Charles Thomas Frye (born August 28, 1981) is an American former
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
quarterback
The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...
who currently serves as a
defensive assistant for the
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...
of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL). He played six seasons in the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL) for the
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...
,
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...
, and
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...
.
Frye played
college football
College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...
for the
Akron Zips
The Akron Zips are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio, United States. The Zips compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the NCAA Division I, Division I level as a memb ...
and was selected by the
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...
in the third round of the
2005 NFL draft
The 2005 NFL draft, the 70th in league history, took place on April 23 and 24, 2005 NFL season, 2005. The draft was held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City and was televised for the 26th consecutive year, with coverage on E ...
.
Early life
Frye graduated from
Willard High School in
Willard, Ohio
Willard is a city in southwestern Huron County, Ohio, United States, approximately southwest of Norwalk. The population was 6,197 at the 2020 census.
History
The original name of Willard was Chicago, named for the junction of the Baltimore a ...
, and was a football standout at quarterback under coach Chris Hawkins. He broke 17 of the school's all-time football records. In his senior season, Frye led the Crimson Flashes to a 10–2 record, earning the Northwest District Player of the Year award and First-team All-Ohio Division III team honors. Frye excelled in basketball; during his senior season he earned First-team All-Northwest District and Honorable Mention All-Ohio Honors and helped lead the Crimson Flashes to a 22–3 record, a Northern Ohio League Championship and a Sweet 16 berth.
College career
Frye broke 54 football records during his college career at the
University of Akron
The University of Akron is a public university, public research university in Akron, Ohio, United States. It is part of the University System of Ohio. As a STEM fields, STEM-focused institution, it focuses on industries such as polymers, advance ...
. After
red-shirting in freshman year, Frye was named starting quarterback in just the second game of his freshman season. Frye won the
MVP
MVP most commonly refers to:
* Most valuable player, an award, typically for the best performing player in a sport or competition
* Minimum viable product, a concept for feature estimating used in business and engineering
MVP may also refer to:
...
award at the 2005
Senior Bowl
The Senior Bowl is a post-season college football all-star game played annually in late January or early February in Mobile, Alabama, which showcases the best NFL Draft prospects of those players who have completed their college eligibility. Pr ...
in
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. After a successful vote to annex areas west of the city limits in July 2023, Mobil ...
.
Statistics
Source:
*Numbers in Bold are Akron school records
Professional career
Cleveland Browns
Frye was selected in the third round (67th overall) of the
2005 NFL draft
The 2005 NFL draft, the 70th in league history, took place on April 23 and 24, 2005 NFL season, 2005. The draft was held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City and was televised for the 26th consecutive year, with coverage on E ...
by the Browns. His first NFL start came against the
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...
in week 13. He passed for 226 yards with two touchdowns, both to fellow rookie
Braylon Edwards
Braylon Jamel Edwards (born February 21, 1983) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He was a unanimous All-American playing college football for the Michigan Wolver ...
, and set a Browns rookie record for a single game with a 136.7 passer rating. Frye started the final five games of the 2005 season for the Browns, compiling a record of 2–3.
Frye was named starting quarterback for the 2006 NFL season.
After a battle in the preseason with
Derek Anderson and rookie
Brady Quinn, Frye won the starting quarterback job for the 2007 season. In the first game against the
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...
, Frye struggled during the first few minutes. Anderson replaced him for the remainder of the game. Anderson remained the starter for the rest of the year and made the
Pro Bowl
The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players.
The format has changed ...
.
Seattle Seahawks
On September 11, Frye was traded to the
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...
for a sixth-round draft pick. He was the Seahawks' third-string quarterback behind
Matt Hasselbeck
Matthew Michael Hasselbeck (born September 25, 1975) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons, primarily with the Seattle Seahawks. He played college football for t ...
and
Seneca Wallace. Frye made his first start of the 2008 season against the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...
.
Oakland Raiders
An
unrestricted free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...
following the 2008 season, Frye signed with the
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...
on June 8, 2009.
On December 16, 2009, Raiders Head Coach
Tom Cable named Frye the starting quarterback of the Oakland Raiders after
Bruce Gradkowski was injured with two torn MCL's. Frye surpassed former starter and number one overall draft pick
JaMarcus Russell
JaMarcus Trenell Russell (born August 9, 1985) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for three seasons with the Oakland Raiders. He played college football f ...
after Russell was sacked six times in relief of Gradkowski the previous week in a game against the
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...
.
On December 20, 2009, Frye made his first start against the Denver Broncos, but was injured early in the fourth quarter and JaMarcus Russell came in to win the game.
Frye came back from his injury to play the next two weeks against the Cleveland Browns and
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...
. Frye threw 3 interceptions but came back against the Ravens to throw a touchdown and no interceptions. Frye finished the season with 581 yards passing, 1 TD, and 4 INT with a 65.3 passer rating.
Frye signed a 1-year, $1.2 million contract with a third-round tender on March 15, 2010. During training camp later that year, Frye injured his wrist and had to undergo surgery. Oakland placed him on injured reserve on August 19, 2010.
Coaching career
After injuries and surgeries ended his career early, Frye turned to coaching. Former teammate
Kenard Lang, who was by then the head football coach at
Jones High School in Orlando, hired Frye as offensive coordinator.
Before the 2013 season, Lang and Frye were hired for the same positions at
Wekiva High School in Apopka, Florida.
Frye spent the 2018 football season as the wide receivers coach for Ashland University (Ashland, OH)
In January 2019 it was announced that Frye would be joining the staff of new
Central Michigan
Central Michigan, also called Mid Michigan, is a region in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, Lower Peninsula of the United States, U.S. state of Michigan. As its name implies, it is the middle area of the Lower Peninsula. Lower Michigan is said t ...
head coach
Jim McElwain as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
In January 2021, Frye was named as the QB Coach for the Miami Dolphins.
In August 2022, Frye joined the Penn State football Staff as an Offensive Analyst.
In December of the same year, Frye agreed to become the next offensive coordinator at Florida Atlantic.
On March 18, 2025, the
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...
hired Frye to serve as a defensive assistant.
Personal life
In honor of his high school career, the Crimson Flashes retired his #3 jersey and is on display in the Commons and on the field.
In honor of his #5 jersey and last name, Akron Mayor
Don Plusquellic declared Friday, November 5, 2004 "Frye-day".
See also
*
List of Division I FBS passing yardage leaders
References
External links
FAU profile*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Frye, Charlie
1981 births
Living people
American football quarterbacks
Akron Zips football players
Ashland Eagles football coaches
Central Michigan Chippewas football coaches
Cleveland Browns players
Florida Gators football coaches
Florida Atlantic Owls football coaches
Miami Dolphins coaches
Oakland Raiders players
Penn State Nittany Lions football coaches
Seattle Seahawks players
High school football coaches in Florida
People from Willard, Ohio
Coaches of American football from Ohio
Players of American football from Ohio
Minnesota Vikings coaches