Dan Fouts Daniel Francis Fouts ( born June 10 , 1951 ) is a retired Hall of Fame American football quarterback in the National Football League ( NFL ) . Fouts played his entire professional career with the San Diego Chargers from 1973 through 1987 . He was one of the most prolific passing quarterbacks during the 1970s and 1980s , but the Chargers were unable to make it to the Super Bowl during his fifteen - year career . He led the NFL in passing yards four straight years from 1979 to 1982 , and became the first player in history to throw for 4 , 000 yards in three consecutive seasons . He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993 . He is currently a color analyst for NFL games on CBS television and Dial Global radio . Dan is the son of Bay Area Radio Hall of Famer Bob Fouts . High school and college career . Fouts went to Marin Catholic High School , which is located just north of San Francisco in Kentfield , California for his two first years of High School , and was starting for the varsity team by his sophomore year . He decided to transfer to St . Ignatius College Preparatory ( San Francisco , CA ) for his final two years of high school . Fouts was somewhat of an unknown when he accepted the scholarship offer from the University of Oregon . Things were quite different after the All - Pac - 8 quarterback ' s career where he set 19 school records , including those for career passing yardage ( 5 , 995 ) and total offense ( 5 , 871 ) . He was inducted into the University of Oregon Hall of Fame in 1992 . Pro football career . Drafted in the third round in 1973 , Fouts helped lead the Chargers to the playoffs from 1979 to 1982 and twice to the AFC title game ( 1980 and 1981 ) . He led the league four times in passing yards ; ending his career with over 40 , 000 , the third player to surpass that landmark . Fouts was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993 . Fouts was a 6 - time Pro Bowl selection ( 1979 - 1983 & 1985 ) and compiled passer ratings over 90 . 0 for a 3 - year stretch ( 1981 – 83 ) . Fouts threw for over 4 , 000 yards for three consecutive seasons ( 1979 – 81 ) , led the NFL in passing yards in four consecutive seasons ( 1979 – 1982 ) and six times eclipsed the 20 - touchdown mark with a career high 33 in 1981 . His career high of 4 , 802 passing yards during the 1981 season was an NFL record at the time . Fouts set NFL season passing yardage records in three consecutive seasons from 1979 to 1981 with totals of 4 , 082 , 4 , 715 , and 4 , 802 yards . He broke Joe Namath ' s record of 4 , 007 set in 1967 , and Dan Marino broke Fouts ' record in 1984 with 5 , 084 yards . In 1982 , a season shortened to 9 games because of a strike , Fouts averaged 320 yards passing per game , an NFL record that stood until Drew Brees averaged 342 . 3 in 2011 . Highlights that season included back - to - back victories against the 1981 Super Bowl teams San Francisco ( 41 - 37 ) and Cincinnati ( 50 - 34 ) in which Fouts threw for over 400 yards in each game to lead the Chargers to shootout victories . That season , he was named the NFL ' s Most Valuable Player by Pro Football Writers Association and Newspaper Enterprise Association . He finished second in the Associated Press poll behind Mark Moseley , the only kicker to ever win the award . Fouts garnered All - Pro selections in both 1979 and 1982 , while also being named 2nd Team All - Pro in 1980 and 1985 . In addition Fouts was also named 2nd Team All - AFC in 1981 and 1983 . However , Fouts and the Chargers lost both AFC Championship Games in which they played . Fouts ' s first few years in the league were inauspicious , but with the arrival of head coach Don Coryell in 1978 the Chargers ' fortunes turned . Yet it was actually two years earlier , with the arrival of Bill Walsh as the Charger ' s offensive coordinator , that the seeds of success were planted . Under Coryell , the Chargers were known as " Air Coryell " for the deep passing game and the involvement of the tight end as a key receiver . This required a tough , intelligent quarterback with a strong arm . Fouts fit the bill . Fouts was not a mobile quarterback and the deep passing game led to many hits . Hall of Fame coach Bill Walsh , a Chargers assistant coach in 1976 , said " Dan Fouts had a cool , steel - like nerve and courage . . . He took a lot of beatings , a lot of pounding , but continued to play , hurt or otherwise . He played more physical football than anybody on his team , including the linebackers " . Rarely using the shotgun , Fouts would drop back from center and look for one of a bevy of great receivers . Wide receiver Charlie Joiner and tight end Kellen Winslow were the most famous , both now in the Hall of Fame , but John Jefferson and Wes Chandler , among others , were also key . Fouts ' s passing enabled Winslow to lead the NFL in receptions twice ( 1980 , 1981 ) , while Winslow ( 1982 ) and Lionel James ( 1985 ) led the AFC in receptions on another 2 combined occasions . James , in fact , set the NFL record ( since broken ) in 1985 for receiving yards by a running back at 1 , 027 . Jefferson became the first receiver to have 1 , 000 yards receiving in each of his first three seasons in the NFL . Both Jefferson ( 1980 ) and Chandler ( 1982 ) led the NFL in receiving yards . Chandler ' s 129 yards receiving per game average in 1982 is still a league record . Both Jefferson ( 1978 , 1980 ) and Chandler ( 1982 ) led the NFL in receiving TDs . In 1980 , Winslow , Jefferson and Joiner became the first trio on the same team to have 1 , 000 yards receiving in a season . When he retired after 1986 , Joiner was the NFL ' s all - time leader in receptions with 750 . Pass protection was also critical for such an offense . The Chargers had an excellent offensive line which protected Fouts well , and included 4 time Pro Bowler Ed White , 5 time Pro Bowler Russ Washington , 3 time Pro Bowler Doug Wilkerson , Billy Shields and Don Macek . The Chargers led the league in passing yards an NFL record 6 consecutive years from 1978 – 1983 and again in 1985 under Fouts . They also led the league in total yards in offense 1980 - 1983 and 1985 . Despite going to the playoffs from 1979 through 1982 and playing in 2 AFC Championship Games , the Chargers never went to the Super Bowl under Fouts ( although they went 7 years after his retirement ) . Usually this is attributed to poor defense and their unwillingness to run the ball . In Fouts ' s prime the defense was not as stellar , but the running game became far better with the addition of Chuck Muncie , traded from New Orleans in 1980 , and the drafting of James Brooks from Auburn in 1981 . It is believed the defense had little opportunity to improve as the offense often scored quickly , leaving the defense to spend far too much time on the field . It also hurt that Fred Dean , an All - Pro sack specialist , was traded away to the San Francisco 49ers in 1981 in a contract dispute , and Dean would win UPI NFC Defensive Player of the Year ( while playing in only 11 games ) that year en route to a Super Bowl victory and help the 49ers to another Super Bowl title three years later . Dean would later be inducted into the Hall of Fame . " I can ' t say how much it affected us , because we did make it to the AFC championship game , " said Chargers ' All - Pro defensive lineman Gary " Big Hands " Johnson of the loss of Dean . " But I could say if we had more pass rush from the corner , it might ' ve been different . " Overall , the Chargers achieved three wins against four losses in the playoffs under Fouts , who threw for over 300 yards in all but two of those games . One of their more notable wins was the 1982 playoff game known in NFL Lore as " The Epic in Miami " , where Fouts led his team to a 41 - 38 victory by completing 33 of 53 passes for a franchise record 433 yards and 3 touchdowns on the hot and humid day . His completions , attempts , and yards in the game were all NFL postseason records at the time . The following week in the AFC championship game in Cincinnati , there was a 92 °F drop in temperature compared to the previous week in Miami , and the Chargers lost 27 - 7 in what is known as the Freezer Bowl . The following season , he threw for 333 yards and 3 touchdowns in a 31 - 28 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC divisional playoff round . Fouts playoff carrer ended in the AFC Championship game against Miami , where he thre 5 interceptions to only one touchdown pass . Fouts went on to play for four other season with the Chargers , retiring in the year 1987 after 15 years with them . He ended his career as the Chargers all time leader in passing yard and touchdowns with 43 , 040 and 254 respectively . Honors . Fouts finished his 15 NFL seasons with 3 , 297 of 5 , 604 completions for 43 , 040 yards and 254 touchdowns , with 242 interceptions . He also rushed for 476 yards and 13 touchdowns Dan Fouts is one of only eight quarterbacks in NFL history who have achieved two consecutive 30 - touchdown passing seasons . The others are Steve Bartkowski , Brett Favre , Dan Marino , Jeff Garcia , Tom Brady , Peyton Manning , and Y . A . Tittle . He was also the third quarterback in NFL history to pass for 40 , 000 yards , after fellow Hall of Famers Johnny Unitas and Fran Tarkenton , and the first quarterback ever to throw for over 4 , 000 yards in back - to - back seasons . Fouts ' jersey number , 14 , is one of only three numbers retired by the San Diego Chargers ( the others being Lance Alworth ' s 19 and Junior Seau ' s 55 ) . In 1989 , Fouts was also inducted by the San Diego Hall of Champions into the Breitbard Hall of Fame honoring San Diego ' s finest athletes both on and off the playing surface . In 1999 , he was ranked number 92 on " The Sporting News ' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players . In 1992 , he was inducted into the University of Oregon and State of Oregon Sports Halls of Fame . Fouts was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993 , his first year of eligibility . In 2009 , he was picked by the fans as the " Greatest Charger Of All Time " for the Chargers 50th anniversary year . In 2010 , he received the Davey O ' Brien Legends Award during Colt McCoy ' s award ceremony . After pro football . In 1988 through 1993 , Fouts started his career as an analyst on NFL on CBS . He worked with variety of play - by - play announcers including Dick Stockton , James Brown , Verne Lundquist , Brad Nessler , Jim Nantz , Jack Buck , and Tim Ryan . Fouts ' s post - NFL career included a well - received commentator role on ABC ' s " Monday Night Football , " alongside famed " MNF " anchor Al Michaels and comedian Dennis Miller . He also served as a college football analyst alongside Brent Musburger and Keith Jackson ( after Fouts ' s " MNF " departure ) . He was also a sports anchor for KPIX - TV in his hometown of San Francisco from 1994 - 1997 . In 1998 Fouts made his big - screen debut , portraying himself in the football comedy " The Waterboy , " starring Adam Sandler . Fouts and Musberger appeared late in the film as ESPN ' s broadcast team for the fictitious New Year ' s Day " Bourbon Bowl " game . After Jackson ' s retirement from ABC in 2006 , Fouts became a play - by - play announcer , adding his own commentary on the game at times since he was a former player and analyst . His broadcast partner for 2006 and 2007 was Tim Brant now that Jackson has opted to permanently retire . ( Jackson previously said he was going to retire after the 1998 college football season , but elected to stay on to call Pac - 10 games for ABC , including the annual Rose Bowl . On February 11 , 2008 , ESPN announced they weren ' t re - signing Fouts or his partner Tim Brant . It was reported in USA Today on August 20 , 2008 that Fouts was returned to CBS for NFL games with a variety of play - by - play announcers including Don Criqui , Ian Eagle , and Dick Enberg . In 2009 , he was moved to partner with Dick Enberg as the # 3 broadcasting team for the NFL on CBS . Following Enberg ' s retirement after the 2009 season , Fouts presently teams with Ian Eagle . He has also called NFL games for Dial Global radio . Fouts also did color commentary for the football video game " NFL GameDay 2004 " . He partnered with long - time announcer Dick Enberg .