Elvis Grbac
Encyclopedia
Elvis M. Grbac (ˈɡɜrbæk; born August 13, 1970) is a retired American football
quarterback
who played in the NFL
. During his career he was a starting
quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers
, the Kansas City Chiefs
, and Baltimore Ravens
. In college he was a two-time passing efficiency champion and the quarterback for Heisman Trophy
-winner Desmond Howard
.
at the University of Michigan
from 1989 to 1992. He led the Wolverines
to two Rose Bowls
in 1991 and 1992 and is best remembered for throwing to wide receiver
Desmond Howard
during the latter's Heisman-winning campaign in 1991. Grbac finished his career at Michigan as the school's all-time leader in passing attempts
(835), completions
(522), passing yards (6,460) and passing touchdown
s (71). These marks were later broken by John Navarre
in 2003 and surpassed by Chad Henne
in 2006–07.
He also established the Big Ten Conference
career passing efficiency record that would stand for six season until it was surpassed by Joe Germaine
. He was a two-time national passing efficiency champion during his junior and senior seasons. He was a three-time Big Ten champion in this statistic.
by the 49ers. He served as Steve Young's backup from 1994 to 1996. In 1997, Grbac signed with the Kansas City Chiefs to be their starting quarterback. His best season statistically came in 2000 when he passed for 4,169 yards and 28 touchdowns with a passer rating
of 89.9 en route to the Pro Bowl.
Grbac also played for the Baltimore Ravens before retiring in 2001 when the Ravens cut him in a salary cap
move after he refused to renegotiate his contract. At the time of his retirement, Grbac had been in negotiations with the Denver Broncos
—Denver was interested in signing him as a backup to starting quarterback Brian Griese
, but Grbac opted for retirement.
The Baltimore Ravens were defending Super Bowl
champions when Grbac replaced quarterback Trent Dilfer
at the start of the 2001 season
. Upon signing, Grbac mocked Dilfer in the press: "It's time that a quarterback comes in here and provides leadership, a go-to guy, a vertical passing game. This is a great team. I can make it better." Grbac posted mediocre passing statistics that year, but still managed to lead the Ravens to an 8-6 regular season record and a playoff win over the Miami Dolphins
before losing in the second round to the Pittsburgh Steelers
. During the season, he was taunted and booed by Baltimore fans and harshly criticized by the Baltimore press. When Grbac was injured midway through the season and temporarily replaced by backup Randall Cunningham
, the taunt "Elvis has left the building" was used. Grbac was jeered upon his return to the lineup after Cunningham went 2-0 as a starter.
People
Grbac was featured as People
's Sexiest Athlete in 1998. Sportswriter Jeff Pearlman
claims this was because of a mistake by a photographer, told to photograph "the Chiefs quarterback," who accidentally photographed Grbac instead of the intended Rich Gannon
.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
who played in the NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. During his career he was a starting
Starting lineup
A starting lineup in sports is an official list of the set of players who will actively participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes or bench players.The starters are commonly the best...
quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
, the Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
, and Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
. In college he was a two-time passing efficiency champion and the quarterback for Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
-winner Desmond Howard
Desmond Howard
Desmond Kevin Howard is a former NFL wide receiver, punt returner, and kickoff returner.He played football for the University of Michigan from 1989–1991 and won the Heisman Trophy in 1991...
.
College career
Elvis Grbac played college footballCollege football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
from 1989 to 1992. He led the Wolverines
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
to two Rose Bowls
Rose Bowl Game
The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...
in 1991 and 1992 and is best remembered for throwing to wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
Desmond Howard
Desmond Howard
Desmond Kevin Howard is a former NFL wide receiver, punt returner, and kickoff returner.He played football for the University of Michigan from 1989–1991 and won the Heisman Trophy in 1991...
during the latter's Heisman-winning campaign in 1991. Grbac finished his career at Michigan as the school's all-time leader in passing attempts
Forward pass
In several forms of football a forward pass is when the ball is thrown in the direction that the offensive team is trying to move, towards the defensive team's goal line...
(835), completions
Completion (American football)
A completion is a term used in American football when a receiver successfully catches a pass. The three possible outcomes of a pass thrown are completion, incompletion, and interception, respectively....
(522), passing yards (6,460) and passing touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
s (71). These marks were later broken by John Navarre
John Navarre
John Robert Navarre is a former American football quarterback who was a three-year starter for the Michigan Wolverines from 2001 to 2003, leading the Wolverines to the 2003 Big Ten Conference championship in his final year of eligibility...
in 2003 and surpassed by Chad Henne
Chad Henne
Chad Steven Henne is an American football quarterback for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League.He graduated from Wilson Senior High School and attended the University of Michigan...
in 2006–07.
He also established the Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
career passing efficiency record that would stand for six season until it was surpassed by Joe Germaine
Joe Germaine
-St. Louis Rams:Germaine was selected in the fourth round of the 1999 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams. He won a Super Bowl ring as a backup to Kurt Warner as a rookie. Germaine appeared in only three games, completing nine passes, and was cut at the end of the 2000 season.-Kansas City...
. He was a two-time national passing efficiency champion during his junior and senior seasons. He was a three-time Big Ten champion in this statistic.
NFL career
Grbac was drafted in the eighth round of the 1993 NFL Draft1993 NFL Draft
The 1993 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 25-26, 1993...
by the 49ers. He served as Steve Young's backup from 1994 to 1996. In 1997, Grbac signed with the Kansas City Chiefs to be their starting quarterback. His best season statistically came in 2000 when he passed for 4,169 yards and 28 touchdowns with a passer rating
Passer rating
Passer rating is a measure of the performance of quarterbacks or any other passers in American football and Canadian football. There are at least two formulae currently in use: one officially used by the National Football League and the Canadian Football League, and one used in college football...
of 89.9 en route to the Pro Bowl.
Grbac also played for the Baltimore Ravens before retiring in 2001 when the Ravens cut him in a salary cap
Salary cap
In professional sports, a salary cap is a cartel agreement between teams that places a limit on the amount of money that can be spent on player salaries. The limit exists as a per-player limit or a total limit for the team's roster, or both...
move after he refused to renegotiate his contract. At the time of his retirement, Grbac had been in negotiations with the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
—Denver was interested in signing him as a backup to starting quarterback Brian Griese
Brian Griese
Brian David Griese is a former American football quarterback. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the third round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He played high school football at Christopher Columbus High School and later college football at Michigan....
, but Grbac opted for retirement.
The Baltimore Ravens were defending Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
champions when Grbac replaced quarterback Trent Dilfer
Trent Dilfer
Trent Farris Dilfer is a former football quarterback in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers sixth overall in the 1994 NFL Draft and went on to play for the Baltimore Ravens, Seattle Seahawks, Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers. He played college football...
at the start of the 2001 season
2001 Baltimore Ravens season
The 2001 Baltimore Ravens season was the team's sixth year in the National Football League.-NFL Draft:-Schedule:-Standings: - Playoffs :-Roster:-References:* *...
. Upon signing, Grbac mocked Dilfer in the press: "It's time that a quarterback comes in here and provides leadership, a go-to guy, a vertical passing game. This is a great team. I can make it better." Grbac posted mediocre passing statistics that year, but still managed to lead the Ravens to an 8-6 regular season record and a playoff win over the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
before losing in the second round to the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
. During the season, he was taunted and booed by Baltimore fans and harshly criticized by the Baltimore press. When Grbac was injured midway through the season and temporarily replaced by backup Randall Cunningham
Randall Cunningham
Randall W. Cunningham is a former American football quarterback.After playing college football at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, he was selected in the second round of the 1985 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles, with whom he remained through the 1995 season...
, the taunt "Elvis has left the building" was used. Grbac was jeered upon his return to the lineup after Cunningham went 2-0 as a starter.
People' s Sexiest Athlete
Grbac was featured as PeoplePeople (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
's Sexiest Athlete in 1998. Sportswriter Jeff Pearlman
Jeff Pearlman
Jeff Pearlman is an American sports writer. He has written two books about baseball and was the author of the infamous John Rocker interview in Sports Illustrated. In October 2011 he released his fifth book, a biography of Walter Payton titled, "Sweetness: The Engimatic Life of Walter Payton." It...
claims this was because of a mistake by a photographer, told to photograph "the Chiefs quarterback," who accidentally photographed Grbac instead of the intended Rich Gannon
Rich Gannon
Richard Joseph Gannon is a former football quarterback, who achieved most of his success late in his career with the Oakland Raiders in the National Football League...
.