Richard Joseph Gannon is one of those anomalies that is seldom ever seen in the NFL. Most of Rich Gannon's success came at the end of his career after he had failed to find a secure starting job or home as a backup quarterback. This experience would discourage many athletes, but Rich Gannon rose to the occasion and became one of the most respected quarterbacks around the league and during his era in the early 2000s. Gannon attended the University of Delaware from 1984 to 1986 where he began his football career as a punter before switching to quarterback his sophomore season. Despite not being a true quarterback Gannon broke a total of twenty-one school records including passing yards in a single season (5,927) and completions (462) in a single season. In his final year with the Fightin' Blue Hens, Gannon was named Yankee Conference Offensive Player of the Year.
The 6'3, 210lb quarterback was selected 98th overall in the fourth round of the 1987 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings where he played the first six seasons of his NFL career. As a third-string quarterback, Gannon saw limited time on the field until he won the starting job his final three seasons with the Vikings. Rich Gannon also played short stints with the Washington Redskins and Kansas City Chiefs before finding a home with the Oakland Raiders in 1999 where he would become a dominant force in the NFL close to half a decade. Gannon went on to go to four straight Pro Bowls (1999-2002), earn an NFL MVP Award (2002), and lead the Raiders to a Super Bowl (XXXVII) appearance in 2003. While he wasn't able to secure a championship with the Raiders, he's a legend to this very day in Oakland.