Craig Neil Erickson (born May 17, 1969) is an American former professional

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 ...

player who was a

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 ...

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). Prior to entering the NFL, he 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

Miami Hurricanes The Miami Hurricanes, known informally as The U, UM, or The 'Canes, are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. The Hurricanes compete in NCAA Division I, Division I of the National Coll ...

. He was selected by the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

in the fifth round of the 1991 NFL draft and also by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fourth round of the 1992 NFL draft. He is one of the few NFL players to be drafted twice ( Bo Jackson is another example). Coincidentally, each was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

College career

Erickson attended Cardinal Newman High School in West Palm Beach and then the University of Miami. A 6'2",

from the University of Miami who was the starting quarterback on Miami's 1989 National Championship squad, he ranked third on the Hurricanes all-time career passing-yardage list with 6,056 yards. Erickson played in 34 games over a four-year career, taking over starting role as a junior. He won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award in 1990.

Statistics

Professional career

Erickson played in seven National Football League season seasons, from 1992 to 1998. His best year as a pro came during the 1993 season for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, when he threw for over 3,000 yards and 18 touchdowns. Erickson is known as one of the few professional athletes outside of baseball who came back from Tommy John surgery.

References

External links

* 1969 births Living people American football quarterbacks Chicago Bears players Indianapolis Colts players Miami Dolphins players Miami Hurricanes football players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players Players of American football from Boynton Beach, Florida 20th-century American sportsmen {{quarterback-1960s-stub