Brett Favre

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Favre played college football for the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles and was selected in the second round of the 1991 NFL draft by the Atlanta Falcons, where he spent one season as a backup. Traded to the Packers, he became their starter early in the 1992 season and revitalized a franchise which had been in a period of decline since the late 1960s. During his 16 seasons with Green Bay, he led the team to 11 playoff appearances, seven division titles, four NFC Championship Games, two consecutive Super Bowl appearances, and one championship title in Super Bowl XXXI, the team's first in nearly three decades. Favre was traded in 2008 to the New York Jets, where he played one year, and spent his final two seasons with the Minnesota Vikings. His 2009 campaign for the Vikings saw him guide them to a division title and NFC Championship Game appearance, while having one of his strongest statistical seasons. At the time of his retirement, Favre was the NFL leader in passing completions, passing attempts, passing yards, passing touchdowns, and quarterback wins. He holds the NFL record for career interceptions. From 1995 to 1997, he was named Most Valuable Player three times, the most the award was consecutively received. Favre also received 11 Pro Bowl and three first-team All-Pro selections. He was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016. In 2022, Favre began to face controversy for the Mississippi welfare funds scandal after investigations determined $8 million intended for welfare programs went to Favre or causes he championed. Favre has denied the allegations and filed a defamation lawsuit against the State Auditor of Mississippi and two media personalities over their coverage of him.

In Their Own Story

In the second game of the 1992 season, the Packers played the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Trailing 17–0 at halftime, head coach Mike Holmgren benched starting quarterback Don Majkowski and Favre played the second half. On his first regular season play as a Packer, Favre threw a pass which was deflected by Buccaneers player Ray Seals and caught by Favre. The completion went for −7 yards. The Packers lost 31–3. The following week, Majkowski injured a ligament in his ankle against the Cincinnati Bengals, an injury severe enough he would be out for four weeks. Favre replaced Majkowski for the remainder of the game. Favre fumbled four times, a performance poor enough the crowd chanted for him to be removed in favor of backup Ty Detmer. However, down 23–17 with 1:07 left, the Packers started on their own 8-yard line. Favre completed a 42-yard pass to wide receiver Sterling Sharpe. Three plays later, Favre threw the game-winning touchdown pass to wide receiver Kitrick Taylor with 13 seconds remaining. Favre would go on to keep the starting job for the rest of his tenure in Green Bay.

Reader's Guide

Brett Favre was born in Gulfport, Mississippi, the son of Bonita Ann (née French) and Irvin Ernest Favre, and raised in the small town of Kiln. Both of his parents were schoolteachers in the Hancock County School District. He is of part French ancestry. One of his ancestors is Simon Favre, a Louisiana Creole and an influential figure in Spanish West Florida in the late 18th and early 19th centuries; Brett descends from Simon's Choctaw Native American mistress, Pistikiokonay, and thus his grandfather was affiliated with the Choctaw. Brett was the second of four children and attended Hancock North Central High School, where he played baseball and football. Favre started for the Hancock North Central baseball team as an eighth-grader and earned five varsity letters. He played quarterback, lineman, strong safety, placekicker, and punter in a primarily option, run-oriented offense coached by his father, Irvin Favre, who was the head coach of the Hawks football team. After high school, Southern Mississippi offered Favre a football scholarship at the urging of assistant coach Mark McHale, which was the only one he received. Southern Miss wanted him to play defensive back, but Favre wanted to play quarterback instead. Favre began his freshman year as the seventh-string quarterback and took over the starting position in the second half of the third game of the year against Tulane on September 19, 1987. Favre, despite suffering a hangover from the night before and vomiting during warm-ups, led the Golden Eagles to a come-from-behind victory with two touchdown passes. Favre started ten games during his freshman year and won six of them. In his junior season, Favre led the Golden Eagles to an upset of #6 Florida State on September 2, 1989. Favre capped a six-and-a-half-minute drive with the game-winning touchdown pass with 23 seconds remaining. On July 14, 1990, before the start of Favre's senior year at Southern Miss, he was involved in a nearly fatal car accident. When going around a bend a few tenths of a mile from his parents' house, Favre lost control of his car, which flipped three times and came to rest against a tree. It was only after one of his brothers smashed a car window with a golf club Favre could be evacuated and rushed to the hospital. In the ambulance, his mother was sitting with him. 'All I kept asking [her] was "Will I be able to play football again?

Did You Know?

• Favre had 321 consecutive starts from 1992 to 2010, including 297 regular season games, the most in league history.
• He was the first NFL quarterback to obtain 70,000 yards, 10,000 passes, 6,000 completions, 500 touchdowns, and victories over all 32 teams.
• From 1995 to 1997, he was named Most Valuable Player three times, the most the award was consecutively received.
• Favre holds the NFL record for career interceptions.
• He earned a teaching degree with an emphasis in special education from the University of Southern Mississippi.