Daunte Culpepper

Football Player

Daunte Culpepper was born in Ocala, Florida, United States on January 28th, 1977 and is the Football Player. At the age of 47, Daunte Culpepper biography, profession, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, measurements, education, career, dating/affair, family, news updates, and networth are available.

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Other Names / Nick Names
Daunte Rachard Culpepper
Date of Birth
January 28, 1977
Nationality
United States
Place of Birth
Ocala, Florida, United States
Age
47 years old
Zodiac Sign
Aquarius
Networth
$500 Thousand
Profession
American Football Player
Daunte Culpepper Height, Weight, Eye Color and Hair Color

At 47 years old, Daunte Culpepper has this physical status:

Height
193cm
Weight
119.7kg
Hair Color
Not Available
Eye Color
Not Available
Build
Not Available
Measurements
Not Available
Daunte Culpepper Religion, Education, and Hobbies
Religion
Not Available
Hobbies
Not Available
Education
Central Florida
Daunte Culpepper Spouse(s), Children, Affair, Parents, and Family
Spouse(s)
Not Available
Children
Not Available
Dating / Affair
Not Available
Parents
Not Available
Daunte Culpepper Life

Daunte Rachard Culpepper (born January 28, 1977) is a retired American football quarterback who competed in the National Football League (NFL), mainly with the Minnesota Vikings.

He played college football at the University of Central Florida and was drafted 11th overall by the Vikings in the 1999 NFL Draft. During his seven seasons with the Vikings, Culpepper's most prolific season came in 2004, when he tied for the most total yardage produced by a quarterback in NFL history at 5,123.

However, Culpepper sustained a serious knee injury the year before, which ended his Vikings career.

Since his injury, he appeared for the Miami Dolphins, Oakland, and Detroit Lions sparingly in the NFL.

After one season with the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League (UFL), his professional career came to an end. (UFL).

Early years

Barbara Henderson, the sister of former NFL linebacker Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson, was born to a single mother. He was pregnant with him, but she was serving time for an armed robbery. Culpepper was adopted as one of the more than 15 children of Emma Lewis Culpepper, who worked in the jail where his mother was detained for a day. They lived in Ocala, Florida, where Culpepper attended Vanguard High School. He played football, was coached by Alex Castaneda, one of five finalists for the 2000 NFL High School Football Coach of the Year Award, as well as basketball and baseball. Mr. Football in the state of Florida from 1994 to 1994. In 2007, Culpepper was selected to the FHSAA's All-Century Team, a team of the top 33 football players in Florida's 100-year history of high school football.

The referee called Culpepper when he was driving for the game-winning lay-up near the end of his high school team's state basketball championship game. Culpepper celebrated his football achievements by moving his hands in the direction that a basketball referee makes when calling traveling, also known as "the roll."

In the 1995 Major League Baseball Draft, Culpepper was drafted in the 26th round (730th overall) by the New York Yankees but did not sign and decide to attend college.

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Daunte Culpepper Career

College career

Because of his low SAT ratings, he had trouble getting into college. Since it was assumed he would not qualify, Marquee football schools, such as the University of Miami and University of Florida, resisted recruiting him. Nevertheless, the University of Central Florida wanted to tutor him and help him achieve the necessary ratings, so he was able to graduate. Although major college programs had returned to recruit him as a mark of honor, Culpepper enrolled at UCF.

Despite his passion for baseball, Culpepper agreed to play football at UCF as a quarterback. He rewrote virtually every one of the school's quarterback records, totaling around 30, many of which were not held by Darin Slack until 1987. He also set a single-season completion percentage of 73 percent, beating a 15-year-old record set by Steve Young (71.3%). This record will stand until Colt McCoy (Texas) completed the 2008 season with a completion percentage of 77.6%. When Culpepper surpassed the 10,000-yard passing record and the 1,000-yard rushing record in his career, he equaled only two others in NCAA history. With 12,459 yards and was responsible for 108 career touchdowns (84 passing), he finished his career sixth on the NCAA's all-time total offense list for all divisions.

He was being lured out of the collegiate ranks to join the draft and join the NFL during his junior year, but he returned to UCF to play his senior year. UCF set a 9-2 record, defeating only to Purdue and Auburn.

Professional career

Culpepper was drafted 11th overall in the Minnesota Vikings' first round of the 1999 NFL Draft, placing him as the fourth quarterback overall, after Tim Couch (1st overall), Donovan McNabb (2nd), and Akili Smith (3rd). Culpepper's first year was his first year playing in one game, rushing three times for six yards and not throwing a single pass.

He was named Minnesota's starting quarterback in 2000. He guided the Vikings to victory in the first seven games of the season, assisting them in 11–5 victories and then advance to the NFC Championship game, where they were defeated by the New York Giants 41–0. Culpepper's career saw him throw 3,937 yards, 33 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions. He also ran for 470 yards and seven touchdowns. Although Randy Moss' touchdown pass was at least 60 yards, it was one of Culpepper's most memorable games against the Buffalo Bills, when he tossing a pass over his head and the field to Randy Moss for a 39-yard touchdown pass. He was named to his first Pro Bowl at the end of the year. Following the 2000 season, Randy Moss, the Vikings' wide receiver, said that Culpepper was one of the most versatile quarterbacks he had ever seen.

From 14 touchdowns to 13 interceptions, Culpepper suffered through the next two seasons, ranging from 13 interceptions to 14 touchdowns. The Vikings ended the season 5-11. Culpepper played in all 11 games in which he appeared, but he missed the final five games of the season due to a knee injury suffered in a match against the Pittsburgh Steelers on December 2. In two games where the Vikings were 1–1 in those games, he completed 60% of his passes or better in nine outings, including twice when he surpassed the 70.0 mark and had a passer rating of 100.0 higher. Culpepper's rushing total ranked third among NFL quarterbacks, second only to Pittsburgh's Kordell Stewart (537) and Philadelphia's Donovan McNabb (482). During the 20–16 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, perhaps his most memorable performance during this campaign came during his 20-year tenure. Culpepper barreled into Derrick Brooks and Shelton Quarles, but he was the first player up after the 8-yard score.

In 2002, Culpepper continued to fail, from 18 touchdowns to 23 interceptions and leading the Vikings to a 6–10 record. He also fumbled an NFL record 23 times, losing 9 of them. Some owe this to his appearance on the front page of the Madden NFL 2002 video game, where he went on to have his worst year of his career until 2005, while others stick with the tenacity of the "Madden Curse." During the 2003 offseason, Culpepper went on to win the EA Sports Madden Bowl championship among NFL players.

In 2002, his ten rushing scores led all NFL QBs in the NFL, beating Cam Newton (12 for Pittsburgh in 2011) and (12 for New England in 2020), and Kyler Murray (11 for Arizona in 2020), and Sam Watson (12 for Pittsburgh in 1976).

In 2003, Culpepper made a comeback, leading the Vikings to a 9–7 record, although the Vikings lost the playoffs. He went for 3,479 yards, 25 touchdowns, and only 11 interceptions, marking his second trip to the Pro Bowl.

In 2004, Culpepper enjoyed his best statistical season as a professional, and the Vikings advanced to the playoffs for the second time under Culpepper. Culpepper was named to his third Pro Bowl appearance after passing for a league-leading 4,717 yards, a Viking-record 39 touchdowns, and just 11 interceptions. Culpepper also tied for combined passing and rushing yards, totaling 5,123 yards, beating Dan Marino's NFL record of combined passing and rushing yards. His 2,323 passing yards from 2000-2004 made him the fourth quarterback in NFL history to run for more than 2,300 yards in a five-season stretch. (Michael Vick had 3,570 from 2002 to 2006; Randall Cunningham had 3,232 from 1986–1990; and Steve McNair had 2,387 from 1997–2001). Culpepper's career rushing average of 26.1 yards per game is fourth best among quarterbacks in NFL history. Only Vick (47.3 yds/g), Cunningham (30.6 yds/g), and Bobby Douglass (29.8 yds/g) have averaged more running yards per game than others in QB history. Culpepper said the game had "slowed down" for him after the 2004 season, referring to the 2004 season.

The Vikings lost 0-2, eight interceptions, and fumbled twice in his first two games of the 2005 season, owing to his relatively small hands. In the third week, Culpepper recovered from a losing streak to three touchdowns against the New Orleans Saints. In 2005, he had six touchdowns, twelve interceptions, and five fumbles before being injured in his seventh game (only winning two games). During a 38-13 loss to the Carolina Panthers, he sustained a knee injury on October 30. The ACL, PCL, and MCL ligaments in the knee were damaged by Culpepper's injury to three of the four major ligaments in the leg. He was put on injured reserve and began recovery work near his home in Florida. Brad Johnson took over in the Carolina game, and the team won the next six games in a row, with a 9-7 record. Daunte's last career as a starter for the Vikings was 37-39 (48.1% winning percentage).

According to court papers and other media outlets, Culpepper and three others were charged with indecent conduct, disorderly conduct, and lewd or lascivious conduct for their involvement in the 2005 Minnesota Vikings boat cruise scandal. They could have been fined 90 days in prison. His defense argued that racial profiling was perpetrated by the accusation. The charges against Culpepper were dismissed on April 4, 2006, owing to a lack of probable cause.

Culpepper was discussing his future with the team's new owner, Zygi Wilf, when it came to his new deal. Following Brad Johnson's return to Minnesota, rumors of him being dissatisfied with his work. Because the Vikings were not happy with his medical care in Florida, they wanted him to recover in Minnesota. This was turned down by Culpepper.

Culpepper expressed his desire to live outside of Minnesota later that day. According to the Associated Press, Culpepper said that if he wasn't traded, he would have been released.

Culpepper said

Culpepper was not insistent on being traded to the Miami Dolphins and orchestrated his trade without the assistance of his former agent. Brad Childress, the current Vikings coach, compared his Culpepper experience to Terrell Owens' involvement with Daunte, saying he never had a discussion with Daunte that did not involve his employment or getting more money rather than football and the team.

In exchange for a second-round draft pick, Culpepper was traded to Nick Saban's Miami Dolphins. He went from 11 (which he wore in Minnesota) to his original number 8 (the same number he wore at Vanguard High School and the University of Central Florida) to his original number 8.

During the offseason, the Dolphins debated whether to pursue Culpepper or Drew Brees. Based on a medical evaluation of the two players, the Dolphins decided to bring in Culpepper. Brees was recovering from a shoulder injury during their last game of the 2005 season.

Despite recovering from a serious knee injury the previous year, Culpepper was able to attend and participate in all of the Dolphins offseason workouts, including training camp. He made it public in early August that he believed his knee was only 85 percent recovered. If Gamble had not hit cornerback Chris Gamble like that he was still in Minnesota in his preseason game against Carolina, he praised him for injuring him.

In his first two regular-season games, he was off to a rocky start, losing both of them with fans cheering Culpepper and calling for backup Joey Harrington in the second game. However, he had a better showing in his third game, defeating the Tennessee Titans, who had the second to last ranked defense in the NFL, winning 13–10. However, the Houston Texans with the last ranked defense in the NFL won their first game of the season against the Dolphins next week.

At this point, the Dolphins were 1–3 and 11-1-11 when not playing Miami. Saban noticed Culpepper having trouble in practice due to a nagging bruised shoulder injury and decided to rest Culpepper for a few days after the Houston loss. Culpepper and Saban became a tense discussion during practice on Friday during practice. Saban had to suspend Daunte until his shoulder was recovered, and he regained some of the mobility he lost due to his knee injury.

Culpepper underwent arthroscopic surgery on his newly injured knee to cut a piece of loose cartilage that had been causing Culpepper difficulty on November 30, 2006. Culpepper was injured reserve on December 12, 2006, putting him to an end to his 2006 season. Although Culpepper's recovery was progressing, Saban and the medical staff felt it would be difficult for him to play in the next three weeks.

During the Dolphins' second to last game, Steve Young appeared as a guest announcer and sluggish Culpepper's work ethic. Culpepper watched this live from his box seat at Dolphin Stadium and staggered for Steve Young to finish, then Daunte approached Young and said he hadn't missed any meetings, but that's not who he is. Young apologised and said that although he heard Culpepper had been missing meetings, he may have checked with Daunte first before repeating it. Saban left for a head coaching position at the University of Alabama after the season. Despite Saban's public statements, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel revealed on January 21, 2007, that his decision to suspend Culpepper had little to do with his knee and more to do with his head.

The Dolphins were relying on quarterback Cleo Lemon and Gibran Hamdan in the absence of Culpepper, and they were also unproven, with only one of them having started the season off. Both players struggled to move the ball in the Dolphins' first mini-camp under first-year coach Cam Cameron. This poor show culminated in an April 15 report that declared that a long-awaited trade for Kansas City's Trent Green was imminent, but Culpepper was unable to participate in the minicamp as he continued to recover from knee surgery. Culpepper revealed that the second surgery, which was supposed to fix scar tissue in the knee, was more serious than ever revealed and called for a recovery period of 4–6 months. After May 1, Culpepper said he had been told by his surgeon Dr. James Andrews to "begin to ease into things."

Trent Green's long-awaited trade ended on June 5, 2007, just a few hours before the Green trade was announced, the Dolphins told Culpepper that they "are going in a different direction at the QB position," according to Culpepper, who opposed the strategy.

Culpepper, the Dolphins' owner, demanded to be released from his deal on June 7.

On June 8, the Dolphins' practice field was open for the first weekend minicamp, just one day after requesting his freedom and two days after Miami completed a trade with Kansas City for Trent Green, who took over at quarterback.

Culpepper said that during the Dolphins' June 8-10 minicamp, quarterback Terry Shea told him that he would not be allowed to participate in any team drills. On July 17, he was finally released by the Dolphins.

Culpepper was the first and most often compared to the Jacksonville Jaguars, but Jaguar head coach Jack Del Rio said he did not think Culpepper would be a good choice. Following his release, Culpepper was active with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but the team was not acquiring him. Culpepper signed a one-year deal with the Oakland Raiders as an insurance policy, as the Raiders continued to sign number-one draft pick JaMarcus Russell, with whom they were already in contract talks, on July 31, a former Raiders employee who was still in labor talks. In 2007, Culpepper activated Josh McCown for the Raiders' match against his old team, the Miami Dolphins. With two passing and three rushing touchdowns, Culpepper finished the game. Culpepper was active for Oakland for six games. Culpepper was nursing a sore quadriceps before his Week 13 match against the Denver Broncos. He said he sustained the injury during the week 12 game against the Kansas City Chiefs, but it didn't start to bother him until Wednesday. After practice, some sources said he sustained the injury while running a race with Oakland cornerback Stanford Routt, a college sprinter, but head coach Lane Kiffin denied knowledge of the alleged assault. Culpepper did not play in another game this season and was placed on injured reserve on December 26 due to his injury.

On April 23, 2008, Culpepper visited the Green Bay Packers. He'd later decline the Packers' bid of $1 million for a one-year deal, saying the contract was not fair. He said he was in touch with a few other teams. It was announced in July 2008 that the Detroit Lions were interested in signing Culpepper, but that they never made an offer to him. In August 2008, he was working out with the Pittsburgh Steelers but the Steelers decided to trade Byron Leftwich instead to replace the injured Charlie Batch. Culpepper's mind changed and said that if they were still interested in him, they would consider a backup position in Green Bay, but the team did not bring a bid.

Culpepper announced his resignation on September 4, 2008. In a short retirement letter, he expressed his dissatisfaction with the NFL. His primary reason for his departure was that he felt he should still be a starting quarterback in the NFL.

After Brodie Croyle was declared out of retirement due to an injury, the Kansas City Chiefs had talked to Culpepper about coming out of retirement for the 2008 season. Through an email to Adam Schefter on October 23, Culpepper said that he would come out of retirement and give the NFL another shot. Culpepper told the Chiefs on October 27 that he would not return to the team again due to a "better chance with another team."

ESPN announced on November 2, 2008, that he had reached an agreement with the Detroit Lions for a two-year deal and would join the team the following week. Culpepper officially signed with the Lions on November 3 after undergoing a physical. Roy Williams was assigned Culpepper number 11, the number before he was traded to Dallas on October 14. Culpepper played four games with the Lions before suffering a shoulder injury. The Lions became the first NFL team to go 0–16 on December 28, 2008. The 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the only other teams since the AFL-NFL merger to have a winless season, and the 2017 Cleveland Browns, who went 0–11 on the back of the NFL's season but then went 1–31 over the 2016 and 2017 seasons.

In an interview with Sirius NFL Radio, former Lions wide receiver Mike Fury said he had heard from former Lions teammates that the Lions intended to make Culpepper the starter for the 2009 season.

The Lions and Culpepper signed a restructured contract on February 16, 2009, which will keep him on the team in the second year of his two-year contract. He had been working a $2.5 million roster bonus since February, just shy of the reorganization.

Matthew Stafford, the Lions' first overall draft pick, was named starter for the Lions regular season opener against the Saints on September 7, 2009. Culpepper had suffered a foot injury during the preseason. Matthew Stafford will be remembered as the starter, according to Culpepper, but he was not opposed to being traded.

Culpepper played in "Lions suffer one of their biggest losses in history" on December 14, 2009, the Ravens won the game 48-33. Culpepper was suspended in week 14 against the Arizona Cardinals due to a poor showing.

Culpepper signed with the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League on June 7, 2010. Dennis Green, his former Minnesota head coach, and Mike Kruczek, his former head coach at the University of Central Florida, all reunited Culpepper. In the 2010 season, Culpepper was named UFL Offensive Player of the Week twice. In week 2, he defeated the Florida Tuskers 24-20, throwing for 374 yards and two passing touchdowns as well as one rushing touchdown. For the 2011 NFL season, Culpepper was placed on the protected players list.

Coach Jim Harbaugh revealed on August 14, 2011 that Culpepper was working out for the team on the next Monday, possibly adding him to the 49ers roster. However, the 49ers preferred Josh McCown, Culpepper's former teammate, over the former Oakland Raiders quarterback.

According to Football Nation, Culpepper was dubbed the 45th best quarterback of the modern era.

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