 Gino Torretta in 1993 |
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| Date of birth: | August 10, 1970 |
| Place of birth: | Pinole, California |
| Career information | |
|---|---|
| Position(s): | Quarterback |
| College: | University of Miami |
| NFL Draft: | 1993 / Round: 7 / Pick: 192 |
| Organizations | |
| As player: | |
| 1993 1994 1995 1996-1997 1997 |
Minnesota Vikings Detroit Lions San Francisco 49ers Seattle Seahawks Indianapolis Colts |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Awards: | 1992 Heisman Trophy 1992 Davey O'Brien Award 1992 Johnny Unitas Award 1992 Maxwell Award 1992 Walter Camp Award 1992 Harley Award |
| Playing stats at NFL.com | |
Gino Louis Torretta (born August 10, 1970 in Pinole, California) is a former Heisman Trophy winning football quarterback for several teams in the National Football League from 1993 to 1997.
Torretta is best known for winning the Heisman Trophy in 1992 as the quarterback of the University of Miami and playing on the University of Miami's National Championship teams of 1989 and 1991. He also won the 1992 Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award after his outstanding season.
Torretta was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2009 and will be formally inducted in 2010.[1]
Contents |
University of Miami career
1989 and 1990 seasons
As quarterback at the University of Miami, Torretta spent his first two seasons mostly on the bench behind then starting quarterback Craig Erickson, with his only significant playing time coming with three starts in 1989 after Erickson injured his throwing hand. During that span, however, the then-unknown Torretta lit up San Diego State for 485 yards, setting a school record for most passing yards in a game that has not since been broken.
1991 season
In his first year as a starter, Torretta garnered further attention by stealing the show in a nationally-televised 1991 game versus the Houston Cougars and their Heisman-frontrunning quarterback, David Klingler. As Miami's defense cut down Houston's run-and-shoot offense, Torretta was putting on the performance that many expected out of Klingler en route to a not-even-that-close 40–10 victory (Klingler's lone touchdown pass in the game would come with :03 left in the 4th quarter, against Miami's 3rd string Defense and the game long since decided). Torretta would go on that season to lead Miami to a 4th quarter comeback on the road versus #1 Florida State and ultimately to an undefeated season and a co-national championship.
1992 season
Torretta passed for more than 3,000 yards his senior year in 1992 on his way to winning the Heisman and the Davey O'Brien Award that season. He also won the Walter Camp Award, the Maxwell Award, the Johnny Unitas Trophy and the Chic Harley Award. One of the key games of the season came against West Virginia when he threw for 363 yards and two touchdowns in the 35-23 victory. His career as quarterback at the University of Miami was hugely successful, with Torretta leading the team to 26 wins and only one loss.
In the 1992 National Championship game, Torretta's Hurricanes were dominated by the University of Alabama Crimson Tide's defense and Alabama won the game 34-13 and the National Championship.
Statistics
| Year | Comp | Att | Comp % | Passing | TD | INT |
| 1991 | 205 | 371 | 55.3 | 3095 | 20 | 8 |
| 1992 | 228 | 402 | 56.7 | 3060 | 19 | 7 |
NFL career
1993 and 1994
Despite his huge collegiate-level success, Torretta was not a top NFL draft pick, and his NFL career was fairly unremarkable. He was not selected until the Minnesota Vikings took him in the 7th round in the 1993 NFL draft and then did not play him at all that year. In 1994, Torretta was on the Vikings' roster, and then was picked up by the Detroit Lions. As was the case in 1993, he failed to play at all in 1994, serving the entire season in a backup role with the Lions.
1995-1997
In 1995, Torretta moved to NFL Europe and was also on the roster for the San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions but again was relegated to backup roles. He was cut by the 49ers in 1996 and subsequently picked up by the Seattle Seahawks. His only chance to play in an NFL game came in the 1996 season finale when he came off the bench for the Seahawks against the Oakland Raiders. He immediately threw a 32-yard touchdown pass to Joey Galloway that put Seattle ahead, leading the team to victory.
In 1997, Torretta was on the roster for Seattle and later the Indianapolis Colts but again did not play. After that season, he retired from the NFL.
Financial career
Torretta followed his NFL career with a position at Wachovia Securities as a Senior Financial Advisor. He now works in the institutional and high net worth marketing team of Gabelli Asset Management in the company's Florida office. He is also Chairman/CEO of Touchdown Radio, www.touchdownradio.com, broadcasting an NCAA game of the week on national radio.
References
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ty Detmer |
Davey O'Brien Award winner 1992 |
Succeeded by Charlie Ward |
| Preceded by Desmond Howard |
Heisman Trophy Winner 1992 |
Succeeded by Charlie Ward |
| Sporting positions | ||
| Preceded by Craig Erickson |
Miami Hurricanes starting quarterbacks 1991-1992 |
Succeeded by Frank Costa |
External links
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This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
