Steve Walsh (NFL)
Encyclopedia
Stephen John "Steve" Walsh (born December 1, 1966, St. Paul, Minnesota) is a former American football
quarterback
in the National Football League
.
alumnus and National Hockey League
defenseman Ryan McDonagh
who currently plays for the New York Rangers
.
, Walsh attended and played college football
at the University of Miami
. After red-shirting a season and backing up Vinny Testaverde
in his second, Walsh posted an incredible record of 23-1 in his two seasons as the team's starting quarterback and led the Hurricanes to the 1987 national championship
as a sophomore. The following season, Walsh would finish 4th in the Heisman Trophy
balloting. A pro-sized passer, he held the school record for career touchdown
passes from 1988-2002 before being surpassed by Ken Dorsey
. Skipping his final year of eligibility, Walsh left Miami in April 1989 and declared himself eligible for that year's NFL supplemental draft
Walsh was interviewed about his time at the University of Miami for the documentary The U
, which premiered December 12, 2009 on ESPN
.
with the first overall pick in the 1989 NFL Supplemental Draft, Walsh was reunited with Jimmy Johnson
who had been Walsh's head coach in Miami and had just taken over the Cowboys' reigns. However, Dallas had also selected UCLA quarterback, and future NFL Hall of Fame enshrinee, Troy Aikman
first overall in the regular 1989 NFL draft. Despite starting five games (and picking up Dallas' only win of the season, a 13-3 victory over the rival Washington Redskins
) and playing in three other games, Walsh was never able to move out of Aikman's shadow. Four games into the 1990 season, Dallas traded Walsh to the New Orleans Saints
for three draft picks. Walsh would lead the Saints that season to their second ever playoff appearance finishing the season at 8-8 and ironically knocking the Cowboys out of the final playoff spot.
Walsh went on to have an 11-year NFL career, playing not only for the Cowboys and Saints, but also the Chicago Bears
, St. Louis Rams
, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
, and Indianapolis Colts
. After leading the Bears to a playoff victory and finishing the season with a 9-4 starting record, he went on was to start just 4 more games over his next 5 years. He served as a backup to Trent Dilfer in Tampa Bay and Peyton Manning at Indianapolis. Walsh retired after the 1999 season with the Colts and finished his career with 713 completions in 1317 attempts (54.1%), 7,875 yards, 40 touchdowns, and 50 interceptions, for a passer rating of 66.4.
in West Palm Beach, Florida
. After a 4-6 record in his first season, Cardinal Newman finished 7-4 and earned its first playoff appearance since 2005.
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...
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...
.
Personal life
Walsh has three children Haille, Jordan and Cameron (from his ex-wife Laura) and currently lives in West Palm Beach. Walsh is also the uncle of fellow Cretin-Derham Hall High SchoolCretin-Derham Hall High School
Cretin-Derham Hall High School is a private, co-educational Catholic high school located in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, it is co-sponsored by the Brothers of the Christian Schools and the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet...
alumnus and National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
defenseman Ryan McDonagh
Ryan McDonagh
Ryan McDonagh is an American ice hockey defenseman with the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League. He played college hockey at University of Wisconsin–Madison.-Playing career:...
who currently plays for the New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
.
College career
After graduating from Cretin-Derham Hall in Saint Paul, MinnesotaSaint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
, Walsh attended and 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...
at 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...
. After red-shirting a season and backing up Vinny Testaverde
Vinny Testaverde
Vincent Frank Testaverde is a former NFL quarterback. Testaverde last played for the Carolina Panthers and had previously played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots. Testaverde holds the NFL record for having...
in his second, Walsh posted an incredible record of 23-1 in his two seasons as the team's starting quarterback and led the Hurricanes to the 1987 national championship
1987 Miami Hurricanes football team
The 1987 Miami Hurricanes were the national champions of the 1987 NCAA Division I-A football season. The national championship was the second of five won by the University of Miami in football.-Pre-Season:...
as a sophomore. The following season, Walsh would finish 4th in the 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. A pro-sized passer, he held the school record for career 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:...
passes from 1988-2002 before being surpassed by Ken Dorsey
Ken 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...
. Skipping his final year of eligibility, Walsh left Miami in April 1989 and declared himself eligible for that year's NFL supplemental draft
Statistics
| Year | Comp | Att | Comp % | Passing | TD | INT |
| 1987 | 176 | 298 | 59.1 | 2249 | 20 | 7 |
| 1988 | 233 | 390 | 59.7 | 3115 | 29 | 12 |
Walsh was interviewed about his time at the University of Miami for the documentary The U
The U (documentary)
The U is a 2009 documentary film produced by Miami based media studio rakontur and directed by Billy Corben. The U covers the rise and dominance of the Miami Hurricanes football team during the late 1980s and early 1990s....
, which premiered December 12, 2009 on ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
.
Professional career
Selected by the Dallas CowboysDallas 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...
with the first overall pick in the 1989 NFL Supplemental Draft, Walsh was reunited with Jimmy Johnson
Jimmy Johnson (American football coach)
James William "Jimmy" Johnson is an American former NCAA and National Football League head coach. As of 2010, he is currently an analyst for Fox NFL Sunday, the Fox network's NFL pregame show. He was the first football coach whose teams won both an NCAA Division 1A National Championship and a...
who had been Walsh's head coach in Miami and had just taken over the Cowboys' reigns. However, Dallas had also selected UCLA quarterback, and future NFL Hall of Fame enshrinee, Troy Aikman
Troy Aikman
Troy Kenneth Aikman is a former American football quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League. The number one overall draft pick in 1989, Aikman played twelve consecutive seasons as quarterback with the Cowboys...
first overall in the regular 1989 NFL draft. Despite starting five games (and picking up Dallas' only win of the season, a 13-3 victory over the rival Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
) and playing in three other games, Walsh was never able to move out of Aikman's shadow. Four games into the 1990 season, Dallas traded Walsh to the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
for three draft picks. Walsh would lead the Saints that season to their second ever playoff appearance finishing the season at 8-8 and ironically knocking the Cowboys out of the final playoff spot.
Walsh went on to have an 11-year NFL career, playing not only for the Cowboys and Saints, but also the 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...
, 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,...
, 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...
, and Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
. After leading the Bears to a playoff victory and finishing the season with a 9-4 starting record, he went on was to start just 4 more games over his next 5 years. He served as a backup to Trent Dilfer in Tampa Bay and Peyton Manning at Indianapolis. Walsh retired after the 1999 season with the Colts and finished his career with 713 completions in 1317 attempts (54.1%), 7,875 yards, 40 touchdowns, and 50 interceptions, for a passer rating of 66.4.
Coaching career
In December 2008, he accepted the Head Football coaching job at Cardinal Newman High SchoolCardinal Newman High School (West Palm Beach, Florida)
Cardinal Newman High School, also commonly referred to as Cardinal Newman or simply Newman, is a Catholic coeducational secondary school located in West Palm Beach Florida, USA. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Palm Beach...
in West Palm Beach, Florida
West Palm Beach, Florida
West Palm Beach, is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and is the most populous city in and county seat of Palm Beach County, the third most populous county in Florida with a 2010 population of 1,320,134. The city is also the oldest incorporated municipality in South Florida...
. After a 4-6 record in his first season, Cardinal Newman finished 7-4 and earned its first playoff appearance since 2005.