Heath Shuler Joseph Heath Shuler ( born December 31 , 1971 ) is an American businessman and former NFL quarterback who was the U . S . Representative for from 2007 to 2013 . He was a member of the Democratic Party and of the Blue Dog Coalition . During his years in Congress , Shuler made a name for himself by challenging the leadership of his party , which he believed had moved too far to the left . In 2010 he ran against Nancy Pelosi for the post of minority leader . He knew he would lose , but also knew he would gain prominence as a leader of conservative and moderate Democrats . He was one of the leaders of the Blue Dog Democrats , whose numbers were severely diminished in the 2010 election , and had a lower profile in the national media than he had previously enjoyed . Shuler ' s congressional district covered the Blue Ridge Mountains in western North Carolina ; the largest city in the district is Asheville . On February 2 , 2012 , after a new district map removed Asheville from the district , making it considerably more Republican , Shuler announced his retirement from the House , and did not seek re - election to a fourth term . Early life , education , and early football career . Shuler was born in Bryson City , North Carolina , a small town in the Great Smoky Mountains on the Tennessee border . His father was a mail carrier and his mother a homemaker and volunteer with the Swain County Youth Association ; he has a younger brother , Benjie . Shuler ' s athletic career began at Swain County High School . A standout quarterback who led his team to two state championships and was named the North Carolina High School Player of the Year , he drew plenty of scout attention and accepted an athletic scholarship to the University of Tennessee in 1990 . At Tennessee , Shuler gained national attention as one of the SEC ' s top quarterbacks . He held nearly all Volunteer passing records at the end of his career , although most of them have since been eclipsed by Peyton Manning . In 1993 , he came in second in the vote for the Heisman Trophy . Professional football career . Shuler was a first - round selection in the 1994 NFL Draft , taken by the Washington Redskins with the third overall pick . He held out of training camp until he received a 7 - year , $ 19 . 25 million contract , although most of the holdout was due to Shuler ' s agent and Redskins general manager discussing the parameters of the contract . The Redskins had fallen on hard times since winning Super Bowl XXVI , and Shuler was looked on as the quarterback of the future . However , Shuler ' s poor play contributed to a quarterback controversy with fellow 1994 draft pick Gus Frerotte . This was evident when Shuler threw five interceptions in a game against the Arizona Cardinals . Shuler started 18 games in his first two years with the team and was benched in his third year , as Frerotte went to the Pro Bowl . After the 1996 season , Shuler was traded to the New Orleans Saints for a fifth - round pick in the 1997 draft and a third - round pick in 1998 . Shuler ' s statistics remained poor . He suffered a serious foot injury during the 1997 season in New Orleans and went through two surgeries . Football statistics site " Football Outsiders " called Shuler " The least valuable quarterback of 1997 . " After being unable to take the field due to his foot injury in his second season in New Orleans , Shuler signed with the Oakland Raiders , where he re - injured his foot in training camp and retired . As a pro , his career passer rating was a 54 . 3 and in 2004 ESPN rated him the 17th biggest ' sports flop ' of the past 25 years , along with the 4th biggest NFL Draft bust . NFL Network ranked Shuler as the ninth - biggest bust in NFL history . Real estate career . After retiring from the NFL , Shuler returned to the University of Tennessee and completed his education , graduating with a degree in psychology . He then became a real estate professional in Knoxville . His real estate company is one of the largest independent firms in East Tennessee . In 2003 , Shuler moved to Waynesville , North Carolina , where he lives today . U . S . House of Representatives . Elections . In July 2005 , Shuler announced his intentions to seek the Democratic nomination to run against eight - term incumbent Republican Charles H . Taylor . The district covers most of the Western North Carolina mountains where Shuler grew up . When Shuler ran in 2006 , he was a tough target for opponents . His ideals seemed to be in line with the traditionally conservative district and he did not have a legislative record . His campaign points were based on “ mountain values , ” opposing abortion rights , same - sex marriage and gun control . Taylor , an Appropriations subcommittee chairman , campaigned on his ability to bring home federal money . In October , with polls showing Taylor trailing , " The Wall Street Journal " ran a story about spending earmarks sought by Taylor that benefited many of his business interests . Taylor poured $ 2 . 5 million of his own money into his race , and spent $ 4 . 4 million overall , compared with Shuler ’ s $ 1 . 8 million . Shuler repeatedly attacked Taylor for not standing up more often for the 11th ' s interests . For example , he blasted Taylor for missing a vote on the Central American Free Trade Agreement , which only passed by two votes . Shuler pointed out that according to the House roll call , Taylor voted 11 times on the same day CAFTA came up for a vote . Taylor was one of two Republicans who didn ' t vote on the bill , even though he ' d strongly opposed it in the past . Taylor , for his part , claimed that Shuler would be an extra vote for Nancy Pelosi , even though Shuler is almost as conservative on social issues as Taylor . In the November election , Shuler won with 54 percent of the vote to Taylor ' s 46 percent . He carried nine of the district ' s 15 counties , including several areas that had reliably supported Taylor over the years . He even carried Taylor ' s home county of Transylvania . Shuler was one of only two Democrats to defeat an incumbent in the South that year . His victory gave the Democrats a majority of the state ' s congressional delegation for the first time since the 1994 elections . In 2009 , a documentary film about the successful 2006 Democratic campaign to retake control of the House , " HouseQuake " , prominently featured then - Congressman Rahm Emanuel ' s efforts to recruit new candidates including Shuler . " Mr . Emanuel ’ s efforts to get him to run offer one of the most revealing moments in the film , " including two weeks of frequent phone calls about the balancing of family and Congressional obligations . The film was directed and produced by Karen Elizabeth Price , daughter of Congressman David Price who represents the 4th District of North Carolina . In 2008 , Shuler faced Republican Asheville city councilman Carl Mumpower and Libertarian Keith Smith . Shuler was handily reelected with 62 percent of the vote . He easily carried all 15 counties in the district , including traditionally heavily Republican Henderson County . In early 2009 , he was mentioned as a possible candidate to run against Richard Burr for the United States Senate in the next year ' s elections . He chose not to do so . Shuler defeated Miller , retaining his House seat by a margin of 54 % to 46 % . Although Shuler represents a very conservative area of North Carolina , he has a lifetime ACU rating of just 28 . 5 . In July 2011 , Democrats were upset over the new Congressional district lines that removed part of Asheville from District 11 . The area was traditionally very liberal , and the removal dropped the 11th District from 43 % to 36 % registered Democrats , creating difficulties for Shuler . A Western Carolina University professor said that Shuler would need to " practically completely separate himself from the Democratic party . " Over the course of 2011 , several figures declared their candidacy for Shuler ' s seat or expressed interest in a possible run . On February 2 , 2012 , Shuler announced that he would not be running for another term . Shuler was a whip of the Blue Dog Coalition , a caucus of moderate - to - conservative House Democrats . Tenure . A list of bills sponsored by Shuler in the 112th Congress includes H . R . 3065 , the Target Practice and Marksmanship Training Support Act ; H . R . 2086 , the Medical Debt Responsibility Act of 2011 ; H . R . 2000 , the SAVE Act of 2011 : H . R . 1889 , the Gas Tax Holiday Act ; and H . R . 1434 , the International Child Protection Act of 2011 . In 2011 , Shuler led a group of House Democrats in pressuring the President to deal with the AT & T and T - Mobile merger . The group pushed for the lawsuit to be settled by the Department of Justice . The group sided with the claim made by AT & T that the merger would create much - needed jobs . In November 2011 , Shuler took the lead in a bipartisan call calling for much larger cuts of the U . S . deficit . In 2007 , Shuler introduced proposed legislation co - sponsored with fellow North Carolina U . S . Congressman Walter Jones to require airlines to have sections of the aircraft where large movie screens would not be visible . Representative Shuler has also been a major supporter of the government of Sri Lanka in Congress . Reportedly owing to his success in real estate , Shuler was named chairman of the House Small Business Subcommittee on Rural and Urban Entrepreneurship during the 110th and 111th Congresses . He has also been a deputy - at - large Whip . Shuler voted against the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 both times it came before the House . He later joined seven other conservative House Democrats in voting against the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 , an $ 819 billion economic stimulus bill proposed by President Barack Obama . Shuler also voted against the Affordable Health Care for America Act , or HR 3962 , along with 38 other Democrats , despite voting yes on the Stupak amendment in the same bill , which prohibits federal funds to be used for abortions . In January 2011 , Shuler voted against repealing the law , explaining that the repeal would be immoral . Shuler voted in favor of HR 2454 , the American Clean Energy and Security Act which would implement a cap and trade system aimed at controlling pollution . In 2011 , he co - sponsored HR 3 , the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act , The bill contained an exception for " forcible rape , " which opponents criticized as potentially excluding drug - facilitated rape , date rape , and other forms of rape . The bill also allowed an exception for minors who are victims of incest . Shuler is a strong advocate of gun rights . On January 10 , 2011 , the Washington Post reported that “ [ i ] n the wake of the shooting of Rep . Gabrielle Giffords , ” Shuler “ intends to arm himself more frequently ” and is “ encouraging his staff members to apply for carry permits . ” On January 29 , 2011 , a Doonesbury cartoon made fun of Shuler ' s plan to carry a gun . In July 2011 , Shuler was one of five Democrats to vote for the Cut , Cap , and Balance Act . During his 2010 campaign , Shuler showed interest in taking the place of Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House , if Democrats maintained their majority . On November 4 , after Republicans had won a majority of seats in the upcoming Congress , Shuler predicted Pelosi would no longer be a leader in the House . However , if Pelosi wanted to take the minority leader position , Shuler told " Roll Call " , he would run against her if there were no " viable candidate " . On November 13 , 2010 , in a long New York Times article about Shuler , Campbell Robertson noted his use of a football analogy to describe the current situation of Congressional Democrats : “ It ’ s no different than me as a quarterback , ” he said . “ I didn ’ t play very good . So what they ’ d do ? They benched me . ” Robertson noted that “ Shuler has emerged as one of most prominent voices in the debate on the Democratic Party ’ s immediate future . He was among the first to call for Ms . Pelosi to step down from her leadership role in the new Congress and said he would run for minority leader himself if no alternative emerged ( though he admitted that he would be an underdog ) . ” According to Robertson , Shuler felt the Democratic leadership “ has been too reflexively partisan ” and called for “ a more moderate approach . ” Robertson observed that North Carolina “ has long nurtured a strand of progressivism , particularly on issues like education , and a Sunday school brand of social conservatism — sometimes in the same candidate , ” and that “ North Carolina ’ s curious politics are on full display in Mr . Shuler ’ s district , which . . . includes the heavily Democratic city of Asheville , home to yoga studios and holistic medicine centers , as well as staunchly conservative hamlets scattered throughout the Blue Ridge Mountains . ” As expected , Pelosi did run for minority leader , and on November 14 , Shuler told CNN he would run against her , though he doubted he would win . Shuler lost to Pelosi 150 - 43 on November 17 , but he was pleased that conservative Democrats showed they must be dealt with . On the opening day of the 112th Congress , Shuler received 11 votes for Speaker of the House , which his political aide called " the most dissenting votes recorded in modern history for partisan defections during a vote for Speaker " ( Since 1925 ) . In February 2011 , Shuler said that " there has been no communication whatsoever ” between the Blue Dog Democrats in Congress and Nancy Pelosi . When Shuler was asked if he identified ideologically with Pelosi or Ronald Reagan more , he chose Reagan . When asked to choose between George W . Bush and Pelosi , he said " neither " . Post - political career . Schuler will be transitioning to a lobbying position with Duke Energy to direct its lobbying and government affairs in Washington , D . C . , in 2013 . Personal life . Shuler is married to Nikol Davis , with whom he has two children : a daughter , Island , and a son , Navy . Shuler remains active in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes . In Washington , Shuler lives at the C Street House of the The Fellowship , a controversial organization which operates the property as a tax - exempt church and a residence for several congressmen and senators . The building became notorious during a series of political sex scandals in 2009 , in which current or former residents John Ensign , Mark Sanford , and Chip Pickering admitted to adulterous affairs , which their housemates knew of but did not publicize . In September 2010 , " The New Yorker " published a piece about the house , focusing on the connection with the a secretive religious organization called the Fellowship . Shuler has attended weekly prayer sessions sponsored by the group since his arrival in Washington . In reference to the secrecy , Shuler said " I ’ ve been here the whole time , and there ’ s talk about what the Fellowship is , but I honestly have no idea what they ’ re talking about . I honestly don ’ t know what it is . "