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.
Chefs made their way into celebrity land a while ago. But how many celebrities that weren’t trained as professional cooks are actually whizzes in the kitchen? Here are several that come to mind.
Actress Julia Roberts is confident about her cooking skills. “I’m quite a good cook,” she told E! News. “I’m like a closet home ec teacher…I can really cook anything.” Roberts has said she often cooks fish for herself and her kids. And speaking of her three children, “They think that I’m a good cook,” Roberts told People. “They actually told me that I should open a restaurant.” She also relishes cooking for the holidays, particularly shredded Brussel sprouts. Roberts hasn’t published a cookbook, but we did find recipes attributed to her for peach crisp and banana hemp muffins. Or you can make the same summer salad the actress supposedly eats.
Chrissy Teigen started off as a supermodel. Then her love of cooking filtered into her professional life too. At this point, she’s created recipes for a limited Blue Apron release and also just launched her own home and cooking line at Target named “Cravings,” after the two cookbooks she’s released. Teigen describes cooking as “a time of peace” for herself. So maybe peace out to her tuna melt sandwich or the fried chicken wings that are a favorite of her husband, John Legend.
Lady Gaga, whose real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, comes from a cooking Italian family. Her father started his own restaurant in New York and also published a cookbook. And apparently, Lady Gaga has inherited the family’s cooking genes. Her Instagram account occasionally features photos of her culinary activities. Sure, sometimes it’s topless cooking. But other times it’s more poignant like in the post she shared about her bringing food to the family of her dear friend who passed away. Want to try a Gaga/Germanotta family favorite? Check out her recipe for whole wheat pasta with a sweet fennel sauce.