 Mark Brunell attended St. Joseph High School in Santa Maria, CA where he grew up. He lettered in football, baseball and basketball. In football, he was a quarterback and safety during his three years as a varsity player. In baseball, he was a four time varsity All-League selection. Mark was recruited by a number of Pac 10 schools including USC, UCLA, Stanford and Cal but decided to attend the University of Washington to play for head coach Don James.
At UW, Brunell completed 259 out of 498 passes for 3,423 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions. Played in three Rose Bowls and holds Rose Bowl career records for total passing yardage (560), total offense (618), completions (39), and touchdown passes (5). Voted to the all Pac-10 second team in 1990 and 1992. Member of the 1991 Washington Huskies national championship team.
 Brunell was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the 5th round in 1993, seeing no action in his rookie year. In 1994, Brunell became the back-up to Brett Favre, completing 12 out of 27 passes for 197 yards. In 1995 he was traded to the then expansion team of the Jacksonville Jaguars and was the first ever trade acquired by them. Again Brunell was placed as a back-up to Steve Beurlein but shortly after regular season began, took over the starting position and never left for nine years. During his years in Jacksonville, Brunell was elected to the Pro Bowl three times, in 1997, 1998, and 2000 and awarded the Pro Bowl MVP in the 1997 game. With Brunell starting, the Jags won two AFC Central Division titles and became the first NFL expansion team to make the playoffs three times in its first four seasons of play. The furthest he led the team was to the 1996 AFC Championship Game, which they lost to the New England Patriots. They returned again in 1999, but would lose to the Tennessee Titans.
In 2004, Mark was traded to the Washington Redskins to play for legendary Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs. In the 2005 season he led the Skins to a 10-6 record and took the team to the playoffs. One of the highlights of that season was a memorable 4th Quarter comeback victory against the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football. In the playoffs, the team lost to the Seattle Seahwaks in the Divisional playoff game after beating Tampa Bay in the Wild Card game. The next season Mark set an NFL record by completing 22 consecutive passes against the Houston Texans on September 24, 2006. After spending the following season in a backup role, Mark signed a free agent contract with the New Orleans Saints in 2008. Mark was fortunate to play with the New Orleans Saints during the 2008 and 2009
seasons as the backup quarterback to Drew Brees. In 2009, the Saints became Super
Bowl Champions by beating the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV. Mark has spent
the last two seasons with the New York Jets. |
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To our friends and supporters:
I’d like to welcome you to the Brunell Family Foundation website. I appreciate your interest and hope that you will enjoy what we have for you. My wife Stacy and I established the Foundation in 1997 as a means to help sick children and their families. We have been so blessed with the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of so many people. And we couldn’t have done it without friends like you.
I have been fortunate to play in the NFL for a number of years. I love playing football. I believe it is the greatest sport there is simply because you can only win as a team. No one person can win a game alone. It takes every player working together towards a goal. And over the years, I have been able to experience this many times. I often reflect on the great teams, the winning seasons and the big games that I have been a part of. Teamwork is what makes the difference!
This is the heart of the Brunell Family Foundation. We understand that for us to continue to make a difference, we need help. We need you to join our team! We are committed to helping families that are going through tough times whether they are physical, emotional or even financial. There are so many needs in our communities and the strength and health of each family is critical. Our future lies in our families!
I hope you enjoy this website. We’re doing our best to keep it current on photos, football news and Foundation information. Again, please consider joining our team. Being part of this organization has been so rewarding to me and my family. I know it will be the same for you.
God Bless,
Mark |
