 Testaverde with the Baltimore Ravens in 1996 | |||||||||||||||||
| No. 14, 12, 16 | |||||||||||||||||
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| Position: | Quarterback | ||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
| Born: | November 13, 1963 Brooklyn, New York City, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 233 lb (106 kg) | ||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||
| High school: | Sewanhaka (Floral Park, New York) | ||||||||||||||||
| College: | Miami (FL) (1982–1986) | ||||||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1987 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||||||
Vincent Frank Testaverde Sr. (/tɛstəˈvɜːrdi/; born November 13, 1963) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 21 seasons. He played college football at the University of Miami, where he earned consensus All-American and won the Heisman Trophy in 1986.
Testaverde was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the first overall pick of the 1987 NFL Draft. After leaving as a free agent, he signed with the Cleveland Browns and was among the personnel transferred to the newly created Baltimore Ravens during a controversial relocation of the team. He then joined the New York Jets, where he achieved his greatest success. In the last four seasons of his career, he played for the Dallas Cowboys, the Jets for a second time, New England Patriots, and Carolina Panthers for one year each.
Testaverde's professional career was principally characterized by its longevity, lasting 21 seasons, playing for seven different teams. Despite being in the top 10 upon retirement in most career passing statistics (6th in career passing yardage, 7th in career touchdown passes, 6th in career completions), his 123 losses as a starting quarterback is an NFL record, and his career regular-season winning percentage of 42.3% is the lowest of any quarterback with at least 70 wins. He played in five postseason games in his NFL career with a record of 2–3. Testaverde was known for his strong arm and high volume, but was also known for his high interception totals. Testaverde threw more than 20 interceptions in four of his 21 seasons, including his second season with the Buccaneers, in which he threw 35 interceptions.