Steve Beuerlein, Matt Hasselbeck, Donovan McNabb to be Inducted into NQBC Hall of Fame
PHOENIX, Ariz. – The National Quarterback Club (NQBC) announced today that Steve Beuerlein, Matt Hasselbeck, and Donovan McNabb will be inducted into the National Quarterback Club Hall of Fame at the 2021 NQBC Awards Dinner and Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on February 26, 2022. NQBC will also celebrate Tom House with the Legacy Recognition Award™ and will name the National Quarterback of the Year in professional, college, and high school ranks. The reception will begin at 5 p.m. at The Scottsdale Resort at McCormick Ranch, with the awards dinner commencing at 6:30 p.m.
The National Quarterback Club honors uniquely courageous actions and believes that telling the stories of those who act with leadership and courage inspires future generations to follow that example. “These awards represent not just great quarterbacks for performances on the field, but great men who have made a difference in their communities off the field since retiring from the game,” said Don Kile, NQBC President. “Every community across the country faces challenges. For as long as we have known them, these men have demonstrated unstoppable determination in every aspect of their lives. They teach us, every day, that kindness is the most admirable of human qualities.”
About the Class of 2021 Hall of Fame Inductees
Steve Beuerlein
To some college football fans, Steve Beuerlein is best known for the three late touchdown passes in his final game at Notre Dame leading the Irish to upset the ranked USC Trojans in 1986. The win gave Beuerlein a perfect 4-0 record against the rival Trojans, something only Steve and Ralph Guglielmi (1951-1954) have been able to accomplish. Beuerlein started 39 out of 46 games at Notre Dame and broke nearly every passing and total yardage record in Notre Dame history.
Beuerlein’s NFL career begin in 1987 as a 4th round pick by the Los Angeles Raiders. This would begin a 17-year career in the NFL with six different teams, which was highlighted by some spectacular battles for starting positions, record setting off-the-bench performances, his share of injuries, and a demonstration of perseverance and dedication that is perhaps one of the best stories in the game.
Steve’s NFL career start was a tough beginning. His rookie year began with the hard reality of what the difficulties of an NFL career would hold. “Well, my rookie year was during the 1987 strike, so I got to taste firsthand what the fight was all about,” said Beuerlein. “When I was a rookie, I had no money, and all of a sudden, we were on strike and not getting paid. So, the reality of the business side of the game hit me very quickly. You learn who is on your side.”
In addition to some great on-field performances, one of the highlights on Beuerlein’s tape has to be his performance as one of the primary plaintiffs and advocates during the free agency lawsuits, and the legacy this effort left to the current payers in the game.
During his 17 years in the NFL, Steve Beuerlein helped the Dallas Cowboys to a Super Bowl XXVII victory and was selected to the 1999 Pro Bowl with the Carolina Panthers. While in Carolina, he set almost every passing record on the Panthers’ board and still holds the franchise’s single season passing record with 4,436 yards.
When Beuerlein retired in 2003, he left the game with 24,046 yards passing and 152 touchdowns, a Super Bowl, a Pro Bowl and eight single-season passing records with the Panthers set in his blowout season of 1999. In 2004, Beuerlein signed a one-day contract with the Panthers to retire as a member of the team.
Matt Hasselbeck
Matt Hasselbeck attended Boston College near his family’s hometown and played for the Eagles from 1994 to 1997 before being drafted by the Green Bay Packers in 1998. After three years as a backup quarterback with the Packers, Hasselbeck was traded to the Seattle Seahawks where he would enter a battle for the starting position.
After a strong finish in 2002, Hasselbeck entered the 2003 season as the unquestioned starter leading the Seahawks to a 10-6 record and a Wild Card playoff berth. The exceptional performance during the 2003 season earned him his first of three Pro Bowls.
During his ten years in Seattle, Hasselbeck led the Seahawks to five consecutive post-seasons, including his lead in the surprising 2010 playoff upset over the New Orleans Saints, who were the defending Super Bowl Champions and 11-point favorites. Although the game is widely remembered for Marshawn Lynch’s Beast Quake Run, Hasselbeck led the win with 272 yards passing and four touchdowns. It was, perhaps, his greatest performance.
Hasselbeck’s departure from the Seahawks was a big surprise to his fan base. At the conclusion of the 2021 season, Seattle’s Coach Pete Carroll announced re-signing Hasselbeck was the franchise’s number one priority but the NFL Lockout shook things up. The result was Hasselbeck’s free agency signing with the Tennessee Titans.
Although Seattle fans were surprised, Titans’ fans were elated. He was recruited to the Titans in a quiet deal struck by the team’s Executive Vice President, Mike Reinfeldt, who had been with Hasselbeck for four of the five consecutive Seahawks’ post seasons, including Super Bowl XL. This clearly demonstrated Hasselbeck’s reliability and popularity in the locker rooms as well as on the field.
In 2013, Hasselbeck was picked up by the Indianapolis Colts on a two-year contract to serve as back-up and mentor to Andrew Luck. He saw little playing time with the Colts but played a vital role in the development of the budding star.
In Hasselbeck’s final NFL season of 2015, he took over the starting role for the Colts’ replacing the injured Luck. Hasselbeck kept the Colts alive in the AFC South by scrapping them back to a 5-5 record with a come-from-behind win over Atlanta, posting 213 yards passing and two touchdowns. The following week, he led the Colts to a 25-12 win over Tampa Bay passing for 315 yards and two touchdowns posting a career high passer rating of 100.8.
In February 2016, Matt Hasselbeck retired his 18-year football career with three Pro Bowls on a career of 36,368 yards passing and 212 touchdowns. He posted 11 post season starts as a starting quarterback, ranking him 16th all-time in NFL history.
Donovan McNabb
Donovan McNabb is known for his leadership, excellence on the field and a library of thrilling career highlights. Perhaps, McNabb’s finest moment in his 13-year NFL career came in Week 13 of the 2004 season against the defending Super Bowl Champion, Green Bay Packers. After starting the game by completing his first 14 passes, he led the Eagles to a 47-17 blowout victory. McNabb passed for an Eagles’ record 464 yards and five touchdowns, all in the first half of the game. This was ranked by Eagles fans as the “Game of the Decade”.
Donovan’s athletic life began in Chicago, Illinois, where he led Mount Carmel High School to two state football championships and lettered in basketball and track. After redshirting his first year at Syracuse, McNabb went on to start every game of his 49-game college career. He was named Big East Conference Rookie of the Year following his first season at Syracuse and led the team to the 1998 Orange Bowl as a senior. When his college career ended in 1998, he had amassed 8,389 yards passing and 77 touchdowns. He rushed for an additional 1,561 yards and 19 touchdowns, solidifying himself as one of the greats to play the position at Syracuse.
McNabb entered the NFL draft as the leading dual-threat quarterback in the country and was selected No. 2 overall in the 1999 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. He enjoyed a successful career with the Eagles for 10 seasons. In the post season, he took the Eagles to the playoffs seven of the eight years that he started ten games or more. He won at least one playoff game in six of those eight years, reaching the NFC Championship Game five times. His total nine playoff wins ties him for 12th in NFL history with Jim Kelly and Kurt Warner. During this time, he logged six Pro Bowl appearances.
After a brief stint with the Washington Football Team, McNabb was traded to the Minnesota Vikings. As a display of McNabb’s popularity when he arrived in Minnesota, punter, Chris Kluwe yielded the No. 5 jersey to McNabb for a $5,000 donation to charity and an ice cream cone.
On July 29, 2013, McNabb officially retired from professional football with a career total of combined 40,000 yards and a staggering 263 touchdowns. He retired his career as a Philadelphia Eagle where they honored him with a place in the Eagles Hall of Fame, retired his No. 5 jersey, and placed him as a member of the Eagles’ 75th Anniversary Team.
For more information about the National Quarterback Club, the awards dinner and Hall of Fame induction ceremony visit www.nationalqbclub.com. A limited number of media credentials can be reserved by emailing info@gcsgridiron.com.
About the National Quarterback Club
The National Quarterback Club is guided by a comprehensive mission, a clear vision, and consistent values. Through its various award programs, the club recognizes outstanding athletes for their qualities and achievements on and off the playing field, and serve as a model for comprehensive excellence in athletic achievement, academic success, and greater social affinity. In 1985, the National Quarterback Club began a tradition of hosting annual fundraising events to honor the National Quarterback of the Year in professional, collegiate and high school ranks. Annual awards dinners have been hosted in great sports cities such as Washington D.C., Miami, Tampa Bay, Jacksonville, Charlotte, Green Bay, Denver, St. Louis, Minneapolis, Houston and Scottsdale, Arizona.
About the Legacy Recognition Award™
The Legacy Recognition Award™ is a national award presented annually to a person who stands fast in his or her community to meet the needs of the community. The award is not exclusive to football quarterbacks, players or coaches. Characteristics of great leadership have been present in recipients of the award since its inception in 1985. Previous recipients include names like Ross Perot (1986), General Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr. (1992), Warrick Dunn (2005), Jim Kelly and Ken Stabler (2018), Bill Shover (2020), and Tom Flores (2021). In each of these cases, the men that their communities have come to know and love and the works of their leadership, dedication and generosity are sincere and inspirational. The Legacy Recognition Award™ is not just a celebration of good works in the past but a call to action for hope and confidence for future generations unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of what has been provided.