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Delaware’s Gannon announces retirement 1:28 p.m., Aug. 8, 2005--Former University of Delaware quarterback Rich Gannon formally announced his retirement from the National Football League during a press conference held Saturday afternoon at the Oakland Raiders training facility in Napa, Calif. Gannon thanked the Raiders and team owner Al Davis, who in 1999 provided him an opportunity to be the starting quarterback. It was a move that benefited both parties, as the Fightin’ Blue Hens star led the Raiders to American Football Conference championship games after the 2000 and 2002 seasons and to Super Bowl XXXVII. Gannon enjoyed the best season of his career in 2002, guiding an offense that led the NFL in total offense (6,237) and passing offense (4,475). He passed for a league-best 4,689 yards, the seventh-highest total in NFL history, and set a league record with 418 completions. "I am entirely grateful to the organization, to all the coaches, to all the players, the great players that I was surrounded with for so many years here in Oakland, some of the best players in all of the National Football League,” Gannon said. “We did a lot of great things together, won a lot of football games. We accomplished some of our goals, not all of our goals, but we did a lot of wonderful things together." "He gave us something we needed, and we needed it badly. He gave us a work ethic," Davis said. "His brilliance as a player, his team achievement, his personal achievement, and all the things he did for us are not the important thing right now in my mind. The important thing is he wore our colors with pride, he wore them with poise, and he wore them with class." To learn how to subscribe to UDaily, click here. |
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