Michael Joseph Kerrigan (Born April 27, 1960 in Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

, Illinois

Illinois

Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

) is a former professional 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...

.

An undrafted free agent, Kerrigan spent his first three professional seasons as a third-string quarterback behind Tony Eason

Tony Eason

Charles Carroll "Tony" Eason, IV is a former quarterback. He played college football for the University of Illinois and professional football for the New England Patriots and New York Jets .-Early years:Eason grew up in Walnut Grove, California, and attended Delta High School in Clarksburg,...

 and Steve Grogan

Steve Grogan

Steve James Grogan is a former American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. Grogan played for the Patriots for his entire NFL career, from 1975 to 1990.-High school and college:...

. He saw his first professional action on December 19, 1983, replacing an ineffective Tony Eason during the fourth quarter of the season finale against the Seattle Seahawks

Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...

. He went 6 for 14 for 72 yards and rushed once for 14 yards in a 24-6 loss. The loss knocked New England out of the playoffs and resulted in the Seahawks' first playoff berth in franchise history.

He backed up Tony Eason and Steve Grogan during the 1984 season, appearing in one game versus Indianapolis, completing one pass for 13 yards, leading the offense on a fourth quarter touchdown drive. He was released after the 1984 season and was picked up by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL.

In his first season in the Canadian Football League

Canadian Football League

The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....

, Kerrigan led the Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Hamilton Tiger-Cats

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a Canadian Football League team based in Hamilton, Ontario, founded in 1950 with the merger of the Hamilton Tigers and the Hamilton Wildcats. The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Ivor Wynne Stadium...

 to a 39-15 victory over the Edmonton Eskimos

Edmonton Eskimos

The Edmonton Eskimos are a Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. They currently play in the West Division of the Canadian Football League . Edmonton is currently the third-youngest franchise in the CFL, although there were clubs with the name Edmonton Eskimos as early as 1895...

 in the 74th Grey Cup

74th Grey Cup

The 74th Grey Cup was the 1986 Canadian Football League championship game that was played at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, between the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the Edmonton Eskimos...

. He was named the game's most valuable player

Grey Cup Most Valuable Player

The Grey Cup's Most Valuable Player award is awarded annually to the player deemed to have the best performance in the Grey Cup Game, the Canadian Football League's championship game.-Grey Cup Most Valuable Player Award winners:...

. It was Hamilton’s first Grey Cup title since 1972

1972 CFL season

The 1972 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 19th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 15th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1972:...

, and their first win over the Eskimos since 1977

1977 CFL season

The 1977 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 24th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 20th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1977:...

. The Ticats entered the game as 12-point underdogs. They got to the Grey Cup by beating their archrivals, the Toronto Argonauts, in a two game total point series. Kerrigan set a CFL playoff completion record in the second game by completing 35 of his 47 passes.

He once again led the Tiger-Cats to the 1989 Grey Cup, losing to the Saskatchewan Roughriders 43-40 on a last second field goal in what many consider to be the most exciting Grey Cup ever played.

He retired after the 1996 season, leaving as the all-time leading passer in Tiger-Cat history at the time of his retirement.