Chris Weinke Christopher Jon Weinke ( born July 31 , 1972 ) is a former professional American football and baseball player . After spending six years in the Toronto Blue Jays minor league baseball system , he enrolled at Florida State University at the age of 26 , and played quarterback for the Florida State Seminoles . He thereafter played professionally in the National Football League , where he spent most of his career with the Carolina Panthers . Weinke played minor league baseball in the Toronto Blue Jays farm system from 1990 – 1996 , advancing to class Triple - A , before deciding to attend Florida State University . He quickly distinguished himself as starting quarterback , leading the team to victory in the 1999 National Championship . In 2000 , at 28 , he became the oldest person to receive the Heisman Trophy . He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the 2001 NFL Draft , where he served mostly as backup quarterback until being released in 2006 . He then spent one season with the San Francisco 49ers before leaving the NFL after the 2007 season . Weinke had only had two wins in his entire NFL career and won the first game of the 2001 season and then lost the rest for Carolina . He also has the second longest losing streak in NFL ( 17 ) only behind Dan Pastorini ( 21 ) . Despite this , Weinke scored the third most rushing touchdowns by a rookie quarterback ( 6 ) , behind Vince Young ( 7 ) and current Panther Cam Newton ( 14 ) . Early life . Weinke was born and raised in St . Paul , MN , where he attended Cretin - Derham Hall High School and was a three - sport star - playing firstbase for the baseball team , quarterback for the football team , and was captain of the hockey team . In 1989 during his senior year in high school , he was a Parade and USA Today first team All - America selection , was named Minnesota ' s prep football player of the year , and was seen as the top senior quarterback in the country . Weinke was recruited by over 70 Division 1 schools , including Alabama , Arizona , Arizona State , Florida State , Illinois , Minnesota , Miami , Washington , and Wisconsin , but ultimately signed a national letter of intent and committed to play quarterback for the Florida State University Seminoles despite being a diehard Miami Hurricanes fan ( due to fellow Cretin - Derham Hall alumnus Steve Walsh attending the school and starring for the team at quarterback ) . However , he was also an all - state baseball player and was drafted in the 2nd Round of the 1990 Major League Baseball First - Year Player draft ( the 62nd player taken overall ) by the Toronto Blue Jays . After spending four days in August 1990 on the FSU campus , Weinke put his college career on hold and instead signed a contract to play professional baseball and reported to the Blue Jays minor league baseball system . Baseball career . Although he was only one step away from playing in the major leagues , after the 1996 season Weinke decided to give up professional baseball and took a scholarship at Florida State University . College football career . Weinke entered Florida State University in 1997 , when he was 25 years old and joined the Florida State Seminoles football team as a quarterback . As a sophomore in 1998 , Weinke led the Florida State Seminoles to a 9 – 1 record and # 2 national ranking before a season - ending neck injury forced him to the sidelines . During his junior season in 1999 , he led the # 1 ranked Seminoles to the school ' s first undefeated season and second National Championship , defeating Michael Vick and the Virginia Tech Hokies 46 - 29 . As a senior in 2000 , Weinke led the nation in passing with 4 , 167 yards and won the Heisman Trophy , awarded to college football ' s best player , as well as the Davey O ' Brien Award and the Johnny Unitas Award . He also led the Seminoles to the Orange Bowl for their third national championship game in as many years , where they lost 13 – 2 to the Oklahoma Sooners . At the age of 28 , Weinke was the oldest player ever to win the Heisman Trophy . He finished his Florida State career with a 32 – 3 record and held numerous FSU records including most passing yards in a career and most career touchdown passes . In 2001 , Chris became the seventh Seminole ( and second quarterback ) to have his jersey retired . He also graduated with a degree in Sports Management and was a two - time ACC All - Academic Team selection . Chris Weinke was originally recruited by Florida State as part of the same recruiting class as Charlie Ward , another quarterback who would also win a Heisman Trophy and lead the Seminoles to a National Championship . However , because of Weinke ' s long hiatus in baseball , Weinke and Ward were never teammates . Pro football career . Carolina Panthers . Weinke was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the fourth round ( 106th overall pick ) of the 2001 NFL Draft . In 2001 , he was the starter when the Panthers finished with a 1 - 15 record . At the time , the Panthers ' 15 consecutive losses in 2001 was a single season record . Weinke averaged 36 pass attempts per game , more than any rookie in NFL history up to that point . After the season , Weinke became the Panthers backup quarterback . He saw his first action since the 2002 season on October 16 , 2005 , when starter Jake Delhomme went down with an injury against the Detroit Lions . Weinke threw a touchdown pass to wide receiver Ricky Proehl , giving the Panthers the 21 – 20 win over the Lions . He re - signed with Carolina during the 2006 off - season , where he continued to back up Delhomme . On December 10 , 2006 in a game against the New York Giants , Weinke made his first start since 2001 in place of an injured Delhomme . The Panthers lost the game , but Weinke threw for 423 yards , topping the previous single - game team record of 373 set by Steve Beuerlein . Weinke started the next two games against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Atlanta Falcons , with the game against Atlanta being his second ( and last ) win as a starter in the NFL . San Francisco 49ers . The San Francisco 49ers signed Weinke on December 12 , 2007 after injuries to quarterbacks Alex Smith and Trent Dilfer . He started the final game of the 2007 season in a 20 - 7 loss to the Cleveland Browns . Weinke was not brought back by the 49ers for the 2008 season . Later life . After retirement , Weinke and his family lived in Austin , Texas where he worked as a vice - president in marketing and event - planning for Triton Financial . In 2010 , Weinke teamed with Pro Football Hall of Fame coach John Madden and became the director of the IMG Madden Football Academy in Bradenton , FL . The Academy offers a comprehensive football training program that emphasizes teaching the fundamental techniques of the game . In 2011 , Weinke worked with the Carolina Panther ' s No 1 draft pick Cam Newton at IMG up to two hours a day during the NFL Lockout .