Brooks Bollinger

Brooks Michael Bollinger (born November 15, 1979) is a former American football quarterback and current coach. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the sixth round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Wisconsin.

Bollinger has also been a member of the Minnesota Vikings, Dallas Cowboys, and Detroit Lions.

Bollinger announced his intention to retire from professional football in January, 2011.

Early years

Bollinger played quarterback for Central High School in Grand Forks, North Dakota. He played in every game while attending the school and passed for 40 touchdowns and ran for 19 more.

He was also drafted twice by the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team, both times in the 50th round.

College career

Bollinger was a four-year starting quarterback for the University of Wisconsin–Madison. In 2000, Bollinger, a redshirt freshman starter, assisted the Badgers in their second straight Rose Bowl victory along with teammate and Heisman Trophy winner Ron Dayne. The following year, Bollinger played in the Sun Bowl and defeated the UCLA Bruins. In one of the University of Wisconsin school papers, The Badger Herald, a full front page article praised the quarterback as a "Triple Threat." The accompanying three pictures of Bollinger showed him scrambling, handing off, and scrambling once again. During his third year, the Badgers could not match the success of the two previous seasons as they posted a 5-7 overall record and did not earn a bowl game berth. Bollinger ended his collegiate career with an overtime victory over the Colorado Buffaloes in the Alamo Bowl. Bollinger finished with a 30-12 record as a starter at UW, a 3-0 bowl game record, and the school's rushing record for quarterbacks with 1,767 yards and 26 touchdowns.