by the
Pittsburgh Power
The Pittsburgh Power were a professional arena football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The team belonged to the East Division of the American Conference (AC) in the Arena Football League (AFL). Founded in 2011, the Power ...
on July 1, 2011. He was named the starter for the Power's July 22 season finale against the
Philadelphia Soul
Philadelphia soul, sometimes called Philly soul, the Philadelphia sound, Phillysound, or The Sound of Philadelphia TSOP, is a genre of late 1960s–1970s soul music characterized by funk influences and lush instrumental arrangements, often feat ...
. Against the Soul, Stull completed 24 of 40 passes for 260 yards and 6 touchdowns, earning him National Guard MVP Honors for the game.
New Orleans VooDoo
Stull was assigned to the
New Orleans VooDoo
Louisiana Voodoo (french: Vaudou louisianais, es, Vudú de Luisiana), also known as New Orleans Voodoo, is an African diasporic religion which originated in Louisiana, now in the southern United States. It arose through a process of syncretism ...
on April 25, 2013.
References
External links
Pittsburgh Panthers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stull, Bill
1986 births
Living people
Players of American football from Pittsburgh
American football quarterbacks
Pittsburgh Panthers football players
Hartford Colonials players
Kansas City Chiefs players
Spokane Shock players
Pittsburgh Power players
New Orleans VooDoo players