Eric Eugene Crouch (born November 16, 1978) is an American former

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 ...

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 ...

for the

Nebraska Cornhuskers The Nebraska Cornhuskers (often abbreviated to Huskers) are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. The university is a member of the Big Ten Conference and competes in NCAA Division I, fielding t ...

. He won the

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy ( ; also known simply as the Heisman) is awarded annually since 1935 to the top player in college football. It is considered the most prestigious award in the sport and is presented by the Heisman Trophy Trust followin ...

Walter Camp Award The Walter Camp Player of the Year Award is given annually to the collegiate American football player of the year, as decided by a group of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I FBS head coaches and sports information direc ...

, and

Davey O'Brien Award The Davey O'Brien Award, officially the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award, named after Davey O'Brien, is presented annually to the collegiate American football player judged by the Davey O'Brien Foundation to be the best of all National C ...

in 2001. Running Nebraska's

option offense An option offense is an American football offensive system in which a key player (usually the quarterback) has several "options" of how each play will proceed based upon the actions of the defense. Traditionally, option-based offenses rely on Rus ...

that year, he completed 105 of 189 passes for 1,510 yards and seven

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

s, while also rushing for 1,115 yards and 18 touchdowns. He played professionally as a

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

NFL Europe NFL Europe League (simply called NFL Europe and known in its final season as NFL Europa) was a professional American football league that functioned as the List of developmental and minor sports leagues, developmental minor league of the Nati ...

and as a quarterback in the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

(CFL) and United Football League (UFL). Crouch appeared on the cover of the video game '' NCAA College Football 2K3''. He also is a TV sports analyst and recreational equipment vendor.

Early life

Crouch attended

Millard North High School Millard North High School is a high school in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Millard Public Schools district. Millard North partially opened in 1978 for 9th and 10th grade students. In 1981, the second phase of the project was ...

in Omaha, Nebraska graduating in 1997. As a senior, Crouch ran for 1,277 yards and 15 touchdowns adding 543 passing yards and 5 touchdowns. Crouch was named Gatorade High School Player of the Year for the state of Nebraska. He finished his high school career with 5,134 yards of total offense. Crouch also ran Track & Field focusing on the sprints. He placed 2nd and 4th in the State Championships in the 100 meter and 200 meter races, respectively. His 10.4 second 100 meter mark, ranks him tied for 5th all time in Nebraska.

College career

Ankle surgery forced Crouch to

redshirt Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to: Sports * Redshirt (college sports) 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 ...

for the 1997 co-national championship-winning season. In 1998, Bobby Newcombe began the season as the starting

, but he was sidelined by a knee injury after the first game and Crouch took over the starting duties. Against UAB, Crouch rushed for two touchdowns and completed 11 of 17 passes in his first career start. 1998 proved to be a chaotic season for the Cornhuskers. Crouch made another start before being replaced by a healthy Bobby Newcombe. Newcombe started the next five games, but was pulled in the middle of a game because of a PCL strain. Senior walk-on, Monte Christo, took over for Newcombe, and started the following week against Texas. With

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

leading 10–0 in the middle of the second quarter, Christo was pulled and replaced by Crouch. Crouch remained the starter for the rest of the season, which ended with a 23–20 loss to Arizona in the

Holiday Bowl The Holiday Bowl is an annual college football bowl game held in San Diego, California. Operating since 1978, its current conference tie-ins are with the Pac-12 Conference and the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The bowl is held at Snapdragon S ...

. The next fall Newcombe was named the starting quarterback, and it was rumored that Crouch might leave the team. Crouch, however, was given significant playing time in the first and second games. He started the third game against Southern Mississippi, and Newcombe moved to wingback. Crouch led Nebraska in a season that saw NU avenge its only loss of the season in a rematch against Texas in the Big 12 Championship Game. The Cornhuskers finished the season with a 12–1 record and ranked No. 3 after defeating

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

in the

Fiesta Bowl The Fiesta Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played annually in the Phoenix metropolitan area since 1971. From its beginning until 2006, the game was hosted at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. Since 2007, the game has be ...

. Crouch started every game in the 2000 season, which ended with a 66–17 trouncing of Northwestern in the

Alamo Bowl The Alamo Bowl is an NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football bowl game played annually since 1993 in the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Since 2010 it matches the second choice team from the Pac-12 Conference and the second ...

. Nebraska's only losses during the 10–2 season were to eventual national champion,

Oklahoma Sooners The Oklahoma Sooners are the college athletics in the United States , athletic teams that represent the University of Oklahoma, located in Norman, Oklahoma, Norman. The 19 men's and women's varsity teams are called the "Sooners", a reference to ...

, and the

Kansas State Wildcats The Kansas State Wildcats (variously "Kansas State", "K-State", or "KSU") are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Kansas State University. The School colors, official color of the teams is Royal Purple; white and silver are gener ...

. In 2001 Crouch had his best year, breaking

school A school is the educational institution (and, in the case of in-person learning, the Educational architecture, building) designed to provide learning environments for the teaching of students, usually under the direction of teachers. Most co ...

or NCAA records almost weekly and appearing to be a serious contender for the

. In the first game of the 2001 season, a 21–7 defeat of

TCU TCU may stand for: Education * Tanzania Commission for Universities, regulatory body for Universities in Tanzania * Texas Christian University, a private university in Fort Worth, Texas ** TCU Horned Frogs, the athletic programs of the school * Tok ...

, Crouch surpassed

Tommie Frazier Tommie James Frazier Jr. (born July 16, 1974) is an American former college football player who was a quarterback for the Nebraska Cornhuskers football, Nebraska Cornhuskers. He earned consensus College Football All-America Team, All-American ...

as Nebraska's all-time total offense leader. He became the Big 12 all-time career rushing quarterback in the emotionally charged game against Rice. The next week, against

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

, Crouch was backed up near the goal line when he scrambled to escape from defenders and pulled off a 95-yard touchdown run, the longest in school history. Against

Iowa State Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State be ...

the following week, Crouch broke the record for career touchdowns by a quarterback. Crouch became only the fourth player in Division 1 history to both pass and rush for 3,000 yards in a career with his performance against

Texas Tech Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the flagship institution of the five- ...

. Next, in a hard-fought game against defending national champion Oklahoma, Crouch again showed off his speed and playmaking abilities, this time serving as quarterback and receiver in a single play, the famous " Black 41 Flash Reverse Pass" in which Crouch made a 63-yard touchdown reception. By mid-November Crouch had set a school record for most career wins as a starter and became only the ninth quarterback in D-1A history to have won 35 games as a starter. The Cornhuskers were 11–0 going into the annual contest with

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

the day after Thanksgiving. While playing from behind the whole game, Crouch set the school record for offense yards in a single game with 360 yards. The Nebraska defense was dominated by the Buffaloes, however, and gave up a then-record 62 points to Colorado. The 62–36 loss did not end Nebraska's hopes of playing for the national championship and Crouch's chances of winning the Heisman. Two weeks later, Crouch was announced as the recipient of the award, edging out

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

Rex Grossman Rex Daniel Grossman III (born August 23, 1980) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons, most notably with the Chicago Bears. Grossman played college football for ...

and

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

Ken Dorsey Kenneth Simon Dorsey (born April 22, 1981) is an American professional American football, football Coach (sport), coach and former quarterback who is the passing game specialist for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). Dorse ...

in the closest Heisman ballot since 1985. His outstanding season also was recognized when he won the

for being the best collegiate quarterback in the nation during the 2001 season. In the meantime several highly ranked teams were upset and in the final BCS rankings, Nebraska beat out one-loss

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

and two-loss Colorado to earn the No. 2 spot in the BCS rankings. The final BCS rankings were steeped in controversy since Nebraska had the chance to play in the Rose Bowl for the national championship despite not winning a conference or division championship. In the Rose Bowl on January 3, 2002, Crouch rushed for 114 yards against the Miami Hurricanes but was denied a touchdown for the first time since September, 1999. The No. 1 Hurricanes defeated the Cornhuskers 37–14, leaving Crouch with a 35–7 record as a starting quarterback.

Awards

* 2001

Big 12 Conference The Big 12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. It consists of 16 full-member universities (3 private universities and 13 public universities) in the states of Arizona, Colorado, Florida ...

offensive player of the year * 2000 Third-Team

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

(''

College Football News ''College Football News'' (''CFN'') is a magazine and website published by College Football News, Inc., headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. News coverage includes scores, statistics, rankings, and reports on college football games. Analysis incl ...

'') * 2000 Second-Team All-Big 12 ( AP, ''

Sporting News ''The Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a ...

'', ''

Dallas Morning News ''The Dallas Morning News'' is a daily newspaper serving the Dallas–Fort Worth area of Texas, with an average print circulation in 2022 of 65,369. It was founded on October 1, 1885, by Alfred Horatio Belo as a satellite publication of the ' ...

'', ''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. ...

'') * 2000 Third-Team All-Big 12 (Coaches) * 2000

Offensive MVP vs.

* 1999 Big 12 Co-Offensive Player of the Year (Coaches)

Records

* One of three quarterbacks in Division I-A history to rush for 3,000 and pass for 4,000 yards in a career * 13th player in

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

to rush and pass for 1,000 in a season (1,115 rushing, 1,510 passing) *

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

career total offense leader with 7,915 yards * Former Nebraska single-season total offense leader with 2,688 yards * Former Nebraska single-game total offense record of 360 yards * Nebraska career total-offense touchdown leader with 88 * Owns Nebraska career record for most rushing yards by a quarterback (3,434) * NCAA record for most career rushing

s by a quarterback (59) * Most rushing attempts by a Husker quarterback (648) * Former Nebraska total TD passes in a game (5 vs.

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

) * Most rushing TDs in a game by a quarterback (4 vs.

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

) * Set a QB record for most rushing TDs in a season (20) * Set school records in 2001 for most rushing attempts in a season for a quarterback (203) * Most total offense yards by a sophomore (2,158) * Tied an NCAA record by scoring a TD via run, pass, reception in the same game (vs.

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

, 1999) * Nebraska school record longest run from scrimmage, 95 yards (vs.

, 2001)

College statistics

Professional career

NFL and NFL Europe

Crouch was initially drafted by the

St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1995 through the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, California, where the team had played ...

of the

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a 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 Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

as a

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

, but still wanted to play quarterback. Crouch, however, was seen by NFL teams as being too short to play quarterback. His athleticism was seen as better suited for playing wideout. However, he suffered an injury to his leg that involved a huge buildup of blood that saw him drained twice and months of recovery. Crouch did not travel with the team to the season opener against the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

on September 8. On September 10, Rams head coach

Mike Martz Michael Martz (born May 13, 1951) is an American American football, football coach. Best known for his coaching tenure with the History of the St. Louis Rams, St. Louis Rams of the National Football League (NFL), he served as the offensive coor ...

stated that Crouch was still "light years away from playing." Crouch retired from football on September 11, 2002. In 2009, Crouch denied that he refused to play wide receiver when it came to leaving the Rams. He was waived by the Rams on April 18, 2003. Crouch was claimed off waivers by 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 ...

on April 23, 2003, as a kick returner and quarterback. He retired again on July 21, 2003. In March 2004, he was reactivated by the Packers to try out for the team at

free safety Safety (S), historically known as a safetyman, is a position in gridiron football on the American football positions#Defense, defense. The safeties are defensive backs who line up ten to fifteen yards from the line of scrimmage. There are two var ...

. Crouch was released on June 2, 2004. Crouch signed with 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 of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

in January 2005, and was allocated to the Hamburg Sea Devils of

. He played in eight games, starting seven, as a safety for the Sea Devils during the 2005 NFL Europe season, recording 23 tackles on defense, two tackles on special teams, and two pass breakups. He was released by the Chiefs on June 7, 2005.

CFL

Crouch's opportunity to play quarterback at the professional level finally came when he signed with the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Argonauts compete in the East Division (CFL), East Division of t ...

of the

on February 15,

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

as a quarterback. (The Argonauts had owned his CFL rights for several years.) In his inaugural CFL season Crouch eventually became the fourth-string quarterback in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, behind

Damon Allen Damon L. Allen (born July 29, 1963) is an American former professional football quarterback. He played 23 years in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He is currently fourth in all-time professional football passing yards and second in all-ti ...

, Michael Bishop, and Spergon Wynn. On July 22, 2006, Crouch made his regular season CFL debut against the

Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in 19 ...

Regina, Saskatchewan Regina ( ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province, and is a commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. As of the 2021 Canadian census, ...

. Coming in at the start of the second half following an injury to Wynn, Crouch sealed the win for Toronto with solid play, including a 94-yard pass completion to

Arland Bruce III Arland Richard Bruce III (born November 23, 1977) is an American former professional gridiron football, football wide receiver who played in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and National Football League (NFL). He is a two-time Grey Cup champion ...

. Overall, he dressed in seven games for the Argonauts during the 2006 season, completing six of 13 passes for 127 yards and one interception. In

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

Crouch was expected to battle Michael Bishop,

, Mike McMahon and

Tom Arth Thomas Edward Arth (born May 11, 1981) is an American football coach and former player who is the quarterbacks coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). Arth previously served as the head football coach at John Carr ...

for the Argos' starting quarterback position, but he eventually faltered because of injury. He began the season on the nine-week disabled list. After coming off the disabled list, Crouch was released by the Argonauts on September 6, 2007.

AAFL

On September 25, 2007, Crouch signed with the upstart All-American Football League. He was drafted 3rd overall by Team Texas on January 26, 2008, in the first round of the league's inaugural draft. He was, however, released from his contract (along with all AAFL players) when the league canceled its debut season.

UFL

On April 9, 2011, Crouch attended a public workout for the United Football League's

Omaha Nighthawks The Omaha Nighthawks were a professional American football team based in Omaha, Nebraska, which played in the United Football League (2009–2012), United Football League, joining the league as an expansion team in 2010 UFL season, 2010. During ...

. On June 8, 2011, Crouch accepted an invitation to attend the Nighthawks mini-camp. On June 10, 2011, he was added to the Nighthawks official roster. He played in, and started, one game for the Nighthawks during the 2011 season, completing nine of 24 passes for 124 yards and one interception. He was placed on injured reserve on September 21, 2011, and became a free agent after the season.

Coaching career

Crouch served as the special teams coordinator and running backs coach at

Midland University Midland University is a private Lutheran university in Fremont, Nebraska. It has an approximate enrollment of 1,600 students on campus. Known as Midland Lutheran College from 1962 to 2010, the college is affiliated with the Evangelical Luther ...

from 2018 to 2021.

Post-playing career

Eric Crouch was a sales territory manager for a major medical device manufacturer in the US. Currently, Crouch is a vendor of playground and recreation equipment at Crouch Recreation in Omaha, Nebraska. He has been a TV studio analyst for

KETV KETV (channel 7) is a television station in Omaha, Nebraska, United States, affiliated with ABC. The station is owned by Hearst Television, and has studios on 10th Street in the historic Burlington Station, which carries the nickname of 7 Burli ...

Channel 7 in Omaha, and a studio analyst on

Versus Versus (Latin, 'against') may refer to: Film and television * ''Versus'' (2000 film), a Japanese zombie film * ''Versus'' (2016 film), a Russian sports drama film * ''Versus'' (2019 film), a French thriller film * Versus (TV channel), form ...

. Crouch joined

Fox College Football ''Fox College Football'' is the branding used for broadcasts of NCAA Division I FBS college football games produced by Fox Sports, and broadcast primarily by Fox, FS1, and FS2. Initial college football broadcasts on the Fox network were lim ...

as an In-Game Analyst for FX in 2013.

Notes

References

External links

Nebraska profile
* * *
Stats Crew profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crouch, Eric 1978 births Living people American football quarterbacks American football safeties Canadian football quarterbacks Players of American football from Omaha, Nebraska Players of Canadian football from Nebraska College football announcers Nebraska Cornhuskers football players St. Louis Rams players Green Bay Packers players Kansas City Chiefs players Hamburg Sea Devils players Toronto Argonauts players Omaha Nighthawks players College Football Hall of Fame inductees Heisman Trophy winners American expatriate sportspeople in Canada American expatriate sportspeople in Germany Walter Camp Award winners Midland Warriors football coaches Coaches of American football from Nebraska