Rex Daniel Grossman III (born August 23, 1980) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons, most notably with the Chicago Bears. Grossman played college football for the Florida Gators, winning AP College Football Player of the Year and SEC Player of the Year in 2001 en route to a victory in the 2002 Orange Bowl. He was selected by the Bears in the first round of the 2003 NFL draft.
Grossman's most successful season was in 2006 when he helped lead the Bears to a conference title and appearance in Super Bowl XLI. Due to inconsistent play, Grossman lost his starting position the following season. He spent the remainder of his career mostly as a backup, last playing as a starter with the Washington Redskins in 2011.
Early life Grossman was born in Bloomington, Indiana, in 1980, the son of Rex Daniel Grossman II and Maureen Grossman. Under the motivation and guidance of his father, he began playing football at an early age in grade school. He originally started his football career as a running back, and played for a team that was coached by his father. His mother convinced his father to convert him to a quarterback while he was in the sixth grade.
Grossman attended Bloomington High School South, where he played high school football for the Bloomington South Panthers. In three seasons as the Panthers' quarterback, he threw for 7,518 yards and 97 touchdowns. He threw for 3,080 yards and forty-four touchdowns as a senior in 1998, including a game where he threw six touchdowns. His senior season culminated when he led the Panthers to a 35–14 victory over the Homestead High School Spartans in the Indiana Class 5A state championship game.Indiana High School Athletic Association, Football, 1998 IHSAA State Finals–Class 5A. Retrieved May 6, 2011. Grossman completed seventeen of twenty-six pass attempts for 216 yards and five touchdowns, setting an Indiana record for the most touchdowns thrown in a championship game.
Grossman was recognized as the 1998 Indiana Player of the Year by USA Today, was ranked among the top fifteen players in the nation by the National Recruiting Advisor, and Parade magazine named him to its high school All-America team. He received statewide honors when he was named Indiana's Mr. Football later that year. Bloomington High School South retired his jersey in the summer of 2007 to commemorate his success during the Chicago Bears' 2006 season.
College career Grossman accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida,GatorZone.com, Football History, 2002 Roster,Rex Grossman . Retrieved May 6, 2011. where he played for coach Steve Spurrier and coach Ron Zook's Florida Gators from 1999 to 2002.2011 Florida Gators Football Media Guide , University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 77, 80, 86, 89, 94, 97-98, 101-03, 125, 136, 141, 142-44, 146-48, 158-59, 162, 170, 181 (2011). Retrieved August 29, 2011.
2000 After redshirting his freshman year in 1999, Grossman competed for playing time with returning starter Jesse Palmer and the top high school recruit in the country Brock Berlin, in 2000. Grossman started his first game as a Florida Gator on October 7, 2000, against LSU. Grossman had gotten the opportunity to start after completing 13 of 16 pass attempts for 232 yards and two touchdowns against Mississippi State the week before in the Gators' only SEC conference loss of the season. Grossman solidified his position as Florida's starting quarterback during the next two games by throwing for over 500 yards, eight touchdowns and no interceptions in lopsided wins over LSU and Auburn. He led the Gators to the SEC championship and was named Most Valuable Player of the SEC Championship Game. For the season, Grossman completed 61.8 percent of his passes for 1,866 yards, 21 touchdowns, and only seven interceptions. His passer efficiency rating of 161.8 was the third best in NCAA Division I football.
2001 Grossman passed for over 300 yards in nine consecutive games during his sophomore season in 2001. He led the nation in passing efficiency and yards per attempt. Grossman was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American, was voted the Associated Press Player of the Year, and came in second in the balloting for the 2001 Heisman Trophy in one of the closest Heisman votes in the history of the award.2012 NCAA Football Records Book, Award Winners, National Collegiate Athletic Association, Indianapolis, Indiana, pp. 11 & 14 (2012). Retrieved September 14, 2012.Sports-Reference.com, College Football, 2001 Heisman Trophy Voting. Retrieved April 26, 2012. At the time, his 55 touchdown passes through his sophomore season were the most in NCAA history. On October 6, 2001, Grossman passed for 464 yards and five touchdowns as No. 2 Florida defeated the No. 18 LSU Tigers 44–15.Chicago Tribune, 20 Questions with Rex Grossman Retrieved December 21, 2006 In a 2006 interview with the Chicago Tribune, Grossman cited the victory as his most memorable game as a Gator. He finished second to Nebraska quarterback Eric Crouch in one of the closest votes in Heisman Trophy history, losing by only 62 votes.Albert Lin, " Bizarre voting robs Grossman of Heisman Trophy", Sports Illustrated (December 8, 2001). Retrieved May 6, 2011. He earned accolades as a consensus first-team All-American, the AP National Player-of-the-Year, and finalist for other awards, including the Walter Camp National Player-of-the-Year Award, the Maxwell College Player-of-the-Year Award, and the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback-of-the-Year Award.2011 NCAA Football Records Book, Award Winners, National Collegiate Athletic Association, Indianapolis, Indiana, pp. 11 & 13 (2011). Retrieved March 7, 2012. He ended his sophomore season with a 56–23 victory over the Maryland Terrapins in the 2002 Orange Bowl." Florida 56, Maryland 23," CNNSI.com (January 3, 2002). Retrieved May 6, 2011.
2002 As a junior team captain in 2002, Grossman led the Gators in the famed "Slingin' in the Rain" game against the Tennessee Volunteers, in which he threw three touchdowns and 22 completions in 32 attempts en route to a 30–13 victory over the Vols.Gary Shelton, "Rex is slingin' in the rain ", St. Petersburg Times (September 22, 2007). Retrieved May 6, 2011. Grossman led the Gators to the 2003 Outback Bowl, where they lost to the Michigan Wolverines 38–30 despite his completing 21 of 41 passes for 323 yards and two touchdowns. After the season was over, Grossman decided to forgo his final year of college eligibility and declared for the NFL draft.
In his three-season college career, Grossman threw for 9,164 yards and seventy-seven touchdowns. He earned a 146.77 passer rating, becoming the third most efficient passer in the Southeastern Conference's history.RexGrossman.com, Rex Grossman #8 Retrieved December 21, 2006 He was twice chosen by his teammates as the Gators' most valuable player, in 2000 and 2001. In one of a series of articles about the top 100 Gators from the first century of Florida football, The Gainesville Sun recognized Grossman as the No. 10 all-time Gator in 2006.Robbie Andreu & Pat Dooley, "No. 10 Rex Grossman," The Gainesville Sun (August 24, 2006). Retrieved March 31, 2013. He was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 2013.F Club, Hall of Fame, Gator Greats. Retrieved December 14, 2014."9 UF Greats Join Hall ," The Gainesville Sun (September 10, 2012). Retrieved September 10, 2012. Grossman was also inducted into the SEC Football Legends in 2024.
Professional career
Chicago Bears 2003 season The Chicago Bears selected Grossman with the 22nd pick of the first round in the 2003 NFL draft.National Football League, Current Players, Rex Grossman. retrieved May 6, 2011. Head coach Dick Jauron kept Grossman sidelined as a rookie in favor of veteran quarterbacks Chris Chandler and Kordell Stewart.CBC News, Bombers eye Kordell Stewart Retrieved December 21, 2006. Grossman only saw playing time during the later portion of the 2003 season after the Bears had been eliminated from playoff contention. His season ended when he was forced to leave the final game with a broken finger.BearsHistory.com, Bears History: 2003 Chicago Bears Retrieved December 21, 2006.
2004 season Prior to the start of the 2004 season, the Bears fired Jauron and hired Lovie Smith, who declared Grossman the team's starting quarterback. Grossman was criticized when he threw a game-ending interception against the Detroit Lions on opening day.DetroitLions.com, Big Plays Help Lions Defeat Bears In Opener, Snap Road Losing Streak Retrieved December 21, 2006. Criticism of his durability intensified when Grossman suffered a season-ending ACL injury during a Week 3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.Chicago Suntimes, Rex barks, Vikings bite Retrieved December 21, 2006.
2005 season Grossman missed most of the 2005 season after breaking his ankle in a preseason game. On December 18, 2005, he returned to action in relief of Kyle Orton, leading the Bears to a 16–3 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. He completed 11 of 16 passes for 166 yards for a touchdown and interception in a 24–17 victory against the Green Bay Packers during the following week on Christmas Day. The victory enabled the Bears to clinch a playoff berth and the NFC's second playoff seed.Yahoo! Sports, Chicago 24, Green Bay 17 Retrieved December 21, 2006. Grossman struggled to anchor the Bears' offense in his first career playoff start, completing 17 of 41 passes for 192 yards for one touchdown and an interception in a 29–21 loss against the Carolina Panthers.
2006 season: Super Bowl run During the 2006 season, Grossman became the first Bears quarterback to start all sixteen games since Erik Kramer in 1995.ChicagoBears.com, Grossman closing in on personal milestone Retrieved January 12, 2007. In a season dubbed as a "roller coaster ride" by Grossman himself, the fourth-year quarterback had several productive performances, which were seemingly diluted by a handful of turnover-ridden games, especially in Week 6 against the Arizona Cardinals, where Grossman fumbled twice and threw four interceptions.Chicago Tribune, Why Tony Romo? Retrieved January 12, 2007. While earning a passer rating of at least 100 in seven games, he earned a sub 50 rating in five games during the latter portion of the season. Grossman, who was recognized as the NFC Offensive Player of the Month in September, concluded the season's final month with a 64.4 passer rating, including a zero rating during the season's finale game against the Green Bay Packers.Viking View, Grossman NFC Offensive Player Of The Month Retrieved January 12, 2007. ChicagoBears.com, Grossman vows to 'fight my way out' after clunker Retrieved January 12, 2007. Grossman's work ethic drew criticism when he admitted that he was not adequately prepared to play and later claimed the game to be "meaningless."ESPN, Grossman says preparation was lacking against Pack Retrieved January 12, 2007. He later clarified his statement days later and claimed his quote was taken out of context.Chicago Tribune, So Rex was misquoted Retrieved January 12, 2007. His inconsistent performance drew criticism, and calls for Smith to bench Grossman in favor of the veteran Brian Griese.Chicago Tribune, Retrieved January 12, 2007.