Ryan Leaf

Ryan Leaf

No. 5, 16
Quarterback
Personal information
Date of birth: (1976-05-15) May 15, 1976
Place of birth: Great Falls, Montana, U.S.
Height: 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) Weight: 235 lb (107 kg)
Career information
High school: Great Falls (MT) Russell
College: Washington State
NFL Draft: 1998 / Round: 1 / Pick: 2
Debuted in 1998 for the San Diego Chargers
Last played in 2001 for the Dallas Cowboys
Coaching debut in 2006 for the West Texas A&M University
Last coached in 2008 for the West Texas A&M University
Career history
As player:
San Diego Chargers (1998–2000) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2001) * Dallas Cowboys (2001) Seattle Seahawks (2002) * *Offseason and/or Practice Squad only
As coach:
West Texas A&M Buffaloes (NCAA II) (volunteer QB) (2006–2008)
Career highlights and awards
TSN 1st team first All-American (1997) 3rd in Heisman Trophy Voting (1997) Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year (1997)
Career NFL statistics
Pass attempts 655 Pass completions 317 Percentage 48.4 TD-INT 14-36 Passing yards 3,666 QB Rating 50.0 Stats at NFL.com

Ryan David Leaf (born May 15, 1976) is a retired American football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for four seasons. He played for the San Diego Chargers and the Dallas Cowboys between 1998 and 2001, and also spent time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Seattle Seahawks.

Leaf had a successful college career at Washington State University, where he was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy after his junior year. He was selected as the second overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft, but his career was short and interrupted by poor play, bad behavior, and injuries. An episode of NFL Top 10 ranked him as the No. 1 "draft bust" in NFL history.

After his NFL career ended, Leaf completed his degree at Washington State and became a volunteer quarterbacks coach at West Texas A&M University in 2006. In 2008, Leaf resigned after allegedly asking a player for pain medication, and Leaf would later encounter legal troubles involving drugs beginning in 2010 after a Texas judge sentenced him to 10 years' probation. Two years later, Leaf pled guilty to felony burglary and drug possession in Montana. After a suspended sentence with a stint in drug rehabilitation, Leaf began serving a seven-year sentence in state prison in December 2012.

College career

After leading Charles M. Russell High School to the 1992 Montana state title, he considered playing college football as a linebacker at the University of Miami. He chose to be a quarterback for the Washington State Cougars instead after head coach Mike Price, who had coached longtime Patriot starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe, promised him that he would play in the Rose Bowl. (Leaf didn't know at the time that the Cougars had last played there in 1931.)^[1]

He played in 32 games for Washington State, starting 24 of them. In his junior year, he averaged 330.6 yards passing per game and threw for a then Pac-10 conference record 33 touchdowns. He also led the Cougars to a win over the Washington Huskies (41-35) for the first time in Seattle's Husky Stadium since 1985, and helped bring the Cougars their first Pac-10 championship in school history. Despite his strong early showing in the 1998 Rose Bowl, Washington State was defeated 21-16 by the eventual Associated Press national champion Michigan Wolverines.^[2]

Leaf was a finalist in balloting for the Heisman Trophy that year, which is given annually to the "most outstanding" player in American college football voted in by media figures and former players.^[3] He finished third behind the winner, defensive back Charles Woodson of Michigan and fellow quarterback Peyton Manning of Tennessee.^{[ 1]} He was named Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year, was named first-team All-American by The Sporting News, and finished second in the nation in passer rating.^[4][5] After the Rose Bowl, he decided to forego his senior year at Washington State and enter the 1998 NFL Draft.

NFL career

1998 Draft

Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf were widely considered the two best players available in the 1998 draft,^[4] and scouts and analysts debated which should be selected first.^[6][7] Many favored Leaf's stronger arm and greater potential,^[4][8] while others deemed Manning the more mature player and the safer pick.^{[ 1]} Most observers, however, believed that it would not greatly matter whether Manning or Leaf was drafted first^{[ 1]} because either would greatly benefit his team.^{[ 1]}

The Indianapolis Colts owned the first draft pick that year. Team scouts favored Leaf, but Colts president Bill Polian and coaching staff preferred Manning, especially after discovering during individual workouts that he could throw harder than Leaf. Manning also impressed the team during his interview, while Leaf missed his.^[9] Leaf's draft prospect profile described Leaf as "self-confident to the point where some people view him as being arrogant and almost obnoxious."^[10] The San Diego Chargers needed a new quarterback after having scored the fewest touchdowns in the league in the previous season. To obtain the second draft pick, the team traded its third overall pick, a future first round pick, a second round pick, and three-time Pro Bowler Eric Metcalf to the Arizona Cardinals, guaranteeing the Chargers the right to draft whichever of the two quarterbacks Indianapolis did not take first.^[11]

Manning was drafted first by the Colts and Leaf second by the Chargers,^{[ 1]} who signed him to a four-year contract worth $31.25 million, including a guaranteed $11.25 million signing bonus, the largest ever paid to a rookie at the time.^[12] Leaf said, "I'm looking forward to a 15-year career, a couple of trips to the Super Bowl, and a parade through downtown San Diego."^[8] The night after the draft, Leaf flew to Las Vegas, Nevada on the jet of Chargers owner Alex Spanos and partied all night; the following day Leaf yawned during his first news conference.^[13]

San Diego Chargers (1998–2000)

1998 season

San Diego's high hopes for Leaf were soon dashed, as his rookie season was marred by poor behavior. Before the season started, he skipped the final day of a symposium mandatory for all NFL draftees and was fined $10,000.^[13][14] In a prank customarily played on rookies, a group of Chargers went out to dinner during training camp and charged the meal to Leaf's credit card. Rather than taking it in stride, he complained to Charger general manager Bobby Beathard and refused to pay, much to the annoyance of his teammates. Several days later, during a play in practice resulting in a Leaf interception, star linebacker Junior Seau knocked him down with a hard hit, earning high-fives from teammates.^[15]

Leaf did well in the preseason and led the Chargers to victory in the first two regular-season games.^{[ 1]} The Chargers won the season opener on September 6, 1998, 16-14 over the Buffalo Bills despite mistakes from Leaf such as fumbling his first snap and throwing two interceptions; Buffalo penalties voided two would-be interceptions from Leaf. In the game, Leaf's 6-yard touchdown pass to Bryan Still that followed a 67-yard pass to Still gave San Diego a 10-0 lead. However, late in the game, San Diego fell behind 14-13 after a Leaf interception.^[16] Leaf completed 16 of 31 passes for 192 yards in the opener and 13 of 24 passes for 179 yards (with 31 rushing yards in 7 carries) in the second game, a 13-7 win over the Tennessee Oilers.^[17] In the third game of the season on September 20, Leaf completed only one of 15 passes for four yards, threw two interceptions and fumbled three times in a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.^[18] The Thursday before that game, Leaf was hospitalized for a viral infection.^[19] Leaf later said that infected turf fibers entered his skin and lymph glands.^[20]

After Leaf threw four interceptions in the first half against the New York Giants in the Week 4 game (September 28), coach Kevin Gilbride benched Leaf in favor of Craig Whelihan.^[21] The following game on October 4 against the Indianapolis Colts matched Leaf against the number-one 1998 draft pick Peyton Manning. Indianapolis won 17-12, as both quarterbacks completed 12 of 23 passes with an interception each, but Leaf threw for 160 yards (23 more than Manning), and only Manning threw a touchdown. Manning was never sacked; Leaf was sacked four times. Inside the final two minutes and San Diego down 14-6, Leaf's 56-yard pass to Charlie Jones set up a one-yard Natrone Means touchdown run, but Leaf's potential tying two-point conversion pass to Webster Slaughter was incomplete.^[22]

Whelihan replaced Leaf on November 8 after Leaf completed only 4 of 15 passes and became starter on a permanent basis afterwards.^[23] Leaf finished the season having played 10 games with 1,289 passing yards, 45.3% completed passes, 2 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions, with an abysmally poor quarterback rating of 39.^[24][25]

"Just fucking don't talk to me, all right? Knock it off!"

~Ryan Leaf to San Diego Union-Tribune reporter Jay Posner in a postgame locker room incident

Leaf related poorly to both the media and his teammates, whom he tended to blame for his poor play.^[8] In a locker-room incident during Leaf's rookie year, he was caught on camera screaming "Knock it off!" at San Diego Union Tribune reporter Jay Posner, and was physically restrained by Seau. He soon developed a reputation for a poor work ethic to the point of occasionally being found on the golf course while the other quarterbacks were studying film.^[26] After Leaf's rookie season ended, Charger safety Rodney Harrison described it as "a nightmare you can't even imagine," adding: "If I had to go through another year like that, I'd probably quit playing."^[27]

1999 season

Leaf missed his second season due to a shoulder injury suffered 20 minutes into the Chargers' first training camp workout on July 23, 1999.^[13] Leaf had surgery to fix a labral tear in his throwing shoulder.^[28] During an August training camp, a fan heckled Leaf: "Hey, Ryan, you're the worst draft choice in NFL history. You make Heath Shuler look like an All-Star." Leaf, accompanied by a coach and security guards, walked towards the fan and asked a question. The fan began walking closer to Leaf, and two coaches restrained Leaf, with another Chargers employee saying "No, don't do it, Ryan. Don't do it." Leaf later explained the incident: "...what I wanted to do was say, 'Hey, look, I've grown up, I'm calm about it, I would like to understand why you would say that about me.'"^[29]

He was placed on injured reserve but made headlines in early November when he got into a shouting match with GM Bobby Beathard and one of the coaches, resulting in a fine, a suspension without pay and an apology by Leaf (four weeks later).^[30][31] During his suspension, he was caught on video playing flag football at a San Diego park, a violation of his contract according to Charger management.^[32][33]

2000 season

In the final game of the 2000 preseason, Leaf completed a pass to Trevor Gaylor to seal a 24-20 win over the Arizona Cardinals. After the game, he appeared on the cover of the September 4, 2000 issue of Sports Illustrated along with headline "Back from the Brink". The cover story characterized his comeback as "an ascent from pariah to possible standout pro passer".^[33] He started the first two games of the 2000 season but completed less than half of his pass attempts and threw five interceptions but only one touchdown.^[17] In the season opener on September 4, a 9-6 loss to the Oakland Raiders, Leaf completed 17 of 39 passes for 180 yards and threw three interceptions, including one on a 4th-and-inches play with 1:37 left and sealing the Raiders victory. After the game, Leaf's left hand was swollen, and a late hit from Regan Upshaw gave Leaf a chin gash that required seven or eight stitches.^[34] The following game, a 28-27 loss to the New Orleans Saints, Leaf completed 12 of 24 passes for 134 yards and threw his first touchdown pass since his rookie season, a 20-yard pass to Curtis Conway; however, Leaf threw two interceptions, including one that ended the Chargers' final drive.^[35]

Coach Mike Riley started Moses Moreno for the Week 3 game, but Leaf took over after Moreno went down with a shoulder injury.^[36] Leaf injured his wrist when he threw an interception in the Week 4 game and next played in Week 11.^[37] By October, Leaf speculated that the Chargers would release him after the season.^[38] Late that month, reports suggested that Leaf lied about a hand injury to get out of practice and play golf instead.^[13]

In the Week 11 game on November 12 against the Miami Dolphins, Leaf replaced Moreno mid-game. Leaf threw an interception on his fourth snap, led a touchdown drive in the Chargers' next series, and left the game with nearly a minute to go after straining a hamstring on a scramble. This game was the first since 1993 where three quarterbacks for a team - in this case Leaf, Moreno, and Jim Harbaugh - threw interceptions in one game.^[39] On November 19 against the Denver Broncos, Leaf completed 13 of 27 passes and reached career single-game highs in quarterback rating (111.8), passing yards (311), and passing touchdowns (3), but the Chargers lost the game 38-37.^[17] After an 0-11 start, the Chargers got their first win on November 26, 17-16 over the Kansas City Chiefs. San Diego took a 14-3 lead early in the second quarter after Leaf made two touchdown passes to Freddie Jones, but the offense struggled later in the game, and Leaf threw two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown.^[40]

Leaf would again play poorly, as he threw four interceptions on December 3 against the San Francisco 49ers and completed only 9 of 23 passes on December 10 against future Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens.^[17] He improved on December 17, completing 23 of 43 passes for 259 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception, but San Diego lost to the Carolina Panthers 30-22.^[17] In the Chargers' final drive, with nearly two minutes remaining in the game, Leaf completed a 10-yard pass to Curtis Conway that referees ruled was six inches short of the end zone. On first down, however, miscommunication between Leaf and running back Jermaine Fazande resulted in a fumble and 8-yard loss, and the next two plays followed by a penalty forced a fourth down and goal 10 yards from the end zone, and Leaf's fourth down pass was incomplete.^[41] On the final game of the season on December 24, Leaf made a 71-yard touchdown pass to Jeff Graham on the first play from scrimmage, but San Diego lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers 34-21.^[42] In the game, Leaf completed 15 of 29 passes for 171 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception and fumbled his final snap.^[17][42] After finishing the season 1-15, the Chargers released Leaf on February 28, 2001.^[43] In three years with San Diego, Leaf had only four wins as a starter.^[44] For the 2000 season, Leaf completed 50% (161 of 322) of his passes for 1,883 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 18 interceptions.^[45]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2001)

On March 2, 2001, two days after the Chargers released him, Leaf was claimed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who were intrigued by his physical talent and planned to develop him more slowly, giving him time to watch and learn.^[46] Leaf's wrist had still not healed, and doctors recommended surgery. After mediocre preseason performances, he was asked to accept demotion to fourth quarterback status on the team and accept a lower salary. He refused, and was released on September 3, five days before the start of the 2001 season.^[47]

Dallas Cowboys (2001)

His next attempt at a comeback was with the Dallas Cowboys, who signed him after the Buccaneers released him, but he failed his first physical and was let go on September 5.^[44] After regular starter Quincy Carter suffered an injury, the Cowboys signed Leaf again on October 12.^[28] The Cowboys released him in May 2002 after he had appeared in only four games — all losses — throwing for 494 yards with only one touchdown but three interceptions.^[48]

Retirement and legacy

Days later, he got still another chance when the Seattle Seahawks signed him to a one-year contract, planning to let him develop slowly (as the Bucs had done) to allow his still-injured wrist time to heal.^[49] He attended the team's spring minicamps and seemed upbeat about his new team, but then abruptly retired at the age of 26 just before the start of the Seahawks' 2002 training camp, offering no explanation at first. Seahawk coach and general manager Mike Holmgren told the media Leaf's wrist didn't bother him with either the Cowboys or the Seahawks.^[8]

During his brief career in the NFL, Leaf appeared in 25 games and made 21 starts. He completed 317 of 655 (48.4%) passes for 3,666 yards, with 14 touchdowns and 36 interceptions and a career quarterback rating of only 50.0.^[50] After hearing of Leaf's retirement, Rodney Harrison, one of his most outspoken critics on the Chargers, said, "He took the money and ran. Personally, I could never rest good at night knowing my career ended like that. Normally in this game, you get back what you put into it, and he pretty much got back what he put into it".^[26]

The ESPN sports network put Leaf first on its list of 25 biggest sports flops between 1979 & 2004.^[51] NBC Sports commentator Michael Ventre called him "the biggest bust in the history of professional sports".^[52] Since Leaf's retirement, sportswriters and commentators have characterized subsequent drafted potential NFL quarterback flops as "the next Ryan Leaf".^[53] In 2010, the NFL Network listed Leaf as the number one NFL quarterback bust of all time.^[54]

Post-playing career

After retiring from professional football, Leaf returned to San Diego and became a financial consultant.^[55] In 2004, Leaf resumed his education at Washington State University and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in humanities in May 2005.^[56][57] The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that among his classes in the spring 2005 was a sports management course titled Media Relations.^[58]

He then joined Don Carthel's West Texas A&M University staff as a volunteer quarterbacks coach in 2006, commenting, "About a year after I retired from playing, I decided that I wanted to get back to college, where I had the greatest time of my life, and to get involved with college football."^[59] He also admitted that he was unprepared for the NFL when he was drafted back in 1998.^[59] In April 2008, ESPN described Leaf as having come to terms with his past. He said at the time, "When playing football became a job, it lost its luster for me. I kind of got out of the spotlight, and life's never been this good."^[60]

But in November 2008 he was put on indefinite leave, and resigned the next day, from his coaching position at West Texas A&M for allegedly asking one of his players for a pill to help him deal with pain in his wrist from past injuries.^[61]

In October 2009 he went to work in Vancouver, British Columbia as business-development manager for a travel company.^[62][63]

In December 2010, he signed a contract with Pullman, Washington-based Crimson Oak Publishing to write no fewer than three memoirs. Crimson Oak describes its mission as publishing books with themes of "hope, possibility, and determination."^[64] Crimson Oak released Leaf's first book 596 Switch: The Improbable Journey From The Palouse to Pasadena in October 2011. The book focuses on the 1997 Washington State football team that made the 1998 Rose Bowl.^[65]

Personal life

In 2001 Leaf married Nicole Lucia, a Charger cheerleader and daughter of financial radio host Ray Lucia.^[66] They separated in November 2003 and eventually divorced.^[56]

His younger brother Brady was a backup quarterback and cornerback for the Pac-12 Oregon Ducks football team.^[67][68]

In September 2010, the Associated Press reported that Leaf was spending much time with his family in Montana.^[55]

In June 2011, he had a benign tumor from his brainstem surgically removed.^[69]

Legal troubles

In May 2009, Leaf was indicted on burglary and controlled-substance charges in Texas. He was in a drug-rehabilitation program in British Columbia at the time of the indictment,^[70] and was arrested by customs agents at the border on his return to the U.S. On June 17, he posted a $45,000 bond in Washington state for the criminal charges in Texas.^[71] In April 2010, he pled guilty in Amarillo, Texas to seven counts of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud and one count of delivery of a simulated controlled substance, all felonies. State District Judge John B. Board sentenced him to ten years of probation and fined him $20,000.^[72]

On March 30, 2012, he was arrested on burglary, theft and drug charges in his home town of Great Falls, Montana.^[73] Four days later he was arrested again on burglary, theft, and two counts of criminal possession of dangerous drugs.^[74] As part of a plea bargain on May 8, 2012, he pled guilty to one count of felony burglary and one count of criminal possession of a dangerous drug.^[75]

In late April 2012, Texas authorities issued two arrest warrants for him and set his bond at $126,000.^[76]

On June 19, 2012, Leaf was sentenced to seven years in custody of the Montana Department of Corrections, with two years suspended if he abided by the conditions imposed by District Judge Kenneth Neil in Montana. He was to spend the first nine months of his sentence in a lockdown addiction treatment facility, Nexus Treatment Center in Lewistown, Montana.^[77] But on January 17, 2013, Leaf was remanded to Montana State Prison in Deer Lodge after being found guilty of "behavior that violated conditions of his drug treatment placement." He was also accused of threatening a program staff member.^[78]

As of September 2013, Leaf is incarcerated at Crossroads Correctional Center in Shelby, Montana.^[79]

Writing

• Leaf, Ryan D. (2011). 596 Switch: The Improbable Journey From The Palouse to Pasadena. Pullman, Washington: Crimson Oak Publishing. ISBN 0982950535. 

References

Further reading

• O'Neil, Danny (April 8, 2012). "Ryan Leaf's life of lies a tragic part of fallen football hero". The Seattle Times (Seattle: The Seattle Times Company). 

External links

• Dallas Cowboys profile of Leaf (archived from 2001)
• Ryan Leaf's game-by-game stats

v t e Pac-12 Player of the Year winners Player of the Year 1975 Muncie 1976 Bell 1977 Benjamin 1978 White 1979 White 1980 Elway 1981 Allen 1982 Elway and Ramsey Offensive PotY 1983 Pelluer 1984 Mayes 1985 Mayes 1986 Muster 1987 Aikman 1988 Peete 1989 Broussard 1990 Lewis 1991 Pawlawski and M. Bailey 1992 Bledsoe 1993 Stokes 1994 Kaufman 1995 K. Johnson 1996 Plummer 1997 Leaf 1998 McNown and Smith 1999 Walters 2000 Tuiasosopo 2001 Harrington 2002 Gesser and Palmer 2003 Leinart 2004 Bush and Leinart 2005 Bush 2006 Lynch 2007 Dixon 2008 Rodgers 2009 Gerhart 2010 Luck 2011 Luck 2012 Lee 2013 Carey Pat Tillman Defensive PotY 1983 Hunley and Rivera 1984 Bickett 1985 Walen 1986 Evans 1987 Cecil 1988 Wells 1989 Seau 1990 Emtman and Lewis 1991 Emtman 1992 Hoffmann 1993 Waldrop 1994 Fields 1995 Bruschi 1996 Chorak 1997 Tillman 1998 Claiborne 1999 O'Neal 2000 Archuleta 2001 Thomas 2002 Suggs 2003 Ball 2004 Cody and Swancutt 2005 Ngata and Robinson 2006 Hughes 2007 Ellis 2008 Maualuga 2009 Price 2010 Paea 2011 Kendricks 2012 Sutton 2013 Sutton Freshman PotY 1999 Kelly 2000 Suggs 2001 T. Johnson and R. Williams 2002 M. Williams 2003 Browner 2004 Miller 2005 Perry and Thomas 2006 Byrd, Mays and Verner 2007 Locker 2008 Rodgers Freshman Offensive PotY 2009 James 2010 Woods 2011 Thomas and Lee 2012 Mariota 2013 Jack Freshman Defensive PotY 2009 Burfict 2010 Onyeali 2011 D. Bailey 2012 L. Williams 2013 Jack

v t e 1998 NFL Draft First Round Selections Peyton Manning Ryan Leaf Andre Wadsworth Charles Woodson Curtis Enis Grant Wistrom Kyle Turley Greg Ellis Fred Taylor Duane Starks Tra Thomas Keith Brooking Takeo Spikes Jason Peter Anthony Simmons Kevin Dyson Brian Simmons Robert Edwards Vonnie Holliday Terry Fair Randy Moss Tebucky Jones Mo Collins Shaun Williams Donovin Darius Alan Faneca Victor Riley R. W. McQuarters John Avery Marcus Nash Draft years 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13

v t e San Diego Chargers first-round draft picks Stickles Faison Ferguson Sweeney T. Davis DeLong D. Davis Billingsley R. Washington Hill Domres Babich Gillette Burns Rodgers Matthews Goode Johnson M. Williams J. Washington Rush Jefferson Winslow Brooks Smith Anderson Byrd L. Williams Cade Lachey O'Neal FitzPatrick Bernstine Miller Grossman Seau Richard Mims Gordon Leaf Tomlinson Jammer S. Davis Manning Merriman Castillo Cromartie C. Davis Cason English Mathews Liuget Ingram Fluker AFC East BUF MIA NE NYJ North BAL CIN CLE PIT South HOU IND JAX TEN West DEN KC OAK SD NFC East DAL NYG PHI WAS North CHI DET GB MIN South ATL CAR NO TB West ARI STL SF SEA

v t e San Diego Chargers 1998 NFL Draft selections Ryan Leaf Mikhael Ricks Cedric Harden Clifford Ivory Jon Haskins Kio Sanford Jamal Williams (Supp.)

v t e Los Angeles / San Diego Chargers starting quarterbacks Jack Kemp (1960–1962) Bobby Clatterbuck (1960) John Hadl (1962–1972) Dick Wood (1962) Tobin Rote (1963–1964) Steve Tensi (1966) Marlin Briscoe (1968) Marty Domres (1969–1970) Dan Fouts (1973–1987) Wayne Clark (1973) Johnny Unitas (1973) Jesse Freitas (1974–1975) Virgil Carter (1975) Clint Longley (1976) James Harris (1977–1978) Bill Munson (1977) Ed Luther (1983–1984) Mark Herrmann (1985–1987) Tom Flick (1986) Rick Neuheisel (1987) Mike Kelley (1987) Mark Malone (1988) Babe Laufenberg (1988) Mark Vlasic (1988–1990) Jim McMahon (1989) Billy Joe Tolliver (1989–1990) John Friesz (1990–1993) Stan Humphries (1992–1997) Bob Gagliano (1992) Gale Gilbert (1994–1995) Sean Salisbury (1996) Craig Whelihan (1997–1998) Jim Everett (1997) Ryan Leaf (1998–2000) Jim Harbaugh (1999–2000) Erik Kramer (1999) Moses Moreno (2000) Doug Flutie (2001–2004) Drew Brees (2002–2005) Philip Rivers (2006–present)

v t e Dallas Cowboys starting quarterbacks Eddie LeBaron (1960–1963) Don Meredith (1960–1968) Don Heinrich (1960) John Roach (1964) Jerry Rhome (1965–1966) Craig Morton (1967–1972) Roger Staubach (1969–1979) Clint Longley (1975) Danny White (1977–1987) Glenn Carano (1981) Gary Hogeboom (1984–1985) Steve Pelluer (1986–1988) Reggie Collier (1986) Kevin Sweeney (1987–1988) Troy Aikman (1989–2000) Steve Walsh (1989) Babe Laufenberg (1990) Steve Beuerlein (1991) Bernie Kosar (1993) Jason Garrett (1993–1999) Rodney Peete (1994) Wade Wilson (1996) Randall Cunningham (2000) Anthony Wright (2000–2001) Quincy Carter (2001–2003) Ryan Leaf (2001) Clint Stoerner (2001) Chad Hutchinson (2002) Vinny Testaverde (2004) Drew Henson (2004) Drew Bledsoe (2005–2006) Tony Romo (2006–2013) Brad Johnson (2008) Jon Kitna (2010) Stephen McGee (2010) Kyle Orton (2013–present)

v t e Sammy Baugh Trophy winners 1959: Norman 1960: Stephens 1961: Miller 1962: Trull 1963: Trull 1964: Rhome 1965: Sloan 1966: Griese 1967: Hanratty 1968: Hixson 1969: Phipps 1970: Sullivan 1971: Reaves 1972: Strock 1973: Freitas 1974: Sheide 1975: Swick 1976: Kramer 1977: Benjamin 1978: Dils 1979: Wilson 1980: Herrmann 1981: McMahon 1982: Elway 1983: Young 1984: Bosco 1985: McClure 1986: Testaverde 1987: McPherson 1988: Walsh 1989: George 1990: Klingler 1991: Detmer 1992: Grbac 1993: Dilfer 1994: Collins 1995: Wuerffel 1996: Sarkisian 1997: Leaf 1998: Culpepper 1999: Pennington 2000: Weinke 2001: Da. Carr 2002: Kingsbury 2003: Symons 2004: LeFors 2005: Quinn 2006: Brennan 2007: Harrell 2008: Bradford 2009: Keenum 2010: Jones 2011: Keenum 2012: Cameron 2013: De. Carr

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Persondata
Name	Leaf, Ryan
Alternative names	Leaf, Ryan David
Short description	Professional American football player
Date of birth	May 15, 1976
Place of birth	Great Falls, Montana, U.S.
Date of death
Place of death