Brock Berlin
Encyclopedia
Brock Berlin is a former American college and professional football
player who was a quarterback
in the National Football League
(NFL). He played college football
for the university of Florida
and the University of Miami
. Berlin was signed by the Miami Dolphins
of the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2005, and was also been a member of the Dallas Cowboys
, St. Louis Rams
and Detroit Lions
.
. He was recognized as a high school All-America selection, USA Today
National Offensive Player of the Year and Gatorade National Player of the Year as a senior at Evangel Christian Academy
. Leading Evangel Christian to three consecutive Louisiana state championships, he is considered one of the most highly touted and sought after blue chip quarterbacks in history
All-American, and won numerous personal honors, including being named Gatorade National Player of the Year
and USA Today
National Offensive Player of the Year.
After a long recruiting battle for his services, Berlin chose to enroll at the University of Florida in 2000 and play under head coach Steve Spurrier
. His career as a Florida Gator
never panned out, though, as he found himself stuck behind fellow classmate Rex Grossman
on the team's depth chart. Given the chance to start the 2002 Orange Bowl because Grossman was benched for violating curfew, Berlin performed adequately. He engineered two scores out of six drives in the first 24 minutes, including one TD pass and two interceptions. Grossman came in late in the first half and played a brilliant game, solidifying his status as the Gators starting quarterback for at least the next season. Berlin played in twelve games for the Gators over two seasons, throwing for 849 yards, 12 touchdown
s, and 4 interceptions while completing 64 of 106 passes (60.4%).
After the 2001 season, Berlin transferred to the defending national champion
, the University of Miami
.
's graduation, Berlin took over the starting job for the 2003 season. Berlin's first season was marked by the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. In his first home game as a Miami Hurricane
, Berlin squared off against his old team, the Florida Gators. The 'Canes fell behind 33-10 in the third quarter and Berlin began to hear boos from the crowd as it appeared Miami's then-33 game regular season winning streak was about to end. Berlin, though, caught fire as the team switched to a shotgun offense and rallied Miami to 28 unanswered points. The 38-33 victory was the greatest comeback in Miami history. He also stoked the fires of the UF/Miami rivalry by mocking his former team and fans during and after the game. Several weeks later, Berlin again showed his mettle in leading Miami to a 22–14 rainsoaked victory at rival Florida State
. However, Berlin struggled in a 31–7 November 1 loss to the Virginia Tech Hokies
, as Miami's regular season winning streak was snapped at 39 games. Berlin and the Miami offense again struggled the next week as a hungover Hurricane squad lost 10-6 to Tennessee
at home. Berlin, under intense criticism by the media and fans, was benched by head coach Larry Coker
for Miami's next game against Syracuse. After Miami's offense, now quarterbacked by Derrick Crudup, again struggled in the 17-10 homecoming win against Syracuse, Coker switched back to Berlin. Miami would win the Big East Conference
, defeat Florida State (for the second time that season) in the FedEx Orange Bowl, and finish the season at 11–2 and ranked #5 in both polls. Despite showing poise and strong leadership skills, Berlin's numbers for the 2003 season (2,419 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions) were unimpressive, and Coker opened up competition for the quarterback job in the spring.
freshman
Kyle Wright
to be given the job, Berlin, now a senior, showed considerable progress during spring practice and won the starting job decisively.
Berlin played much better during the 2004 season and added yet another historic comeback to his résumé when he led Miami to a 41–38 win over Louisville
in which Miami rallied from a 17-point deficit in the final 20 minutes of the game. The 'Canes would rise as high as #4 in the rankings before late season losses to ACC
foes North Carolina
, Clemson
, and Virginia Tech knocked Miami out of national and conference championship contention. One highlight came against Wake Forest
in the next-to-last regular season game of the year when Berlin tied a school record with 5 touchdown passes. After an 8–3 regular season, Miami was invited to play in the Peach Bowl, where Berlin once again faced his former team, the Florida Gators. Again, Berlin enjoyed success against his former school as Miami won 27–10, finishing the season 9–3 and ranked #11 in both polls.
Berlin finished the season with impressive numbers, throwing for 2,680 yards and 22 touchdowns with only 6 interceptions. Berlin was also named All-ACC (Second Team), and finished second in both ACC Player of the Year and ACC Offensive Player of the Year voting behind Virginia Tech quarterback Bryan Randall.
Berlin threw for 5,099 yards and 34 touchdowns during his Miami career and finished with a 19–5 record as the team's starting quarterback. He is remembered for his toughness and leadership and for going a combined 5–0 against Miami's archrivals, Florida (2–0) and Florida State (3-0).
He earned a degree in sociology
, but was soon signed to a free agent contract by the Miami Dolphins
. He served as a backup quarterback for the Dolphins during training camp, although he was not a member of the team's active regular season roster. During the offseason, Berlin was allocated by the Dolphins to NFL Europe
to the Hamburg Sea Devils
.
He played sparingly in the Dolphins' pre-season games in 2006, completing six of 12 passes for 104 yards and a touchdown, but was cut by the team on August 30, 2006.
In 2008, Berlin served as the Rams inactive third quarterback for 15 games, he only saw action in game against Chicago Bears
. He was released on September 5, 2009.
practice squad on September 7, 2009. He was released on September 23.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player who was a 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...
in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
(NFL). He played 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...
for the university of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
and the University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
. Berlin was signed by the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
of the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2005, and was also been a member of the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
, St. Louis Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
and Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
.
Early years
Berlin was born in Shreveport, LouisianaShreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
. He was recognized as a high school All-America selection, USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
National Offensive Player of the Year and Gatorade National Player of the Year as a senior at Evangel Christian Academy
Evangel Christian Academy
Evangel Christian Academy is a preparatory school in Shreveport, Louisiana with two campus spanning K-12, owned & operated privately in association with Shreveport Community Church which is located on the property of the grade school sister campus.-History:Rodney and Frances Duron, parents of the...
. Leading Evangel Christian to three consecutive Louisiana state championships, he is considered one of the most highly touted and sought after blue chip quarterbacks in history
University of Florida
Berlin was one of the most hyped football recruits in history after he led Shreveport Evangel Christian Academy to three state titles, became a ParadeParade (magazine)
Parade is an American nationwide Sunday newspaper magazine, distributed in more than 500 newspapers in the United States. It was founded in 1941 and is owned by Advance Publications. The most widely read magazine in the U.S., Parade has a circulation of 32.2 million and a readership of nearly 70...
All-American, and won numerous personal honors, including being named Gatorade National Player of the Year
Gatorade Player of the Year awards
The Gatorade Player of the Year awards are given annually to male and female high-school student-athletes in the United States. They are given for boys' baseball, boys' football, girls' softball, girls' volleyball, boys' basketball, girls' basketball, boys' cross country, girls' cross country,...
and USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
National Offensive Player of the Year.
After a long recruiting battle for his services, Berlin chose to enroll at the University of Florida in 2000 and play under head coach Steve Spurrier
Steve Spurrier
Stephen Orr Spurrier is an American college football coach and player. Spurrier is the current head coach of the University of South Carolina's Gamecocks football team. He is also a former professional player and coach...
. His career as a Florida Gator
Florida Gators football
The Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida in the sport of American football. The Florida Gators compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletics Association and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference...
never panned out, though, as he found himself stuck behind fellow classmate 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...
on the team's depth chart. Given the chance to start the 2002 Orange Bowl because Grossman was benched for violating curfew, Berlin performed adequately. He engineered two scores out of six drives in the first 24 minutes, including one TD pass and two interceptions. Grossman came in late in the first half and played a brilliant game, solidifying his status as the Gators starting quarterback for at least the next season. Berlin played in twelve games for the Gators over two seasons, throwing for 849 yards, 12 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, and 4 interceptions while completing 64 of 106 passes (60.4%).
After the 2001 season, Berlin transferred to the defending national champion
2001 Miami Hurricanes football team
The 2001 Miami Hurricanes football team was the national champion of the 2001 college football season and is considered by many to be the greatest team in college football history.-Pre-season motivation:...
, the University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
.
University of Miami
Per NCAA transfer regulations, Berlin was required to sit out the 2002 season, which he spent running Miami's scout team.2003 Season
After incumbent quarterback Ken DorseyKen Dorsey
Kenneth Simon "Ken" Dorsey is a former football quarterback. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the seventh round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Miami. A two-time Heisman Trophy finalist at Miami, Dorsey played for the Cleveland Browns from 2006–2008...
's graduation, Berlin took over the starting job for the 2003 season. Berlin's first season was marked by the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. In his first home game as a Miami Hurricane
Miami Hurricanes football
The Miami Hurricanes football program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference of the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the University of Miami. The program began in 1926 and has won five AP national championships...
, Berlin squared off against his old team, the Florida Gators. The 'Canes fell behind 33-10 in the third quarter and Berlin began to hear boos from the crowd as it appeared Miami's then-33 game regular season winning streak was about to end. Berlin, though, caught fire as the team switched to a shotgun offense and rallied Miami to 28 unanswered points. The 38-33 victory was the greatest comeback in Miami history. He also stoked the fires of the UF/Miami rivalry by mocking his former team and fans during and after the game. Several weeks later, Berlin again showed his mettle in leading Miami to a 22–14 rainsoaked victory at rival Florida State
Florida State Seminoles football
The Florida State Seminoles football team represents Florida State University in college football. The Florida State Seminoles compete in NCAA Division I-FBS and are members of the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
. However, Berlin struggled in a 31–7 November 1 loss to the Virginia Tech Hokies
Virginia Tech Hokies football
The Virginia Tech Hokies football team is a college football program that competes in NCAA Division I-FBS, in the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They have more wins in team history than any other program in the ACC. Their home games are played at Lane Stadium which seats over...
, as Miami's regular season winning streak was snapped at 39 games. Berlin and the Miami offense again struggled the next week as a hungover Hurricane squad lost 10-6 to Tennessee
Tennessee Volunteers football
The Tennessee Volunteers football team are an American college football team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville . The NCAA Division I team is also a member of the Southeastern Conference ....
at home. Berlin, under intense criticism by the media and fans, was benched by head coach Larry Coker
Larry Coker
Larry Edward Coker is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach at the University of Texas at San Antonio, whose Roadrunners football team begins play in 2011. From 2001 to 2006, Coker served as the head coach at the University of Miami...
for Miami's next game against Syracuse. After Miami's offense, now quarterbacked by Derrick Crudup, again struggled in the 17-10 homecoming win against Syracuse, Coker switched back to Berlin. Miami would win the Big East Conference
Big East Conference
The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of sixteen universities in the eastern half of the United States. The conference's 17 members participate in 24 NCAA sports...
, defeat Florida State (for the second time that season) in the FedEx Orange Bowl, and finish the season at 11–2 and ranked #5 in both polls. Despite showing poise and strong leadership skills, Berlin's numbers for the 2003 season (2,419 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions) were unimpressive, and Coker opened up competition for the quarterback job in the spring.
2004 Season
Despite some fans clamoring for highly touted redshirtRedshirt (college sports)
Redshirt is a term used in American college athletics that refers to a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen his or her period of eligibility...
freshman
Freshman
A freshman or fresher is a first-year student in secondary school, high school, or college. The term first year can also be used as a noun, to describe the students themselves A freshman (US) or fresher (UK, India) (or sometimes fish, freshie, fresher; slang plural frosh or freshmeat) is a...
Kyle Wright
Kyle Wright
Kyle Wright is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2008...
to be given the job, Berlin, now a senior, showed considerable progress during spring practice and won the starting job decisively.
Berlin played much better during the 2004 season and added yet another historic comeback to his résumé when he led Miami to a 41–38 win over Louisville
University of Louisville
The University of Louisville is a public university in Louisville, Kentucky. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of the first universities chartered west of the Allegheny Mountains. The university is mandated by the Kentucky General...
in which Miami rallied from a 17-point deficit in the final 20 minutes of the game. The 'Canes would rise as high as #4 in the rankings before late season losses to ACC
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
foes North Carolina
North Carolina Tar Heels
The North Carolina Tar Heels are the athletic teams for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The name Tar Heel is a nickname used to refer to individuals from the state of North Carolina, the Tar Heel State...
, Clemson
Clemson Tigers
The Clemson Tigers are any team that represents Clemson University as a member of the NCAA's Division I or in the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference....
, and Virginia Tech knocked Miami out of national and conference championship contention. One highlight came against Wake Forest
Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University is a private, coeducational university in the U.S. state of North Carolina, founded in 1834. The university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina, the state capital. The Reynolda Campus, the university's main campus, is...
in the next-to-last regular season game of the year when Berlin tied a school record with 5 touchdown passes. After an 8–3 regular season, Miami was invited to play in the Peach Bowl, where Berlin once again faced his former team, the Florida Gators. Again, Berlin enjoyed success against his former school as Miami won 27–10, finishing the season 9–3 and ranked #11 in both polls.
Berlin finished the season with impressive numbers, throwing for 2,680 yards and 22 touchdowns with only 6 interceptions. Berlin was also named All-ACC (Second Team), and finished second in both ACC Player of the Year and ACC Offensive Player of the Year voting behind Virginia Tech quarterback Bryan Randall.
Berlin threw for 5,099 yards and 34 touchdowns during his Miami career and finished with a 19–5 record as the team's starting quarterback. He is remembered for his toughness and leadership and for going a combined 5–0 against Miami's archrivals, Florida (2–0) and Florida State (3-0).
He earned a degree in sociology
Miami Dolphins
Berlin went undrafted in the 2005 NFL Draft2005 NFL Draft
The 2005 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 23–24, 2005. The league also held an supplemental draft that year, which was held after...
, but was soon signed to a free agent contract by the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He served as a backup quarterback for the Dolphins during training camp, although he was not a member of the team's active regular season roster. During the offseason, Berlin was allocated by the Dolphins to NFL Europe
NFL Europe
NFL Europe was an American football league which operated in Europe from 1991 until 2007. Backed by the National Football League , the largest professional American football league in the United States, it was founded as the World League of American Football to serve as a type of spring league...
to the Hamburg Sea Devils
Hamburg Sea Devils
The Hamburg Sea Devils were an American football team that began play in NFL Europa from 2005 to 2007. They played their home games at Hamburg's AOL Arena . They played their first game on April 2, 2005 losing 24-23 to the Cologne Centurions...
.
He played sparingly in the Dolphins' pre-season games in 2006, completing six of 12 passes for 104 yards and a touchdown, but was cut by the team on August 30, 2006.
Dallas Cowboys
On April 25, 2007, he signed with the Dallas Cowboys to compete to be their 3rd string quarterback. On May 10, 2007 the Cowboys released him.St. Louis Rams
On May 17, 2007 the St. Louis Rams signed Berlin to a contract. Berlin started his first NFL regular-season game on December 9, 2007 against the Cincinnati Bengals. He was 17/27 for 153 yards and an interception.In 2008, Berlin served as the Rams inactive third quarterback for 15 games, he only saw action in game against Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He was released on September 5, 2009.
Detroit Lions
Berlin was signed to the Detroit LionsDetroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
practice squad on September 7, 2009. He was released on September 23.