Rich Gannon MVP Award
Rich Gannon: The Raiders' MVP quarterback who led the team to Super Bowl XXXVII.
Richard Joseph Gannon (born December 20, 1965) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for 17 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Oakland Raiders from 1999 to 2004, achieving his greatest successes with the team, including four consecutive Pro Bowl selections (1999–2002), three consecutive postseason appearances (2000–2002), two All-Pro selections (2000, 2002), one MVP, and an appearance in Super Bowl XXXVII.
Lore & Background
Gannon was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and played college football for the Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens. He was selected by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 1987 NFL draft but was quickly traded to the Minnesota Vikings. After stints with the Washington Redskins (1993) and Kansas City Chiefs (1995–1998), he joined the Raiders in 1999. With the Raiders, he led the team to Super Bowl XXXVII in 2003, becoming the second player from the University of Delaware to reach the Super Bowl. He retired before the 2005 season and became a sports analyst for CBS Sports through the 2020 NFL season.
Reader's Guide
Gannon's MVP season came in 2002, when he was the only Raiders quarterback to win the AP MVP award. He led the Raiders to a Super Bowl appearance that season under head coach Bill Callahan, not Jon Gruden.
Did You Know?
- Gannon set 21 school records at the University of Delaware, including total offense (7,432 yards) and passing yards (5,927).
- He was the only Delaware player at the time to achieve at least 2,000 yards of offense three years in a row.
- Gannon began his NFL career as a backup to Wade Wilson with the Minnesota Vikings and started his first games in 1990.
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