Rodney Peete

As the Arizona High School Player of the Year as a junior, Rodney Peete attracted a lot of attention for his football play. Despite being drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays to play baseball, Peete accepted a scholarship to play quarterback for the University of Southern California. Peete’s college career, which saw him get drafted into the MLB three more times, ended with a runners-up to the Heisman Trophy and he became the first Trojan to win the Johnny Unitas Award for the nation’s top senior QB. After being drafted in the 1989 NFL Draft, Peete was scheduled to start as a rookie for the Lions before a knee injury held him out for the first few weeks of the season. Peete rotated in and out of the starting role for the Lions over the next 5 seasons before jumping around the league to fill in as a primary back-up on most occasions. He was then given a second chance in 2002 as the starter of the Carolina Panthers, leading the team to a 7-9 record and keeping his job until being replaced a few games into the ’03 season. After retiring following a 16 year NFL career, Peete joined Fox Sports Net as one of the hosts for The Best Damn Sports Show Period.