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Richard Joseph "Rich" Gannon is a former American football quarterback who played eighteen seasons in the National Football League. He is currently a sports commentator with the NFL Network and Sirius XM NFL Radio.
Gannon grew up in Philadelphia and played college football at the University of Delaware. At Delaware, Gannon played under coach Tubby Raymond's Wing-T offense. Gannon recorded at least 2,000 offensive yards for three straight seasons at Delaware and was Yankee Conference Offensive Player of the Year as a senior.
In the 1987 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots selected Gannon in the fourth round intent upon converting Gannon to running back. Gannon was soon traded to Minnesota and would play with the Vikings until 1992. Gannon began his career as a backup for Wade Wilson. He started his first games in 1990 in relief of an injured Wilson and would start many games in 1991. In 1992, Gannon formally became the starting quarterback for the Vikings and led the Vikings to an 11-5 season and the playoffs after two consecutive losing seasons.
Gannon played with the Washington Redskins in 1993, the Kansas City Chiefs from 1995 to 1998, and the Oakland Raiders from 1999 to 2004. With the Raiders, Gannon achieved his greatest successes, including four consecutive seasons making the Pro Bowl, three consecutive postseason appearances for the Raiders, three All-Pro selections, and an appearance in Super Bowl XXXVII. However, Gannon spent much of his final two seasons with injuries, and the Raiders had losing records in those seasons.
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