Wikipedia

Neil O'Donnell

For other people named Neil O'Donnell, see Neil O'Donnell (disambiguation).

Neil Kennedy O'Donnell (born July 3, 1966) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. He played college football for the Maryland Terrapins and was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the 1990 NFL draft. During his six seasons with the Steelers, O'Donnell received Pro Bowl honors and helped lead them to a Super Bowl appearance in Super Bowl XXX. After leaving Pittsburgh, he was a member of the New York Jets for two seasons and the Cincinnati Bengals for one. O'Donnell spent his last five seasons mostly as a backup with the Tennessee Titans.

Neil O'Donnell
refer to caption
O’Donnell with the Tennessee Titans
No. 12, 14
Position:Quarterback
Personal information
Born: (1966-07-03) July 3, 1966 (age 58)
Morristown, New Jersey, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:228 lb (103 kg)
Career information
High school:Madison (Madison, New Jersey)
College:Maryland
NFL draft:1990 / round: 3 / pick: 70
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Passing attempts:3,229
Passing completions:1,865
Completion percentage:57.8
TD–INT:120–68
Passing yards:21,690
Passer rating:81.8
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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O'Donnell grew up in Madison, New Jersey, and played high school football there at Madison High School.[1] Neil Kennedy O’Donnell was born July 3, 1966, in Morristown, New Jersey. Neil's four older brothers played for local coaching legend Ted Monica and won state championships. Stephen O’Donnell was an All-State quarterback who went on to play for Duke. Coach Monica had retired by the time Neil enrolled at Madison High School, but mentored him throughout much of his young football life. O'Donnell was the star of the Dodgers varsity team as a sophomore and junior, but the team won just three games in those two seasons. During his senior year, as quarterback, O'Donnell led the team to a respectable 4-2-3 season in 1985. Coach Bobby Ross recruited him to the University of Maryland despite lacking the stats and honors of other high school stars.[2]

College career

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At the University of Maryland, College Park, O'Donnell redshirted the 1986 season, then played for the Terrapins for three seasons and was the starting quarterback in the 1988 and 1989 seasons. He played under head coach Joe Krivak, who was promoted from quarterback coach after Bobby Ross left the program in 1986. The Krivak era was marked by mediocre results and the O'Donnell years featured an especially tough out-of-conference schedule. The Terps finished 5–6 in 1988 and 3-7-1 in 1989, notably tying Penn State, only the second time Maryland had avoided losing to the Nittany Lions in the series up to that point. The Terps failed to reach a bowl game during O'Donnell's career there. He was backed up by QB Scott Zolak, who pushed O'Donnell for playing time during both of his seasons as a starter. O'Donnell wore #14 for the Terps and for most of his Pro Career. He was awarded the Ray Krouse Award for Maryland team MVP in 1989, and finished his Maryland career with 26 touchdown passes, 3 rushing touchdowns, and 5,069 total yards.[3]

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Vertical jump
6 ft 2+1⁄4 in
(1.89 m) 		217 lb
(98 kg) 		31+1⁄4 in
(0.79 m) 		9+1⁄8 in
(0.23 m)		 4.89 s 1.63 s 2.89 s 4.03 s 32.5 in
(0.83 m)
All values from NFL Combine[4]

Pittsburgh Steelers

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1990-1991

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O'Donnell was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 70th overall pick in the 1990 NFL draft.[5]

As a rookie, he sat behind incumbent starter Bubby Brister and did not see the field once. [6] In 1991, he was once again named the team’s backup quarterback. He would relieve Brister for one drive during Week 1’s 26-20 victory over the San Diego Chargers. O’Donnell completed one pass on four attempts. His first ever NFL completion was an 89 yard touchdown pass to Dwight Stone. [7] On October 14, he relieved an injured Brister once again. In his first NFL start, O’Donnell completed 11 passes on 21 attempts for 152 yards and two touchdowns as the Steelers lost to the New York Giants 20-23. [8] He continued to start sporadically in place of Brister due to poor play. O’Donnell finished 1991 with a completion percentage of 54.5 (156-of-286) for 1,963 yards, 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions. [9] He started in eight regular season games and helped lead the Steelers to a record of 7-9, missing the playoffs. [10]

1992: Pro Bowl

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As the Steelers began the 1992 season, Steelers head coach Chuck Noll retired with Bill Cowher stepping into the role. Cowher preferred O’Donnell to Brister, promoting him to the starting quarterback position. [11]

In a 23–6 victory over the San Diego Chargers, O’Donnell would have one of his statistically best games of his career. O’Donnell scored three touchdowns, two passing and one rushing, completed 17 of 24 passes for 215 yards and only committed one turnover. [12] He finished the season throwing for 2,283 passing yards, 13 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions as he led the Steelers to an 11-5 record and took the AFC Central division title, but lost to the Buffalo Bills 24–3 in a divisional playoff game. At the conclusion of the season, O’Donnell was named to the Pro Bowl, the only one of his career. [11]

1993-1994

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In 1993, he finished the season with a passer rating of 79.4, throwing for a career-high 3,208 passing yards, 14 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions finishing with a 1.4 interception percentage, the second lowest in his career.[13] In a Week 3 blowout victory over the division rival Cincinnati Bengals, O'Donnell completed 21-of-25 passes for 189 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Steelers to a final score of 34-7.[14] O'Donnell followed up this season by throwing for 2,443 yards, 13 touchdowns and nine interceptions as he led his team to a playoff berth yet again. He and the Steelers defeated the Cleveland Browns with a final score of 29-9 in which he threw 16-of-23 pass attempts for 186 yards and two touchdowns. The Steelers would lose the AFC Championship to the San Diego Chargers 13-17. He only completed 59.3% of his passes (32-of-54) for 349 yards (a career high), and one touchdown.[15]

1995: Super Bowl XXX

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On September 3, 1995, O'Donnell led the Steelers to a Week 1 win over the Detroit Lions, throwing seven completions on 10 attempts for 63 yards, but failed to score a touchdown.[16] During the game, O'Donnell was injured and replaced by backup Mike Tomczak. O'Donnell would not make a regular season appearance until October 8's 16-20 loss to the expansion team Jacksonville Jaguars. He threw his first touchdown of the season during the game on an 18 yard pass to running back Steve Avery.[17] He had his statistically best game of the season on November 19, 1995 as the Steelers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 49-31. O'Donnell threw for 377 yards, completed 24-of-31 passes and threw three touchdowns in what would be his fourth game of the season throwing for multiple touchdowns.[18] The Steelers finished the regular season with a record of 11-5 and clinched the AFC Central yet again earning a first-round bye for the team for the fifth consecutive season.

In the divisional playoff round, O'Donnell led the Steelers to a victory over the four time AFC Champions Buffalo Bills with a final score of 40-21. In the game, O'Donnell threw one touchdown pass to have the Steelers take the lead 14-0 to begin the second quarter.[19] On January 14, O'Donnell won his first AFC Championship 20-16 over the Indianapolis Colts. During the game, O'Donnell threw a five yard touchdown pass to Kordell Stewart in his only score of the game.[20]

The Steelers would make their fifth franchise Super Bowl appearance in Super Bowl XXX on January 28, 1996 to take on the Dallas Cowboys. During the game, he threw one touchdown on a six yard pass to Yancey Thigpen and completed 28-of-49 passes. Infamously, O'Donnell threw two nearly identical interceptions to Dallas Cowboys cornerback Larry Brown that set up short touchdown drives in the second half. He tacked on a third interception as well late in the game. These interceptions proved costly for the Steelers as it led to them losing with a final score of 17-27.[21]

O'Donnell was not re-signed to the team following his Super Bowl performance, making him a free agent at the end of the season.

New York Jets

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1996

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On February 29, 1996, he signed a 5-year $25 million contract with the New York Jets that was both more money than Pittsburgh but also close to his home in Madison, New Jersey.

O’Donnell was named the Jets’ starting quarterback going into the 1996 season. [22] His first outing with the team was a far cry from his tenure with the Steelers, throwing just seven completions of 13 attempts for 50 yards and an interception. His passer rating of 30.9 was a career low for O’Donnell as the Jets lost to the Denver Broncos 6-31. [23]

Through his first six starts of the season, O’Donnell led the Jets to an 0-6 record and only completed 110-of-188 passes for 1,147 yards, four touchdowns and seven interceptions. He was also sacked 18 times for 127 yards. He suffered a season ending shoulder injury during a 13-34 loss to the Oakland Raiders [24]

1997

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His performance improved the following season under new head coach Bill Parcells. He led the Jets to a Week 1 victory over the Seattle Seahawks in which he completed 18-of-25 passes for 270 yards and five touchdowns. In contrast with the previous season’s opener, his passer rating of 146.7 was a career high for O’Donnell. [25]

He eventually fell out of favor with Parcells and lost his starting job to Glenn Foley. O'Donnell refused to re-negotiate his contract, which paid him $6.65M for the upcoming season, Parcells chose to waive O'Donnell. He stated later that he had no regrets, stating, "It was exciting, but the change was hard, I'll be honest with you. I mean the locker room change, the environment change. We were at Hofstra [University on Long Island], which was horrible. I never thought it would affect me, but every game was an away game. That's how it felt. It was a constant battle even to get to a so-called home game at Giants Stadium."[26][27]

Cincinnati Bengals

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On July 7, 1998, O'Donnell signed a 4-year $17M contract with the Cincinnati Bengals. In the 1998 NFL season, with the then-1–3 Bengals, O'Donnell threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Carl Pickens with 20 seconds remaining to score the winning touchdown against 3–1 Pittsburgh. O'Donnell's 90.2 passer rating was sixth among regular starting quarterbacks in the NFL and third in the AFC. However, due to a struggling defense, the Bengals went on to finish 3–13. O'Donnell was released at the end of the season to make room for rookie quarterback Akili Smith.

Tennessee Titans

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O’Donnell in 2003

On July 24, 1999, O'Donnell signed a multi-year contract with the Tennessee Titans, where he served as Steve McNair's backup. He performed well, winning four of his five starts for an injured McNair in 1999, leaving a perennial .500 team at 5–1 upon McNair's return. Later, O'Donnell came off the bench and led Tennessee to a 47–36 victory over Pittsburgh in Week 17 en route to the AFC Championship and Super Bowl XXXIV, in which he was not an active participant.

O'Donnell retired after the 2002 season, but was talked into coming back for one game in December 2003 when McNair and Billy Volek were injured. He started in the regular season finale and delivered a strong performance, completing 18 of 27 passes for 232 yards and two touchdowns, leading the Titans to a 33–13 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

O'Donnell ended his career with the lowest interception percentage in NFL history, averaging just 2.11 interceptions for every 100 pass attempts.[28] Aaron Rodgers has since eclipsed the record (1.46 interception percentage through the 2018–19 season).[29] O'Donnell also wore number 14 during most of his career except during his one-year stint with the Bengals, where he wore number 12. The Bengals did not issue number 14 after the retirement of former quarterback and West Coast offense pioneer Ken Anderson in 1986 until Andy Dalton started wearing number 14 for the Bengals in 2011.

NFL career statistics

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Legend
Pro Bowl selection
Led the league
Bold Career high

Regular season

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Year Team Games Passing
GP GS Record Cmp Att Pct Yds Avg TD Int Lng Rtg
1991 PIT 12 8 2−6 156 286 54.5 1,963 6.9 11 7 89 78.8
1992 PIT 12 12 9−3 185 313 59.1 2,283 7.3 13 9 51 83.6
1993 PIT 16 15 9−6 270 486 55.6 3,208 6.6 14 7 71 79.5
1994 PIT 14 14 10−4 212 370 57.3 2,443 6.6 13 9 60 78.9
1995 PIT 12 12 9−3 246 416 59.1 2,970 7.1 17 7 71 87.7
1996 NYJ 6 6 0–6 110 188 58.5 1,147 6.1 4 7 78 67.8
1997 NYJ 15 14 8−6 259 460 56.3 2,796 6.1 17 7 70 80.3
1998 CIN 13 11 2−9 212 343 61.8 2,216 6.5 15 4 76 90.2
1999 TEN 8 5 4−1 116 195 59.5 1,382 7.1 10 5 54 87.6
2000 TEN 7 1 1−0 36 64 56.3 530 8.3 2 3 67 74.3
2001 TEN 5 1 0−1 42 76 55.3 496 6.5 2 2 35 73.1
2002 TEN 4 0 — 3 5 60.0 24 4.8 0 0 15 72.1
2003 TEN 1 1 1–0 18 27 66.7 232 8.6 2 1 34 102.7
Career 125 100 55−45 1,865 3,229 57.8 21,690 6.7 120 68 89 81.8

Post-football career

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O’Donnell with a fan in 2011

O'Donnell permanently retired after the 2003 season. In 2004, he declined head coach Bill Cowher's offer to return to the Steelers after starting quarterback Tommy Maddox and backup quarterback Charlie Batch both sustained injuries.

O'Donnell found work as a sports analyst, primarily covering the Titans at WTVF, Nashville's CBS affiliate (2005–2007). He is currently a sales representative for FieldTurf in Kentucky and Tennessee.[30]

References

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  1. ^ Eskenazi, Gerald. "PRO FOOTBALL;Jets Waste No Time Wooing O'Donnell", The New York Times, February 17, 1996. Accessed January 3, 2008. "He is a local product, having grown up and played football at Madison High School in New Jersey, not far from where the Giants have run their summer camp."
  2. ^ "Neil O'Donnell FB". Njsportsheroes.com.
  3. ^ "Total Offense Records - Maryland Terrapins Athletics - University of Maryland Terps Official Athletic Site". Archived from the original on March 17, 2015. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
  4. ^ "Neil O'Donnell, Combine Results, QB - Maryland". Nflcombineresults.com. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
  5. ^ "1990 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  6. ^ "1990 Pittsburgh Steelers Roster". FootballDB.com. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  7. ^ "San Diego Chargers at Pittsburgh Steelers". Pro-Football-Reference.com. September 1, 1991. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  8. ^ "Giants 23-20 Steelers (Oct 14, 1991)". StatMuse. October 14, 1991. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  9. ^ "Neil O'Donnell 1991 Game Log". StatMuse. December 22, 1991. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  10. ^ "1991 Pittsburgh Steelers Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. September 1, 1991. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  11. ^ a b Rosa, Poch de la (January 23, 2023). "The Life And Career Of Neil O'Donnell (Story)". Pro Football History. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  12. ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers at San Diego Chargers". Pro-Football-Reference.com. September 20, 1992. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  13. ^ "Neil O'donnell 1993". StatMuse. January 2, 1994. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  14. ^ "Bengals 7-34 Steelers (Sep 19, 1993)". StatMuse. September 19, 1993. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  15. ^ "Neil O'Donnell 1994 Game Log". StatMuse. January 15, 1995. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  16. ^ "Lions 20-23 Steelers (Sep 3, 1995)". StatMuse. September 3, 1995. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  17. ^ "Steelers 16-20 Jaguars (Oct 8, 1995)". StatMuse. October 8, 1995. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  18. ^ "Steelers 49-31 Bengals (Nov 19, 1995)". StatMuse. November 19, 1995. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  19. ^ "Buffalo Bills at Pittsburgh Steelers". Pro-Football-Reference.com. January 6, 1996. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  20. ^ "Indianapolis Colts at Pittsburgh Steelers". Pro-Football-Reference.com. January 14, 1996. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  21. ^ "Dallas Cowboys vs. Pittsburgh Steelers". Pro-Football-Reference.com. January 28, 1996. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  22. ^ "1996 New York Jets Roster & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. July 28, 1964. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  23. ^ "Jets 6-31 Broncos (Sep 1, 1996)". StatMuse. September 1, 1996. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  24. ^ "Neil O'Donnell 1996 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. July 3, 1966. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  25. ^ "Jets 41-3 Seahawks (Aug 31, 1997)". StatMuse. August 31, 1997. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  26. ^ "N.Y. Jets Waive Neil O'Donnell". CBS News. June 24, 1998.
  27. ^ Cimini, Rich (March 8, 2018). "What's it like to be Kirk Cousins? Ex-Jet Neil O'Donnell has an idea". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
  28. ^ "Donovan McNabb at Home - Photos - SI.com". Archived from the original on May 29, 2008. Retrieved June 1, 2008.
  29. ^ "NFL Pass Interception % Career Leaders". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  30. ^ "FieldTurf Needs a Sales Rep". Mondesishouse.com. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
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