Chuck Fusina
Encyclopedia
Charles Anthony Fusina (born May 31, 1957) is a former professional American football
quarterback
. He played in both the National Football League
(NFL) and United States Football League
(USFL) and was an All-America
n and Maxwell Award
winner at Penn State University in 1978.
pick (#133 overall) of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
in the 1979 NFL Draft
. He spent his first three professional seasons as back-up to Doug Williams
. In 1983, he left for the fledgling USFL
. Fusina signed with the Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars where he blossomed under coach
Jim Mora
. In his three seasons with the team, he passed for over 10,000 yards and led all USFL quarterback
s with 66 touchdown
s and a QB rating
of 88.6 and led the Stars to back-to-back USFL titles in 1984 and 1985. He was named MVP
of the 1984 USFL
Championship Game. When the league folded in August 1986, Fusina returned to the NFL for one season with the Green Bay Packers
.
, All-America
honors and finishing runner-up in the 1978 Heisman Trophy
balloting. He led the Nittany Lion
s to a 29-3 mark as a starter, including an 11-0 regular season in 1978. He passed for 1,859 yards and 11 touchdown
s.
He earned a Bachelor of Science
in Marketing
from Penn State in 1979. He also earned an MBA
from La Salle University
in 1988.
for the Pittsburgh area Sto-Rox High School
in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania
, where his old football jersey is on display outside of the gymnasium.
. He and his wife, Jacquelyn, and his children Matt and Shannon currently live in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
where he is partner in a sporting goods business AD STARR.
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...
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...
. He played in both 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) and United States Football League
United States Football League
The United States Football League was an American football league which was in active operation from 1983 to 1987. It played a spring/summer schedule in its first three seasons and a traditional autumn/winter schedule was set to commence before league operations ceased.The USFL was conceived in...
(USFL) and was an All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n and Maxwell Award
Maxwell Award
The Maxwell Award is presented annually to the collegiate American football player judged by a panel of sportscasters, sportswriters, and National Collegiate Athletic Association head coaches and the membership of the Maxwell Football Club to be the best football player in the United States. The...
winner at Penn State University in 1978.
Professional football
At 6'1" 195-lb., Fusina was a 5th round draftNFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
pick (#133 overall) of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
in the 1979 NFL Draft
1979 NFL Draft
The 1979 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 May 3–4, 1979...
. He spent his first three professional seasons as back-up to Doug Williams
Doug Williams (football player)
Douglas Lee "Doug" Williams is a former American football quarterback and head football coach of the Grambling State University Tigers...
. In 1983, he left for the fledgling USFL
United States Football League
The United States Football League was an American football league which was in active operation from 1983 to 1987. It played a spring/summer schedule in its first three seasons and a traditional autumn/winter schedule was set to commence before league operations ceased.The USFL was conceived in...
. Fusina signed with the Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars where he blossomed under coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
Jim Mora
Jim E. Mora
James Earnest Mora is the former head coach of the USFL's Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars and the NFL's New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts. He played football at Occidental College where he was also a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. His son Jim L...
. In his three seasons with the team, he passed for over 10,000 yards and led all USFL 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...
s with 66 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 a QB rating
Passer rating
Passer rating is a measure of the performance of quarterbacks or any other passers in American football and Canadian football. There are at least two formulae currently in use: one officially used by the National Football League and the Canadian Football League, and one used in college football...
of 88.6 and led the Stars to back-to-back USFL titles in 1984 and 1985. He was named MVP
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
of the 1984 USFL
United States Football League
The United States Football League was an American football league which was in active operation from 1983 to 1987. It played a spring/summer schedule in its first three seasons and a traditional autumn/winter schedule was set to commence before league operations ceased.The USFL was conceived in...
Championship Game. When the league folded in August 1986, Fusina returned to the NFL for one season with the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
.
College highlights
Fusina capped an outstanding career at Penn State by winning the 1978 Maxwell AwardMaxwell Award
The Maxwell Award is presented annually to the collegiate American football player judged by a panel of sportscasters, sportswriters, and National Collegiate Athletic Association head coaches and the membership of the Maxwell Football Club to be the best football player in the United States. The...
, All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
honors and finishing runner-up in the 1978 Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
balloting. He led the Nittany Lion
Nittany Lion
This article is about the Penn State mascot. For the Penn State fight song see "The Nittany Lion ".The Nittany Lion is the mascot of the Pennsylvania State University in University Park, Pennsylvania, USA and its athletic teams. It refers to the mountain lions that once roamed near the school, and...
s to a 29-3 mark as a starter, including an 11-0 regular season in 1978. He passed for 1,859 yards and 11 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.
He earned a Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
in Marketing
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
from Penn State in 1979. He also earned an MBA
Master of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
from La Salle University
La Salle University
La Salle University is a private, co-educational, Roman Catholic university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. Named for St. Jean-Baptiste de La Salle, the school was founded in 1863 by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. As of 2008 the school has approximately 7,554...
in 1988.
High school
Fusina played quarterbackQuarterback
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 Pittsburgh area Sto-Rox High School
Sto-Rox High School
Sto-Rox High School is a high school located in the West Park neighborhood of Stowe Township, Pennsylvania. It is the only high school of the Sto-Rox School District, which educates the children of Stowe Township and the borough of McKees Rocks....
in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania
McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania
McKees Rocks, also known as "The Rocks", is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, along the south bank of the Ohio River. The borough population was 6,104 at the 2010 census.In the past, it was known for its extensive iron and steel interests...
, where his old football jersey is on display outside of the gymnasium.
Personal
Fusina has been an instructor at the Purcell Quarterback School in Charlotte, North CarolinaCharlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
. He and his wife, Jacquelyn, and his children Matt and Shannon currently live in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
where he is partner in a sporting goods business AD STARR.
External links
- All-Time USFL Team
- "Packers Sign Fusina" The New York Times, October 2, 1986.