Alex Brink
Encyclopedia
Alex Brink is a professional Canadian football
quarterback
for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers
of the Canadian Football League
. After playing college football
at Washington State
, Brink was drafted by the Houston Texans
in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft
.
, basketball
and baseball
. In football, as a senior, he led his team to the state championship, with a 31-24 win over Lake Oswego
. During that season he passed for 3946 yards and 36 touchdown
s, while being named Oregon Player of the Year. He passed for over 3500 yards in his junior season as well. His record as a high school starter
was 35-3, with one state championship. In baseball, he was a standout player and threw a perfect game
. He graduated from Sheldon High in 2003 with a 3.91 GPA
.
Brink finished his career as the third leading passer, in terms of yards, in Pac-10 history, behind Carson Palmer
and Derek Anderson
and fifth leader in touchdowns. He is also only the sixth signal caller in conference history to throw for more than 10,000 yards and toss 70-or-more touchdowns. In his college career
, Brink completed 58.4 percent of his passes for 10,913 yards. He threw 76 touchdowns but also 43 interceptions. Brink led the Cougars to four straight seasons without a bowl
berth. As a starter, Brink was 17-23 over four seasons.
During a game against Oregon State University
in the 2005 season Brink set a new school record with 531 passing yards. Ahead 30-16 at the break, the Cougars, however, lost that game due in part to defensive
and special teams lapses and other mistakes, but also because Brink threw 1 touchdown against 4 interceptions. For much of the 2006 season, Brink led the Pac-10 in passing yards. He was named second team All-Pac-10 for his efforts. The Cougars were at one point in the 2006 season ranked No. 25 in the nation with a 6-3 record, but lost their final three games to finish the year at 6-6. In 2006-2007 Pac-10 rankings, he led the league in total offense with 242.2 yards per game, was second in passing at 241.6 ypg, and fourth in passing efficiency.
Brink finished his senior year as the 2007 Pac-10 leader in total offense and named second team All-Pac-10. His final game as a Cougar resulted in a come-from-behind, 42-35 victory over rival University of Washington in the annual Apple Cup in which he threw for 399 yards and five touchdowns. He remains the only WSU quarterback ever to beat Washington three times.
in the seventh round (223rd overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft
. He signed a rookie contract with the team on June 27, 2008. He was later released on August 29 during final cuts.
The Texans re-signed Brink to the practice squad on October 8 after cornerback
Derrick Roberson
was released. He was resigned to a future contract at the end of the year. The Texans waived Brink on June 24, only to re-sign him on August 17 after an injury to Rex Grossman
. He was waived again on September 5.
in late April but shortly after he agreed to a contract with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers
of the CFL for the 2010 season.
Canadian football
Canadian football is a form of gridiron football played exclusively in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed prolate spheroid ball into the opposing team's scoring area...
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League . They play their home games at Canad Inns Stadium, and plan to move to a new stadium for the 2012 season.The Blue Bombers were founded...
of the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
. After playing college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Washington State
Washington State Cougars football
The Washington State Cougars football team is the intercollegiate football team of Washington State University. The team is a member of the Pacific-12 Conference...
, Brink was drafted by the Houston Texans
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is currently a member of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft
2008 NFL Draft
The 2008 NFL Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 26 and April 27, 2008. For the 29th consecutive year, ESPN televised the draft; the NFL Network also broadcast the event, its third year doing so...
.
Early years
A native of Eugene, Oregon, Alex Brink attended Sheldon High School, and becoming a letterman in footballHigh school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
. In football, as a senior, he led his team to the state championship, with a 31-24 win over Lake Oswego
Lake Oswego High School
Lake Oswego High School is a public high school in Lake Oswego, Oregon. LOHS is accredited through the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges.-History:...
. During that season he passed for 3946 yards and 36 touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
s, while being named Oregon Player of the Year. He passed for over 3500 yards in his junior season as well. His record as a high school starter
Starting lineup
A starting lineup in sports is an official list of the set of players who will actively participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes or bench players.The starters are commonly the best...
was 35-3, with one state championship. In baseball, he was a standout player and threw a perfect game
Perfect game
A perfect game is defined by Major League Baseball as a game in which a pitcher pitches a victory that lasts a minimum of nine innings and in which no opposing player reaches base. Thus, the pitcher cannot allow any hits, walks, hit batsmen, or any opposing player to reach base safely for any...
. He graduated from Sheldon High in 2003 with a 3.91 GPA
Grade (education)
Grades are standardized measurements of varying levels of comprehension within a subject area. Grades can be assigned in letters , as a range , as a number out of a possible total , as descriptors , in percentages, or, as is common in some post-secondary...
.
College career
Brink finished his career as one of Washington State's all-time greats, holding the school career records in passing yards, touchdowns, attempts, completions and total offense. His senior year he threw for 3,818 yards, the second highest single-season total in school's history. He is the only Cougar to have five 400-plus yard games and has five of the top 10 and three of the top four passing games in WSU history.Brink finished his career as the third leading passer, in terms of yards, in Pac-10 history, behind Carson Palmer
Carson Palmer
Carson Palmer is an American professional football quarterback for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals first overall in the 2003 NFL Draft. He played collegiately at the University of Southern California and won the Heisman Trophy in 2002...
and Derek Anderson
Derek Anderson (American football)
Derek Matthew Anderson is an American football quarterback for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the sixth round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
and fifth leader in touchdowns. He is also only the sixth signal caller in conference history to throw for more than 10,000 yards and toss 70-or-more touchdowns. In his college career
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
, Brink completed 58.4 percent of his passes for 10,913 yards. He threw 76 touchdowns but also 43 interceptions. Brink led the Cougars to four straight seasons without a bowl
Bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...
berth. As a starter, Brink was 17-23 over four seasons.
During a game against Oregon State University
Oregon State University
Oregon State University is a coeducational, public research university located in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. The university offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees and a multitude of research opportunities. There are more than 200 academic degree programs offered through the...
in the 2005 season Brink set a new school record with 531 passing yards. Ahead 30-16 at the break, the Cougars, however, lost that game due in part to defensive
Defense (sport)
In many team sports, defense or defence is the action of preventing an opponent from scoring. The term may also refer to the tactics involved in defense, or a sub-team whose primary responsibility is defense...
and special teams lapses and other mistakes, but also because Brink threw 1 touchdown against 4 interceptions. For much of the 2006 season, Brink led the Pac-10 in passing yards. He was named second team All-Pac-10 for his efforts. The Cougars were at one point in the 2006 season ranked No. 25 in the nation with a 6-3 record, but lost their final three games to finish the year at 6-6. In 2006-2007 Pac-10 rankings, he led the league in total offense with 242.2 yards per game, was second in passing at 241.6 ypg, and fourth in passing efficiency.
Brink finished his senior year as the 2007 Pac-10 leader in total offense and named second team All-Pac-10. His final game as a Cougar resulted in a come-from-behind, 42-35 victory over rival University of Washington in the annual Apple Cup in which he threw for 399 yards and five touchdowns. He remains the only WSU quarterback ever to beat Washington three times.
Houston Texans
Brink was drafted by the Houston TexansHouston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is currently a member of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the seventh round (223rd overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft
2008 NFL Draft
The 2008 NFL Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 26 and April 27, 2008. For the 29th consecutive year, ESPN televised the draft; the NFL Network also broadcast the event, its third year doing so...
. He signed a rookie contract with the team on June 27, 2008. He was later released on August 29 during final cuts.
The Texans re-signed Brink to the practice squad on October 8 after cornerback
Cornerback
A cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position...
Derrick Roberson
Derrick Roberson
Derrick Roberson is an American football cornerback who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He played college football at Rutgers....
was released. He was resigned to a future contract at the end of the year. The Texans waived Brink on June 24, only to re-sign him on August 17 after an injury to Rex Grossman
Rex Grossman
Rex Daniel Grossman, III is an American football quarterback for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League . Grossman played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he has played professionally for the Chicago Bears, Houston Texans and Washington Redskins of...
. He was waived again on September 5.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Brink tried out for the New York JetsNew York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in late April but shortly after he agreed to a contract with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League . They play their home games at Canad Inns Stadium, and plan to move to a new stadium for the 2012 season.The Blue Bombers were founded...
of the CFL for the 2010 season.