Gary Danielson

Danielson was born in Detroit in 1951. He played high school football under Tony Versaci at Divine Child High School in Dearborn, Michigan, graduating in 1969. As the left side wide receiver in his junior year and quarterback in his senior year, he helped Divine Child win two straight Catholic High School League championships. ==College football==

Danielson played college football at Purdue University from 1969 to 1972. He succeeded Mike Phipps as the Boilermakers' starting quarterback in 1970. His best season was 1971 when he completed 89 of 154 passes for 1,467 yards. He set a Big Ten record in 1971 with a 61.7% passing accuracy, a record that stood until 1985. Danielson was also a threat running with the ball. He set a Purdue single-game quarterback record with 213 rushing yards (206 yards in the first half, including runs of 80, 49, 32, and 26 yards) on 16 carries against Washington in September 1972. Danielson graduated in 1973 with a Bachelor of Science in industrial management. He later earned a master's degree in physical education in 1976. ==Professional football==

Canadian Football League (1973) Danielson was not selected in the NFL draft and instead signed with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was cut after the Stampeders signed Pete Liske. Danielson recalled: "I thought I was doing real well with Calgary. Then they get Liske and I'm out of a job." After he was released by Calgary, Danielson returned to Purdue where he became a graduate assistant in economics and a coach for the freshman football team. He also began reading "all material possible on the game of football", including Woody Hayes's "Hotline to Victory" and Dave Meggyesy's "Out of Their League", earning a reputation as a football "bookworm." Danielson completed 27 of 54 passes for 293 yards and one touchdown and no interceptions for Charlotte. In July 1975, the Hornets traded Danielson to the Chicago Winds in exchange for a 1976 WFL draft pick. Danielson completed nine of 15 passes for 107 yards. He was cut shortly before the opening game of the regular season, He remained on the bench during the 1976 season, with no pass attempts, as Greg Landry was the team's starting quarterback and Joe Reed was the backup. In 1977, Danielson began the season as a backup to Greg Landry but appeared in 13 games with two starts and 445 passing yards. In August 1979, Danielson injured his knee in a preseason game, underwent surgery, and missed the entire 1979 season. Forced to start rookie Jeff Komlo after an injury to backup QB Joe Reed, the Lions tied the 49ers for the NFL's worst record at 2-14. Danielson returned to the Lions in 1980 and had the best season of his career. He started all 16 games, completing 244 of 417 passes (58.5%) for 3,223 yards with 13 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He also rushed for a career-high 242 yards on 48 carries (4.8 yards per carry). Danielson also became embroiled in a squabble with Detroit general manager Russ Thomas in November 1980, accusing Thomas in an interview of "behind-the-scenes meddling", suggesting a change at quarterback, and failing to keep the disgruntled Lions players happy. In 1981, Danielson lost the starting quarterback job to Eric Hipple. Danielson started only four games and completed 56 of 96 passes (58.3%) for 784 yards, three touchdowns and five interceptions.The Lions lost the NFC Central Division championship when they were defeated at home in the season finale by Tampa Bay. and his 3,076 yards was the second hightest single-season total in Lions history – trailing only Danielson's 1980 total. Cleveland Browns (1985–1988) In May 1985, the Cleveland Browns acquired Danielson as a backup to rookie Bernie Kosar. Danielson ended up starting six games for the Browns in 1985, completing 97 of 163 passes (59.5%) for 1,274 yards with eight touchdowns and six interceptions. Danielson broke an ankle in the 1986 preseason and missed the entire season. Kosar became entrenched as the Browns' starting quarterback, and Danielson saw limited action thereafter. In 1987, he appeared in six games, only one as a starter, completing 25 of 33 passes (75.8%) for 281 yards, four touchdowns, zero interceptions, and a 140.3 quarterback rating. In 1988, his final year in the NFL, Danielson completed 31 of 52 passes (59.6%) for 324 yards. In April 1989, the Browns announced that they would not offer a new contract to Danielson. NFL career statistics Danielson amassed 13,764 passing yards, 1,105 pass completions, and 81 touchdown passes in 101 games in the NFL. Regular season Postseason ==Broadcasting career==

In Cleveland, Danielson co-hosted a sports talk show while a member of the Browns. In January 1990, he was hired by WDIV-TV in Detroit as a sports reporter, substitute sports anchor, and pre-game host for Detroit Tigers games. In the fall of 1990, Danielson joined ESPN as an analyst for the network's Saturday night college football games. Danielson noted at the time: I felt I had a story to tell about football that the average fan doesn't see. . . . Once you get the opportunity to do what you want to do, it's up to you to demonstrate the skills that you have. That's how I succeeded in the NFL, and that's what happened with ESPN. I'm finally getting the chance to do what I really want to do – talk about the game I've loved since I was 10 years old. He worked in that capacity for ESPN for several years, then switching to ABC Sports, where he remained through the 2005 season. In February 2006, he was hired as the lead college football analyst for CBS Sports. He partnered originally with Verne Lundquist (and later Brad Nessler) on the network's primary college football telecasts. Interviewed in 2012, Danielson described noted:I go through our games, chart it, critique myself, get mad at myself. For me, it's tough to go through my game tapes. I don't know, maybe it's because I wasn't a big star in football, but I take it personal. When I don't point out something I should have, it can grind on me for days. As of 2023, he had received six Sports Emmy Awards nominations for his work. Danielson announced his plans to retire from broadcasting at the end of the 2025 college football season and will be replaced by Charles Davis. He called his final game on December 31, 2025, in the 2025 Sun Bowl between the Arizona State Sun Devils and Duke Blue Devils. ==Personal life==

Danielson is married to wife Kristy with whom he has four children, Matt David Danielson, Kelly Danielson, Tracy Danielson, and Molly Danielson. The Danielson family resided in Rochester Hills, Michigan and the children attended Rochester Adams High School. His son, Matt, played college football at Northwestern. Danielson ran an importing and exporting business with former Lions teammate James Jones in the early 1990s. He has also invested in business ventures with former Browns teammate Bernie Kosar. ==References==