- published: 20 Jun 2013
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Christian Ponder (born February 25, 1988) is an American football quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Vikings with the twelfth overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, and signed with them on July 31, 2011, shortly after the 2011 NFL lockout ended. He played college football as the starting quarterback for the Florida State Seminoles at Florida State University. He won the starting job from Drew Weatherford prior to the 2008 season.
Ponder was born in Dallas, Texas and grew up in Grapevine, Texas. His father, David Ponder, played college football for Florida State as a defensive lineman from 1980 to 1983, and thus Christian Ponder is one of several father-son duos who have both played for Bobby Bowden, who coached the Seminoles until the end of the 2009 season. Christian Ponder attended Colleyville Heritage High School, where he played football. In 2004, he was the starting quarterback and threw for 1,500 yards and seven touchdowns. As a senior, he recorded 2,214 passing yards and 20 touchdowns and 911 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns.