Kurt Kittner Kurt Kittner ( born January 23 , 1980 in Schaumburg , Illinois ) is a former American football player for the Atlanta Falcons . He was a quarterback for the University of Illinois during their 2001 Big Ten Championship . Biography . High school career . Kittner was quarterback for Schaumburg High School under then - coach Tom Cerasani . College career . Becoming a starter near the end of his freshman year at Illinois under head coach Ron Turner , Kittner became one of the most prolific passers in Illinois history . He ended his tenure at Illinois as the school ' s all - time leader in career passing attempts ( 1 , 264 ) , career passing touchdown s ( 70 ) , passing touchdowns in a single season ( 27 ) , and victories as a quarterback ( 24 ) . Kittner wrapped up his collegiate career only 3 yards shy of Jack Trudeau ' s Illini record for all time passing yards . Entering his senior year , Kurt was considered a possible Heisman candidate . Kittner and receiver Brandon Lloyd led Illinois ' offense as the Fighting Illini finished with a 7 – 1 record in the Big Ten and won their first Big Ten championship in 11 years on their way to a berth in the 2002 Sugar Bowl . Kittner ' s last collegiate game ended in a 47 – 34 loss against the LSU Tigers . Pro career . Atlanta Falcons . Kittner was drafted in the 5th round of the 2002 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons . He saw no action in his rookie year , being third - string quarterback behind Doug Johnson and 2001 first overall pick , Michael Vick . In 2003 , after a preseason injury sidelined Vick and ineffective play caused second - string quarterback Doug Johnson to be benched , Kittner saw his first regular season action . Playing in seven games ( four of which he started ) , he threw for 391 yards , scoring 2 touchdowns and throwing 6 interception s . The highlight was an 27 - 7 win over the New York Giants at Giants Stadium where Kittner threw for a touchdown . The Falcons ended the season however with a 7 - 9 record . Turbulent times . Since then , Kittner has not seen any further playing time in the NFL , having been released from 5 different teams ( the Falcons , Bengals , Giants , Patriots , and Steelers ) in a 7 - month span during the 2004 offseason . He did manage to make headlines in 2005 , leading the Amsterdam Admirals to an NFL Europe World Bowl title . His 239 passing yards and two touchdowns in World Bowl XIII earned him most valuable player honors for the game . He is the second graduate of Schaumburg High School to earn the honor ; Paul Justin won the award 10 years earlier for the Frankfurt Galaxy . Chicago Bears . In 2005 , Kittner was invited to training camp with the Chicago Bears and coach Turner , then offensive coordinator for Chicago . He earned a roster spot as the third - string quarterback . After starter Rex Grossman was injured in camp , journeyman Jeff Blake was brought in to back up rookie starter Kyle Orton , leaving Kittner at third string . When Grossman returned from injury on November 23 , 2005 , Kittner was released without playing a regular season down for the Bears . Life after football . Kittner currently resides in Chicago with his wife Leila Cehajic , a former University of Illinois tennis player . He works for Jones Lang LaSalle in Chicago doing commercial real estate . In July 2007 , Kittner was named the color analyst for University of Illinois football radio broadcasts , replacing long - time analyst Jim Grabowski .