Billy Joe Tolliver Billy Joe Tolliver ( born February 7 , 1966 ) is a former American football player who played in the National Football League ( NFL ) and Canadian Football League ( CFL ) for twelve seasons . During this time , he played for the San Diego Chargers , Atlanta Falcons , Houston Oilers , Shreveport Pirates , Kansas City Chiefs and New Orleans Saints . Over the course of his career , he played in 79 games , completed 891 of 1 , 707 passes for 10 , 760 yards , threw 59 touchdowns and 64 interceptions , and finished his career with a passer rating of 67 . 7 . A graduate of Boyd High School and Texas Tech University , Tolliver was selected 51st in the 1989 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers . He started 19 games in two seasons at San Diego before being traded to Atlanta , where he saw playing time as a backup for three seasons . In 1994 , he became one of three starting quarterbacks for Houston , then became the quarterback of the Shreveport Pirates during their final season of activity . After not seeing playing time in 1996 , Tolliver played for both Atlanta and Kansas City in 1997 . He then started 11 games for New Orleans in two seasons , but did not take the field in 2000 . A stint with Green Bay in the 2001 offseason was the last stop in his professional career . High school and college . Tolliver played high school football at Boyd High School . During his senior season , he led the Boyd Yellow Jackets to a 15 - 0 - 1 record and the 2 - A state championship . He amassed more than 1 , 000 rushing and passing yards , and was named Player of the Year by the Fort Worth Star - Telegram . Tolliver also used his athleticism elsewhere as a three - sport athlete , averaging 15 points and 17 rebounds in basketball and throwing 14 no - hitter s in baseball . After graduating from high school , Tolliver played college football at Texas Tech University and was a member of Delta Tau Delta Fraternity . His hard throwing style led Texas Tech coach David McWilliams to say , " He throws the ball harder , and with more velocity , than anyone I ' ve ever seen . " He redshirted his freshman season in 1984 , then became the starting quarterback in 1985 . On November 9 , 1985 , Tolliver had his first breakout performance at Texas Tech as he threw for a record - setting 422 yards and five touchdowns in a 63 – 7 win over Texas Christian University ( TCU ) , a performance that helped him become a household name in Texas . As he began his sophomore season , he was considered the lone bright spot on Texas Tech ' s offense . Tolliver struggled at the start of the year . By the end of September , he had only completed 54 of 123 passes , and after throwing five interceptions against Baylor , he shrugged off the bad game , saying , " even Betty Crocker burns a cake every now and then . " His fortunes continued to sink when in a game in late October against the Rice Owls , he was benched and backup quarterback Monte McGuire rallied the team to a victory . However , Tolliver rebounded and brought his team to the 1986 Independence Bowl as Texas Tech won six games for the first time since 1978 . He finished the season with 1 , 802 passing yards and seven touchdowns . During Tolliver ' s junior year , he looked to fix his erratic passing , which he had concentrated on improving over the previous months . However , shortly before the season opener against Florida State , he suffered a hairline fracture in his foot , leaving him doubtful for the match . He missed the first three games of the season , then returned in Texas Tech ' s fourth game against Baylor and completed 14 of 25 passes for 189 yards , a touchdown and an interception in a 36 – 22 loss . Tolliver ' s next big performance came against TCU , the same team he defeated 63 – 7 as a freshman . He threw a touchdown pass to Wayne Walker in the last minute to beat TCU , 36 – 35 . He finished the season having passed for 1 , 422 yards and seven touchdowns in eight games . The next season , his senior year , Tolliver and Texas Tech were looking to win the Southwest Conference . He started the season strong , throwing an 85 - yard pass against Arizona — it was the third - longest pass in school history — but the Red Raiders started with two losses . By the end of the season , Tolliver had set 16 school records , and was awarded the Southwest Conference Sportsmanship Award by the league ' s officials . After four seasons with the Texas Tech Red Raiders , he set the school record for career passing yards with 6 , 756 , career pass attempts with 1 , 008 , career pass completions with 493 , career touchdown passes with 38 , season passing yards with 2 , 869 in 1988 , and single game passing yards with 446 against Oklahoma State University in 1988 , among others . Tolliver was inducted into Texas Tech ' s Hall of Honor in 2002 . Professional career . San Diego Chargers . Tolliver was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 1989 NFL Draft . The Chargers wanted Tolliver , and they traded third , fourth , and seventh - round picks in exchange for the New York Giants ' second - round pick in order to draft him . Tolliver was signed on July 31 , 1989 after a short holdout . He was to compete for the starting job alongside Mark Malone and David Archer , a spot which eventually went to Jim McMahon after the Chargers traded for him . As the 1989 season began with McMahon as the helm , Tolliver was slated to play the second half of the final preseason game against the Phoenix Cardinals . After 13 completions in 23 attempts , Tolliver ran the ball late in the game , and ended up with a broken collarbone , sidelining him for at least six weeks . After spending the first seven games on the injured reserve list , Tolliver was taken off the list and named the starter for the game against the Seattle Seahawks on October 29 , replacing a disappointing Jim McMahon at quarterback . In Tolliver ' s first start , he only played three quarters , throwing six completed passes in 17 attempts for 41 yards and throwing an interception in a 10 - 7 loss . Tolliver subsequently lost the starting job back to McMahon . However , in late November , Tolliver was given the starting job back , and remained the starting quarterback the rest of the season . Tolliver finished the season having played five games with 89 completions in 185 attempts , 1097 yards , five touchdown s , eight interception s , and a 57 . 9 quarterback rating . As the 1990 season began , Jim McMahon was released by the team , leaving Tolliver as the starting quarterback as training camp rolled around . After training camp and a preseason where Tolliver started and was relieved by quarterbacks Mark Vlasic and John Friesz , Chargers coach Dan Henning named Vlasic as the starting quarterback against the Dallas Cowboys in the season opener , saying that he was " steadier " than Tolliver . After a loss against Dallas , Tolliver regained his starting job back in game two against the Cincinnati Bengals . Despite some shaky performances in the following weeks , the Chargers ' coaching staff stuck by their quarterback , saying that " The last thing we need around here is more change . " Through eight games , Tolliver had thrown more touchdown passes than Dan Marino , the two throwing eight and seven , respectively . Tolliver played nearly the rest of the season as the starting quarterback , but was replaced by rookie Friesz for the final game of the season against the Los Angeles Raiders , the Chargers making this move because , according to coach Henning , " Tolliver has to work on his shortcomings . " Tolliver finished the season having completed 216 of 410 passes , thrown for 2 , 574 yards , 16 touchdowns , and 16 interceptions , and posting a QB rating of 68 . 9 . Despite Tolliver having the confidence of Dan Henning , Chargers GM Bobby Beathard and owner Alex Spanos were unsatisfied with his production during the 1990 season , and they may have been looking towards Friesz as the future quarterback . Tolliver was the leading man for the starting quarterback position as training camp for the 1991 season began , with Friesz battling Bob Gagliano for the backup spot . However , Tolliver ' s preseason ended such that Friesz was named the starting quarterback for the 1991 season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers . Falcons and Oilers . Just a few days after losing the starting job , Tolliver was traded to the Atlanta Falcons for a fifth - round draft pick . f Tolliver was the backup quarterback behind Chris Miller and alongside rookie Brett Favre . Tolliver did earn some playing times , playing portions of seven games throughout the season . Tolliver ' s breakthrough as a Falcon came against the San Francisco 49ers on November 3 , 1991 . Miller was injured in the second quarter , and Tolliver was brought in for the rest of the game . With one second left , he lobbed a 44 - yard Hail Mary pass to Michael Haynes , which was caught for a touchdown and sealing a 17 – 14 upset victory . Due to his performance and Miller ' s injury , Tolliver was given his first start the following week against the Washington Redskins . After a 56 - 17 blowout loss , Tolliver got his second start of the season against the Green Bay Packers , as a result of Miller suddenly running a fever . Tolliver finished the regular season having completing 40 of 82 passes , four touchdowns , two interceptions , and earning a QB rating of 75 . 8 . After the Falcons traded Favre to the Packers , Miller and Tolliver were the only quarterbacks on the roster . After Wade Wilson signed with the team , the two shared the role of backup to Miller . Tolliver played two of the first eight games , then was named the starting quarterback when the Falcons lost Miller for the season as a result of reconstructive surgery on his left knee . Tolliver ' s first start of the season came against the 49ers . He completed 16 of 25 passes , but threw three interceptions in a 41 - 3 blowout . The next week , against the Cardinals , Tolliver was benched for the final series as Wilson led the team to victory and Tolliver argued with coach Jerry Glanville . Despite the conflict and a shoulder injury , Glanville gave Tolliver the start the following week against the Buffalo Bills . He played a few more games before being replaced by Wilson for the rest of the season , partially as a result of Wilson throwing five touchdown passes in his first start en route to a 35 - 7 Falcons victory . Tolliver finished the season with five touchdowns , five interceptions , about 55 % of his passes completed , and a 70 . 4 QB rating . After the 1992 season , Tolliver was a restricted free agent . Wilson signed a contract with the Saints , and to replace him the Falcons signed Bobby Hebert shortly afterwards . Tolliver signed a one - year contract in August , after holding out for a time . Tolliver started the 1993 season as the third - string quarterback , behind Hebert and Miller . However , Miller re - injured his left knee in late September , making Tolliver the main backup to Hebert . Tolliver made his first start against the Los Angeles Rams , but got injured in his second start , against the Saints . The Falcons signed Chris Hakel as a result of the injury . Tolliver finished the season in occasional relief for Hebert , who remained bothered by injuries . Tolliver finished the season having played seven games and thrown for just under 500 yards . After the season ended , Tolliver was again a free agent . He was not signed by the Falcons , and as the season began , he was looking for a team . In early September 1994 , Tolliver was signed to a contract by the Houston Oilers . He was originally the third - string quarterback , but ineffectiveness by Bucky Richardson led Tolliver to relieve him in a game against the Cleveland Browns . Tolliver played well enough to be considered for the starting job the following week , due to Cody Carlson dealing with injuries . Tolliver made his first start in a game against the Raiders , but played inconsistently over seven starts and was replaced by Richardson in the season finale against the New York Jets . After finishing the season , Tolliver became a free agent and left the NFL . CFL and return to NFL . Tolliver signed a three - year contract worth about $ 1 million with the Shreveport Pirates of the Canadian Football League before the 1995 season began . Early in the season , Tolliver got to compete against former teammate David Archer in the San Antonio Texans ' CFL debut . He finished the season having thrown for 3 , 767 yards , 16 touchdowns , and 15 interceptions . After the team folded following a 5 - 13 season , Tolliver was again without a team . In October 1996 , Tolliver rejoined the Falcons as the third - string quarterback , this time sitting behind Bobby Hebert and Browning Nagle . He spent the 1996 season on the bench , and did not take a snap in a game . He was re - signed by Atlanta in April and given a one - year contract worth $ 325 , 000 . Tolliver was slated to compete with Tommy Maddox for the backup quarterback spot at Atlanta as training camp rolled around . Halfway through August , Maddox was released , and Tolliver was made the primary backup behind Chris Chandler . Tolliver played his first NFL game since 1994 on September 7 , 1997 against the Carolina Panthers . He completed 7 of 17 passes for 79 yards . After relieving Chandler again the following week , Tolliver was slated to start the next game against the 49ers , in what became his only starting appearance of the season . He was slated to start again against the Denver Broncos , but instead came in late in the game . He was almost able to lead the Falcons to a comeback victory over the Broncos , completing six of nine passes for 85 yards and a touchdown , but he instead lost to the then - undefeated Broncos as the team remained winless . When Chandler went down with an injury in late October , coach Dan Reeves chose to start Tony Graziani . Shortly after wards , Tolliver was released by the Falcons . In early November , Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Elvis Grbac was lost for the season due to a broken collarbone . As a result , the Chiefs signed Tolliver to a two - year contract as the third - string quarterback to replace him . Tolliver finished the season having completed 64 passes in 116 attempts for 677 yards , five touchdowns , and one interception . Only one of the 116 attempts came as a Kansas City quarterback . The 1998 preseason began with Tolliver competing with Pat Barnes for the third - string quarterback job , but this ended when Tolliver was released by the Chiefs in August . Later career . After Saints quarterback Billy Joe Hobert was lost for the season due to a ruptured achilles tendon , the Saints signed Tolliver to a two - year deal . After four starts by Danny Wuerffel , Saints coach Mike Ditka decided to give Tolliver the start against the Atlanta Falcons . After starting for four weeks and having a few impressive performances , Tolliver was benched in favor of Kerry Collins , who finished the season as starting quarterback . Tolliver finished the year with one of his most statistically impressive seasons , completing 110 of 199 passes for 1 , 427 yards , eight touchdowns , four interceptions , and finishing with a QB rating of 83 . 1 . Tolliver started the 1999 season as the backup behind Hobert . Hobert started the first four games but was injured , leaving Tolliver to start against the Tennessee Titans on October 17 , and the Giants the week after . Hobert started the next game , but suffered a pinched nerve in his neck , leaving Tolliver to make his third start of the season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers . Against the 49ers , he scored the third and fourth rushing touchdowns of his career en route to a 24 - 6 victory . However , the next week against the Jacksonville Jaguars , Tolliver suffered a torn MCL , and it looked like he would miss the rest of the season . A couple of weeks later , Tolliver had bounced back from his injury by " treating himself with some WD - 40 " and was named the starter in the December 12 game against the St . Louis Rams . Tolliver again was injured the following week against the Baltimore Ravens , however , putting an end to his season . Throughout the 1999 season , Tolliver remained a vocal supporter of coach Ditka despite the Saints ' 3 - 13 record , saying " I think he ' s a heck of a football coach , a great motivator . We just got to start buying what he ' s selling . " Ditka was fired by the Saints , but as training camp for the 2000 season began , Tolliver was the Saints ' backup quarterback behind Jeff Blake . However , on August 1 , the Saints made a trade for quarterback Aaron Brooks . This left Tolliver to compete for the third - string spot alongside Jake Delhomme . As the final cuts were made to reduce the Saints ' roster to 53 players , Tolliver was among those cut . When the Saints lost Jeff Blake for the season in mid - November due to a dislocated foot , Tolliver was signed back on by the Saints , though he did not play a game that season . In July 2001 , Tolliver was signed by the Green Bay Packers . This briefly reunited him with Brett Favre , with whom he was teammates in Atlanta . However , he was cut in the preseason when Doug Pederson won the backup job , and this stint marked the end of Tolliver ' s professional career . Personal life . Tolliver was named after his uncle Joe and aunt Billie . He is an avid golf er and has played many celebrity tournaments . He is a three - time winner of the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship , and also won the $ 75 , 000 Isuzu Celebrity Golf Challenge in 1996 . Tolliver is married ; he and his wife , Sheila , have five children Charles , Austin , Mackenzie , Bryce , and Brody . Tolliver is a regular competitor at the American Century Championship , the annual competition to determine the best golfers among American sports and entertainment celebrities . He won the tournament in 1996 , 2005 , and 2010 with a new point record of 84 points and has a total of ten top ten finishes . The tournament , televised by NBC in July , is played at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in Lake Tahoe , NV .