Brees Sets Records on and Off the Field

Brees Sets Records on and off the Field

            Drew Brees has become a polarizing figure in the NFL. He has become a model of success on the field, and a hero off of it. His name is etched in NFL record books for multiple different categories. As of this article, some of Brees’ records include most passing yards in a season-5,476, highest completion percentage in a season–71.2%, most 300+ yard passing games in a season–13, and most completions in a season–468. Brees also has the highest career completion percentage among all quarterbacks in NFL history with at least 2,500+ attempts, at 65.6%, including the highest career post-season completion percentage at 66.8%. Last season, Brees set the record for most consecutive games with at least 1 touchdown pass with 54 straight games, surpassing Johnny Unitas’ record of 47. Brees is the fastest player in NFL history to reach 40,000 yards passing, and is the only player in NFL history with multiple 5,000 yard passing seasons.

These video game like numbers have helped Brees earn seven Pro Bowl selections. He made it once with the Chargers in 2004, and six times with the Saints between 2006 and 2012.  He was also the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year in 2004, NFL Offensive Player of the Year in 2008 & 2011, and the MVP of Super Bowl XLIV, when he led the Saints to their only Super Bowl Championship. He was also selected by voters to appear on the cover of the famous “Madden” video game. What makes his success even more impressive is the fact that he entered the league with a chip on his shoulder after slipping to the last pick of the second round in the 2001 NFL Draft. Concerns arose amongst teams about Brees’ height, as he stands exactly 6’0” tall, more than two inches shorter than NFL average.

As much pride as Brees takes in his on field performance, he takes even more pride in his community service endeavors. Drew and his wife, Brittany, established the Brees Dream Foundation in 2003 and since then have contributed and/or committed over $7 million to help advance cancer research, care for cancer patients, and help rebuild schools, parks, playgrounds, and athletic fields in New Orleans, San Diego, and Purdue/West Lafayette, IN communities. Some of Brees’ other important contributions include partnering with Nike and the Allstate Sugar Bowl to support the City of New Orleans and Mayor Mitch Landrieu in providing funding as part of $23 million in improvements to transform Joe Brown Park into a world-class, regional park to enable children and families to be healthy and active. Brees made a similar donation to help renovate the American Cancer Society “Patrick F. Taylor Hope Lodge.” In addition to those, Brees has also donated to the Ochsner Medical Center, Teach for America, Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego, Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana, New Orleans Ballet Association, San Diego Armed Services YMCA, Purdue Athletes Life Success Program, Tad Gormley Stadium Renovation, and St. Michael’s Special School.

These contributions have made Brees earn as much recognition off the field as he has for his numbers as a quarterback on it. Some of these awards include the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, the Bart Starr Team and Community Service Award, the Sports Illustrated Man of the Year, and the award he is nominated for again this year, The Byron “Whizzer” White Award.

Either way you look at it, Brees just never seems to stop influencing others. Young quarterbacks watch tape of him. Children in the community strive to grow up to be like him. At the end of the day however, he is just a solid human being trying to knock a chip off his shoulder.