Drew Bledsoe: From College Standout to NFL Hall of Famer

Drew McQueen Bledsoe, born on February 14, 1972, is a former American professional football quarterback who spent 14 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the New England Patriots. His journey from a small-town upbringing to NFL stardom is a testament to his talent, perseverance, and leadership.

Early Life and High School Career

Bledsoe's parents were schoolteachers in Ellensburg, Washington. His mother taught at Lewis & Clark Middle School in Yakima. The Bledsoe family moved five times before Drew was in sixth grade before finally settling in Walla Walla, where his father coached football at the high school. Drew attended Walla Walla High School, where he lettered in football, basketball, and track. In football, he earned first-team All-State honors from the Tacoma News Tribune. Notably, the only time Bledsoe played a whole season of football without ever starting at quarterback was in seventh grade at Pioneer Junior High. With his father as his high school coach, he garnered numerous accolades, including selection to the Western 100 and Washington State Player of the Year.

College Career at Washington State University

Bledsoe spent his college career at Washington State University playing for the Cougars. Gaining the starting job at the end of the 1990 season as a true freshman, he quickly became the face of the Cougars' offense. In 1992, Bledsoe led WSU to a 9-3 record, ranking #17 in the coaches poll and #15 in the AP. In the Copper Bowl, Bledsoe completed 30 of 46 passes for 476 yards and two touchdowns, earning him the Copper Bowl MVP award. He also established WSU records in single-game passing yards (476), single-season pass completions (241), and single-season passing yards (3,246).

NFL Career with the New England Patriots

Draft and Early Years

The New England Patriots selected Bledsoe first overall in the 1993 NFL draft, where he spent his first nine seasons. As the Patriots' starting quarterback, Bledsoe ended a seven-year postseason drought and led them to four playoff appearances, two division titles, and one Super Bowl appearance in Super Bowl XXXI.

1994 Season: A Turning Point

On November 13, 1994, the Patriots were losing 20-3 to the Minnesota Vikings at halftime. Bledsoe led a comeback victory in which the Patriots won, 26-20, in overtime, as he set single-game records in pass completions (45) and attempts (70). The win sparked the beginning of a new age for the Patriots, as they rallied behind Bledsoe and won their final six games to finish with a 10-6 record and capture the wild card spot.

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1996 Season: Super Bowl Appearance

Following the difficult 1995 season, Bledsoe turned it around in 1996, ranking among the top passers in the league with the help of wide receiver Terry Glenn, pushing the Patriots to reach the playoffs again and winning the AFC championship over the Jacksonville Jaguars, 20-6. This led to an appearance in Super Bowl XXXI, where they lost to the Green Bay Packers, 35-21. Bledsoe completed 25 of 48 passes for 253 yards, two touchdowns, and four interceptions in the loss. During the 1997 season, Bledsoe helped the Patriots win five of their final seven games to once again qualify for the playoffs, the fourth time in eight years as a Patriots starter he would lead the team to a postseason appearance.

2001 Season: Injury and the Rise of Tom Brady

In March 2001, Bledsoe signed a then-record 10-year, $103 million contract. During the second game of the 2001 season on September 23, Bledsoe was racing toward the sideline on third-and-10 when New York Jets linebacker Mo Lewis leveled him with a hard, but clean hit. Bledsoe was about to dive for the first down marker, but defensive end Shaun Ellis clipped Bledsoe's ankles as he was about to dive, resulting in Lewis hitting Bledsoe while he was standing straight up. With Bledsoe appearing to have suffered a concussion, backup Tom Brady came in to finish the game. After the game, team trainer Ron O'Neill suspected Bledsoe did not look right and asked him to come to the medical room for evaluation. Team doctor Bert Zarins ran some tests and discovered Bledsoe's heart was racing. Zarins realized that this was something much more serious than a concussion; normally, concussed people have their heart rates tail off dramatically. Bledsoe was rushed to the hospital, where it was discovered that Lewis' hit sheared a blood vessel in his chest, causing a hemothorax that had him bleeding a pint of blood an hour. Brady took the starting job and led New England to the playoffs. Bledsoe would never regain his starting role, although he proved integral to his team's playoff run when he replaced an injury-hobbled Brady in the AFC Championship Game against Pittsburgh. Bledsoe, starting from the Steelers' 40-yard line, capped a scoring drive with an 11-yard touchdown pass to David Patten to give the Patriots a 14-3 lead, as well as all of the momentum going into halftime. With the Steelers trailing by four points in the fourth quarter, Bledsoe put together a 45-yard drive to put the Patriots in field goal range where Adam Vinatieri converted to make the score 24-17. Bledsoe later drove New England into Steelers territory to set up a 50-yard kick to seal the game; however, Vinatieri missed and the ball went back to Pittsburgh. The Patriots defense held, and with a final score of 24-17 the upset was complete and the Patriots moved on to Super Bowl XXXVI. In winning the conference championship game, Bledsoe completed 10 of 21 passes for 102 yards, a touchdown, and no interceptions.

Later Career

Buffalo Bills (2002-2004)

Being sent to the Bills seemed to give Bledsoe a bit of rejuvenation in 2002. He had one of his best seasons, passing for 4,359 yards and 24 touchdowns and making his fourth trip to the Pro Bowl. In Week 2 against the Minnesota Vikings, Bledsoe set a team record with 463 yards passing in an overtime win. He led the Bills to an 8-8 record, which did not qualify for the postseason. He continued his strong play in 2003 as the Bills began the year 2-0. Bledsoe was released by the Bills after the 2004 season to make way for first-round draft pick J. P. Losman.

Dallas Cowboys (2005-2006)

Bledsoe went on to sign with the Dallas Cowboys, where he was reunited with former coach Bill Parcells and wide receiver Terry Glenn. Bledsoe was intended to be a long-term solution as quarterback for the Cowboys. Said Bledsoe on the day he signed with Dallas, "Bill [Parcells] wants me here, and being the starter." During his tenure with the Cowboys, he threw for over 3,000 yards in a season for the ninth time in his career, tying Warren Moon for fourth in NFL history.

Legacy and Honors

Bledsoe would return to New England as a visiting player three times between 2002 and 2006. Bledsoe is recognized for leading the resurrection of the Patriots franchise, including his highlight performance when he came off the bench following a near career-ending injury, leading the team to victory in the 2001 AFC Championship game en route to the Patriot's first Super Bowl win. On May 16, 2011, Bledsoe was voted by Patriots fans into the Patriots Hall of Fame. He was formally inducted in a public ceremony outside The Hall at Patriot Place on September 17, 2011. Bledsoe beat former head coach Bill Parcells and defensive lineman Houston Antwine in a fan vote. In January 2018, Bledsoe was named honorary captain of the New England Patriots as they hosted the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC Championship Game. Bledsoe's Patriots had beaten the Jaguars 20-6 in the 1996 AFC Championship Game to advance to their second Super Bowl. Patriots owner Robert Kraft said in a statement "Drew Bledsoe played such an integral role in our efforts to rebuild the Patriots. He gave fans hope for the future by providing many memorable moments during his record-breaking career.

Life After Football

Bledsoe and his wife Maura live in Bend, Oregon, where Maura (née Healy) has family ties. They have four children: sons Stuart, John, Henry, and daughter Healy. After his retirement in 2007, Bledsoe founded the Doubleback Winery along with close friend Chris Figgins. After the 2014 vintage, Figgins left Doubleback and handed his interest in the business to his protege Josh McDaniels (not related to the Patriots assistant coach of the same name). The company's grapes, mostly Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, are harvested from McQueen Vineyards and Flying B Vineyards, located in and around Walla Walla, Washington. The wine saw some critical success and placed 53rd overall in Wine Spectator's Top 100 wines in 2010. His first vintage, 2007, quickly sold out of its initial 600 cases. In 2012, Wine Spectator's publisher Marvin R. Shanken visited Doubleback and later commented that Bledsoe was as serious about his wine as he was about football.

In his spare time, Bledsoe works with many philanthropic organizations. In 1996, he established the Drew Bledsoe Foundation to support his parents’ vision for better parenting through their Parenting with Dignity curriculum. At the age of 23, he became the youngest player in NFL history to surpass the 10,000-yard passing plateau when he connected with Ben Coates on a 6-yard completion just before the half vs. the Indianapolis Colts.

Prior to 1994, the Patriots' single-season record for passing yards was 3,465 yards. Bledsoe ranks fifth all time in completions (3,839), seventh in passing yards (44,611), and thirteenth in touchdown passes (251). Bledsoe's passer rating of 77.1 was 46th all-time in league history when he retired in 2006. His 57.2% completion percentage is tied for 99th in league history. Bledsoe's 37 regular season 300-yard passing games ranks ninth in league history. He also ranks sixth in most career regular-season 400-yard passing games by an NFL quarterback, having done it six times. He was selected to the Pro Bowl four times (in 1994, 1996, 1997, 2002).

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