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Christopher Jon Weinke (born July 31, 1972 in St. Paul, Minnesota) is an American football quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers. He was originally drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the fourth round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State.
Weinke earned multiple awards during his collegiate career, including the 2000 Heisman Trophy.
[edit] Baseball career
Before college, Weinke attended Cretin-Derham Hall High School in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Cretin-Derham Hall was also attended by center Matt Birk of the Minnesota Vikings. The coach for the football team was Rich Kallok who was voted the HS coach of the year (thanks to Weinke and Birk's votes) for 2006. He committed to attend Florida State University, but before matriculating, he opted to join the Toronto Blue Jays minor league baseball system where he spent six years, advancing to the Triple-A level, before finally enrolling at Florida State.
Weinke began his minor league career in 1991 with the New York-Penn League's St. Catharines Blue Jays. Following his rookie season he saw time in the Carolina League with the Myrtle Beach Hurricanes in 1992, the Dunedin Blue Jays of the Florida State League in 1993 and with the Knoxville Smokies of the Southern League in 1994.
[edit] College football career
Chris is one of two FSU quarterbacks to have his jersey number retired (the other being Charlie Ward). As a sophomore in 1998, Weinke led the Florida State Seminoles to a 9-1 record and #2 national ranking before a season-ending neck injury forced him to the sidelines. During his junior season in 1999, he led the #1 ranked 'Noles to their first undefeated season with a 12-0 record and the school's second national championship, defeating Michael Vick and the Virginia Tech Hokies 46-29 in the Sugar Bowl. As a senior in 2000, Weinke led the nation in passing with 4,167 yards and won the Heisman Trophy, awarded to college football's best player, as well as the Davey O'Brien Award and the Johnny Unitas Award. He also led the Seminoles to the Orange Bowl for their third title game in as many years, where they lost 13-2 to the Oklahoma Sooners. At the age of 28, Weinke was the oldest player in history to win the Heisman Trophy. He finished his Florida State career with a 32-3 record and held numerous FSU records including most passing yards in a career and most career touchdown passes. In 2001, Chris became the seventh Seminole to have his jersey retired.
[edit] Pro football career
Weinke was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the fourth round (106th overall pick) of the 2001 NFL Draft. Like many Heisman Trophy winners before him, he has had a less than stellar career in the NFL. In 2001, he was the starter when the Carolina Panthers went 1-15 (Won season opener, lost 15 straight). On October 16, 2005, Weinke saw his first action since the 2002 season when starter Jake Delhomme went down with an injury against the Detroit Lions. Weinke threw a touchdown pass to wide receiver Ricky Proehl, giving the Panthers the 21-20 win over the Lions. In the 2006 off-season, he re-signed with Carolina. He then continued to back up Jake Delhomme. On December 10, 2006, against the New York Giants, Weinke made his first start since 2002 in place of an injured Delhomme. The Panthers would go on to lose the game, 27 - 13; however, Weinke would throw for 423 yards, shattering the previous single-game team record of 373 set by his predecessor, Steve Beuerlein. The next start Weinke made, however, was his second career win, despite Weinke only attempting 7 passes. Weinke holds the NFL record for most consecutive losses by a quarterback in a season, at 14, as well as overall, at 17.
The San Francisco 49ers signed Weinke on December 12, 2007 after injuries to quarterbacks Alex Smith and Trent Dilfer. He started the final game of the 2007 season for the 49ers in a loss to the Cleveland Browns. Chris has a career record of 2 (wins) and 18 (losses) as a starting quarterback in the NFL. The future of Chris Weinke with the 49ers is unknown, but the controversy surrounding the quarterback position in San Francisco suggests that he may see his contract renewed.
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