Daunte Culpepper Daunte Rachard Culpepper ( born January 28 , 1977 ) is a former American football quarterback . He last played for the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League ( UFL ) . Prior to joining the UFL , Culpepper enjoyed a successful National Football League ( NFL ) career after being drafted 11th overall in the 1999 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings . He played college football at the University of Central Florida . A three - time Pro Bowl selection with the Vikings , Culpepper had a historic 2004 season in which he set a single - season record , since broken , for the most total yardage produced by a quarterback in NFL history ( 5 , 123 ) . However , Culpepper suffered a serious knee injury the following season that ended his Vikings career . Since then , he played sparingly in the NFL for the Miami Dolphins , Oakland Raiders , and Detroit Lions . Culpepper ranks 14th all - time in NFL career passer rating ( 87 . 8 ) and holds the seventh best single - season passer rating from his 2004 season ( 110 . 9 ) . Outside of football , Culpepper has worked with the African American Adoption Agency . He hosts an annual Daunte Culpepper AAAA Celebrity Golf Tournament fundraiser , and has also served as a keynote speaker at the United Way " Reason To Be Thankful " celebration . Early years . Culpepper was born to a single mother , Barbara Henderson , who is the sister of former NFL linebacker Thomas " Hollywood " Henderson . While his mother was pregnant with him , she was serving time for armed robbery . Culpepper was adopted when he was a day old and raised as one of more than 15 children of the late Emma Lewis Culpepper , who worked in the correctional facility where his mother was held . They lived in Ocala , Florida , where Culpepper attended Vanguard High School . He played football , coached by Alex Castaneda , one of five finalists for the 2000 NFL High School Football Coach of the Year Award , as well as basketball and baseball . After his senior season in 1994 , he was named Mr . Football in the state of Florida . In 2007 , Culpepper was named to the FHSAA ' s All - Century Team that listed the top 33 football players in the state of Florida ' s 100 year history of high school football . Near the end of his high school team ' s state basketball championship game , the referee called traveling on Culpepper when he was driving for the game - winning lay - up . Since then , Culpepper has celebrated his football touchdowns by moving his hands in the motion that a basketball referee makes when calling traveling , also known as " the roll " . College career . He struggled to get into college , because of low SAT scores . Marquee football schools , such as the University of Miami and University of Florida , backed off from recruiting him when it was assumed he would not qualify . The University of Central Florida , however , offered to tutor him and help him achieve the necessary scores , and he was able to qualify . Although the big college programs returned to recruit him , as a show of loyalty , Culpepper enrolled at UCF . Although he had a love for baseball , Culpepper committed to play football at UCF as a quarterback . He rewrote virtually all of the school ' s quarterback records , approximately 30 in all , many held by Darin Slack since 1987 . He also set an NCAA record for single - season completion percentage at 73 . 6 % , breaking a 15 - year - old mark set by Steve Young ( 71 . 3 % ) . This record would stand until Colt McCoy ( Texas ) finished the 2008 season with a completion percentage of 77 . 6 % . Culpepper accomplished a feat equaled by only two others in NCAA history when he topped the 10 , 000 yard passing mark and the 1 , 000 yard rushing mark in his career . He finished his career sixth on the NCAA ' s all - time total offense list for all divisions with 12 , 459 yards and was responsible for 108 career touchdowns ( 84 passing ) . After his junior season , he was being lured out of the collegiate ranks to enter the draft and join the NFL , but instead returned to UCF to graduate and play his senior year . UCF posted a 9 – 2 record , losing only to Purdue and Auburn . NCAA Statistics . Passing Rushing Professional career . Minnesota Vikings . Early career and immediate success . Culpepper was drafted eleventh overall in the first round of the 1999 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings ; he was the fourth quarterback chosen , after Tim Couch ( 1st overall ) , Donovan McNabb ( 2nd ) and Akili Smith ( 3rd ) . In his first year Culpepper saw limited playing time and did not throw a pass . In 2000 he was named Minnesota ' s starting quarterback . He led the Vikings to victory in the first seven games of the season , and helped them finish 11 – 5 and advance to the NFC Championship game , where they were defeated by the New York Giants 41 – 0 . During the season , Culpepper passed for 3 , 937 yards , 33 touchdowns and 16 interceptions . He also rushed for 470 yards and seven touchdowns . One of Culpepper ' s most notable moments was against the Buffalo Bills when he threw a pass across his body and the field to Randy Moss for a 39 - yard touchdown pass , although the pass was at least 60 net yards . At the end of the year he was selected to his first Pro Bowl . Randy Moss , wide receiver for the Vikings , said that Culpepper was one of the most talented quarterbacks he has ever seen following the 2000 season . Struggles and comeback . Culpepper struggled over the next two seasons beginning in 2001 throwing 14 touchdowns to 13 interceptions . The Vikings finished the season 5 – 11 . Culpepper started all 11 games in which he appeared , missing the final five games of the season with a knee injury he suffered in a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on December 2 . He completed 60 percent of his passes or better in nine of his 11 outings , including twice when he surpassed the 70 . 0 mark and had a passer rating of 100 . 0 better in two contests where the Vikings were 1 – 1 in those games . Culpepper ’ s rushing total ranked third among NFL QBs , trailing only Pittsburgh ’ s Kordell Stewart ( 537 ) and Philadelphia ’ s Donovan McNabb ( 482 ) . Culpepper continued to struggle in 2002 , throwing 18 touchdowns to 23 interceptions and leading the Vikings to a 6 – 10 record . Some attribute this to his appearance on the cover of the " Madden NFL 2002 " video game , where he subsequently proceeded to have the worst year of his career until 2005 , keeping with the superstition of the " Madden Curse " . Culpepper went on to win the EA Sports Madden Bowl title among NFL players during the 2003 offseason . His ten rushing scores led all NFL QBs in 2002 , and also marked the sixth - highest total by a QB in NFL history trailing only Cam Newton ( 14 for Carolina Panthers in 2011 , Steve Grogan ( 12 for New England in 1976 ) , Johnny Lujack ( 11 for Chicago in 1950 ) , Tobin Rote ( 11 for Green Bay in 1956 ) and Kordell Stewart ( 11 for Pittsburgh in 1997 ) . Culpepper made a comeback in 2003 , leading the Vikings to a 9 – 7 record , although they missed the playoffs . He passed for 3 , 479 yards , 25 touchdowns , and only 11 interceptions , and earned his second trip to the Pro Bowl . Another notable moment occurred in this campaign , when in the 20 – 16 comeback win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers , Culpepper ran the ball in for an 8 - yard score . On the run , Culpepper barrelled into Derrick Brooks and Shelton Quarles , but was the first player up after the score . Historic season . Culpepper enjoyed his best statistical season as a professional in 2004 and , though they were only 8 – 8 , the Vikings reached the playoffs for the second time with Culpepper . Passing for a league - leading 4 , 717 yards , a Viking - record 39 touchdowns , and only 11 interceptions , Culpepper was named to his third career Pro Bowl . Culpepper also broke Dan Marino ' s NFL record for combined passing and rushing yards , amassing 5 , 123 total yards . His 2 , 323 rushing yards from 2000 – 2004 also made him only the fourth quarterback in NFL history to run for more than 2 , 300 yards in a five - season period . ( Michael Vick had 3 , 570 from 2002 – 2006 ; Randall Cunningham had 3 , 232 from 1986 – 1990 ; and Steve McNair had 2 , 387 from 1997 – 2001 ) . Culpepper ' s career rushing average of 26 . 1 yards per game is fourth - best among quarterbacks in NFL history . Only Vick ( 47 . 3 yds / g ) , Cunningham ( 30 . 6 yds / g ) , and Bobby Douglass ( 29 . 8 yds / g ) have averaged more rushing yards per game during their QB careers . After the 2004 season , Culpepper said the game had " slowed down " for him , saying " I feel like a Jedi Knight . " Injury . His first two games of the 2005 season were disappointments , as the Vikings went 0 – 2 while Culpepper threw no touchdown passes , eight interceptions , and fumbled twice which many attribute to his relatively small hands . Culpepper rebounded in the third week , throwing for 300 yards and three touchdowns while beating the New Orleans Saints . In 2005 he had six touchdowns , twelve interceptions , and five fumbles before getting injured in the seventh game ( only winning two games ) . On October 30 , he suffered a knee injury during a 38 – 13 loss to the Carolina Panthers . Culpepper sustained damage to three of the four major ligaments in the knee : the ACL , PCL and MCL . He was placed on injured reserve and began rehabilitation treatment near his home in Florida . Backup Brad Johnson took over in the Carolina game and after losing that one , they won the next six straight games and the team ended up with a 9 – 7 record . Daunte ' s final career won - loss record as a starter for the Vikings was 37 – 40 ( 48 . 1 % winning percentage ) . On December 14 , 2005 Culpepper and three other players were charged with indecent conduct , disorderly conduct and lewd or lascivious conduct for their involvement in the 2005 Minnesota Vikings boat cruise scandal , according to court papers and news reports . The maximum penalty they could have faced was 90 days in jail . His defense contended there was racial discrimination among the prosecution . On April 4 , 2006 , however the charges against Culpepper were dropped owing to a lack of probable cause . Culpepper was in negotiations with Zygi Wilf , the new owner of the Vikings , in regard to his contract with the team . Rumors surfaced that Culpepper was unhappy with his status in Minnesota due to the re - emergence of Brad Johnson following his injury . The Vikings wanted him to rehabilitate in Minnesota because they were not satisfied with his level of treatment in Florida , Culpepper refused this request . Later on , Culpepper expressed his desire to be out of Minnesota . According to the Associated Press , Culpepper said that if he was not traded , he wanted to be released . Culpepper said " because of the fundamental differences I have with management regarding the approach to my personal and professional life , I think it is the best business decision for both parties to go our separate ways . " Culpepper was not insistent on being traded to the Miami Dolphins , and orchestrated his trade without the services of his former agent . New Vikings coach Brad Childress likened his dealings with Culpepper to his dealings with Terrell Owens and said he never had a conversation with Daunte that did not involve his contract and getting more money instead of football and the team . Miami Dolphins . Struggle to return from injury . Culpepper was traded to Nick Saban ' s Miami Dolphins in exchange for a second round draft pick . He changed his number from 11 ( which he wore in Minnesota , after wearing # 12 his rookie season in honor of Randall Cunningham ) back to his original number 8 , the same number he had at Vanguard High School and the University of Central Florida . Culpepper has also noted that in his hometown to this day , and even while with the Vikings , he has been referred to as " Eight " as a nickname . The Dolphins debated whether to pursue Culpepper or quarterback Drew Brees during the offseason . The Dolphins decided to bring in Culpepper based on a medical evaluation of the two players . Brees was coming back from a shoulder injury suffered the last game during the 2005 season . Although still recovering from a serious knee injury the previous year , Culpepper was able to attend and participate in all of the Dolphins offseason practices , including training camp . In early August , he made it public that he felt his knee was about 85 – 90 % fully recovered . In his preseason game against Carolina he walked up to cornerback Chris Gamble and thanked him for injuring him , Daunte said if Gamble had not hit him like that he ' d still be in Minnesota . He was off to a rocky start in his first two regular - season games , losing both of them with fans booing Culpepper and calling for backup Joey Harrington in the second game . But he had an improved performance in the third game , winning 13 – 10 over the Tennessee Titans who had the second to last ranked defense in the NFL . However , the next week the Houston Texans with the last ranked defense in the NFL won their first game of the season against the Dolphins . At this point the Dolphins were 1 – 3 and their opponents were 1 – 11 when not playing Miami . After the Houston loss , coach Nick Saban noticed Culpepper having trouble in practice due to a nagging bruised shoulder injury and decided to rest Culpepper up a couple of practices . On that Friday ' s practice Culpepper and Saban got into a loud , heated argument during practice . Saban had decided to bench Daunte until his shoulder recovered and he got more of the mobility back that he lost due to his knee injury . On November 30 , 2006 , Culpepper underwent arthroscopic surgery on his previously injured knee to remove a piece of loose cartilage that was causing Culpepper difficulty . On December 12 , 2006 Culpepper was placed on Injured Reserve , officially ending his 2006 season . Head coach Nick Saban stated that although Culpepper was making progress in his rehabilitation , he and the medical staff felt it would be difficult for Culpepper to play in the next three weeks . On December 25 , 2006 , Steve Young appeared as a guest announcer during the Dolphins ' second to last game and criticized Culpepper ' s work ethic . Culpepper saw this on TV from his box suite at Dolphin Stadium and immediately walked down to the ESPN booth and waited for Steve Young to finish , then Daunte confronted Young about it and said he has not missed any meetings and that ' s not who he is . Young apologized and said though he heard Culpepper had been missing meetings he should have checked with Daunte first before repeating it . After the season coach Saban left for a head coaching job at the University of Alabama . On January 21 , 2007 the " South Florida Sun - Sentinel " reported that despite public assertions by Saban , privately his decision to bench Culpepper actually had little to do with his knee and more to do with his head . End of Culpepper era . In the absence of Culpepper , the Dolphins relied on quarterbacks Cleo Lemon and Gibran Hamdan , untested players with one regular season start between them , in the Dolphins ' initial minicamp under first - year coach Cam Cameron . Both the players struggled to move the offense and the poor performance led to an April 15 report that stated a much - discussed trade for Kansas City ' s Trent Green was imminent , for Culpepper was unable to participate in the minicamp as he continued to recover from knee surgery . The weekend previous to the report , Culpepper revealed that the second surgery , which was designed to address scar tissue in the knee , was more serious than anyone originally divulged , and called for a rehabilitation period of 4 – 6 months . Culpepper said he has been told by Dr . James Andrews , his surgeon , to " begin to ease into things " after May 1 . On June 5 , 2007 the Dolphins completed the long - awaited trade for Trent Green ; a few hours before the Green trade became official , the Dolphins told Culpepper they " are going in a different direction at the QB position , " according to Culpepper , who resisted that plan . On June 7 , Culpepper , acting as his own agent , asked to be released from his contract with the Dolphins . The Jacksonville Jaguars led a list of a few teams that were interested in signing him once he was on the free agent market . Culpepper was on the Dolphins ' practice field for the start of a weekend minicamp on June 8 , one day after asking for his release and two days after Miami completed a trade with Kansas City for Trent Green , who took over at quarterback . When Culpepper left the field and headed into the Dolphins training facility , he walked off the field with a member of the Dolphins security staff . The team did not give an immediate explanation . Informed by quarterbacks coach Terry Shea that he would not be permitted to take part in any team drills during the Dolphins ' June 8 – 10 minicamp , Culpepper stated that he would seek intervention from the NFL Players Association to end the stalemate . In response , Dolphins officials stated they had no intention of releasing Culpepper , and would continue their efforts to trade him . In fact , head coach Cam Cameron told the Miami media on June 9 that the team was " absolutely " prepared to take the situation into training camp as the club attempts to locate a trade partner . After being told he would not be allowed to practice , Culpepper told reporters that he would not restructure his contract to accommodate a trade , and said that he had already spoken to some teams that might be interested in him , such as the Jacksonville Jaguars . He was finally released by the Dolphins on July 17 . Culpepper was then rated number 8 in ESPN magazine ' s 2007 worst quarterback poll . Oakland Raiders . Culpepper was first and most often linked to the Jacksonville Jaguars , but Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio said he did not feel Culpepper would be a good fit . Culpepper worked out for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers soon after his release , but was not acquired by the team . On July 31 , Culpepper inked a one - year contract with the Oakland Raiders , as an insurance policy by the Raiders as they struggled to sign number - one draft pick JaMarcus Russell , with whom they were undergoing contract negotiations . In 2007 , Culpepper replaced the injured Josh McCown for the Raiders matchup against his former team , the Miami Dolphins . Culpepper finished the game with two passing and three rushing touchdowns . Culpepper started a total of six games for Oakland until an off - field hamstring injury ( suffered when he challenged Oakland CB Stanford Routt , a college sprinter , to a footrace during practice ) sidelined him for the remaining portion of the season . 2008 retirement and comeback . Culpepper visited the Green Bay Packers on April 23 and April 24 , 2008 . He would later turn down the offer from the Packers , $ 1 million for a one - year contract , claiming the deal was not good . He said he was in contact with a few other teams . In July 2008 , it was reported that the Detroit Lions were interested in signing Culpepper , but they never made an offer to him . He worked out with the Pittsburgh Steelers in August 2008 , but the Steelers elected to sign Byron Leftwich instead to replace the injured Charlie Batch . On August 29 , 2008 , Culpepper then changed his mind and stated that he would consider a backup role in Green Bay if they were still interested in him , but the team did not put forth an offer . On September 4 , 2008 , Culpepper announced his retirement . He expressed his frustrations with the NFL in a 506 word retirement letter . The main reason of his retirement was because he felt he could still be a starting quarterback in the NFL . The Kansas City Chiefs had spoken to Culpepper about coming out of retirement for the 2008 season after Brodie Croyle was declared out for the season with an injury . On October 23 , Culpepper stated through an email to Adam Schefter that he would come out of retirement and give the NFL another shot . On October 27 , Culpepper told the Chiefs that he would not make another meeting with the team due to a " better opportunity with another team " . Detroit Lions . On November 2 , 2008 , ESPN reported that he had agreed to terms on a two - year deal contract with the Detroit Lions and would join the team the following week . After passing a physical , Culpepper officially signed with the Lions on November 3 . The Lions assigned Culpepper number 11 , the number Roy Williams had worn before he was traded to Dallas on October 14 . The signing of Culpepper made former Cowboys and Vikings quarterback Drew Henson expendable , and he was released on November 12 , only to be re - signed two days later . Culpepper played 4 games with the Lions before suffering a shoulder injury . On December 28 , 2008 , the Lions became the first team in NFL history to go 0 – 16 . Only one other team in NFL history ( since the AFL – NFL merger ) has had a winless season . ( the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers ) . 2009 . In an interview with Sirius NFL Radio , former Detroit Lions WR Mike Furrey said he had heard through former Lions teammates that the Lions planned to make Culpepper the starter for the 2009 season . On February 16 , 2009 , the Lions reached an agreement with Culpepper for a restructured deal that would keep him on the team in the second year of his two - year contract . He had been due a $ 2 . 5 million roster bonus later in February prior to the restructuring . On September 7 , 2009 , it was reported first overall draft pick Matthew Stafford was named the starter for the Lions regular season opener against the Saints . During preseason , Culpepper had suffered another injury ( foot ) . Culpepper said he will respect Matthew Stafford as starter . However , he said he ' s not against a trade . On December 14 , 2009 , Culpepper played in what the " Detroit Free Press " headlined as " Lions suffer one of their biggest defeats in history . " Played in Baltimore , the Ravens won the game 48 – 3 . In week 14 , versus the Arizona Cardinals , Culpepper was benched in favor of third string QB Drew Stanton after a poor performance . Sacramento Mountain Lions . Culpepper signed with the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League on June 7 , 2010 . The signing reunited Culpepper with Dennis Green , his former head coach in Minnesota , and Mike Kruczek , his former head coach at the University of Central Florida . Culpepper was named UFL Offensive Player of the Week , twice in the 2010 season . His best game came in week 2 beating the Florida Tuskers 24 – 20 , throwing for 374 yards and 2 passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown . In April 2011 , Culpepper was placed on the protected players list , for the 2011 UFL season . 2011 . On August 14 , 2011 , the San Francisco 49ers ' head coach , Jim Harbaugh , announced that Culpepper was working out for the team on the following Monday to possibly add him to the 49ers roster . However , the 49ers opted to sign Culpepper ' s former Oakland Raider teammate Josh McCown instead . Culpepper was named the forty - fifth best quarter back of the modern era by Football Nation . Other appearances . Culpepper appeared in an episode of " George Lopez " , along with Donovan McNabb . In the episode Culpepper is trying to recruit Jason McNamara , to play for Central Florida competing against McNabb who wants Jason to go to Syracuse . Culpepper also appeared in the movie " 50 First Dates " in the huddle and throwing a touchdown pass to Jim Kleinsasser when Sean Astin and Drew Barrymore were watching a football game . Culpepper was a guest star at the 2013 Super Bash event hosted by NFL UK in London .