Scott Brunner (American football)

Infobox NFLretired


name=Scott Brunner
|caption=
width=
position=Quarterback
number=12
birthdate=birth date and age|1957|3|24
Sellersville, Pennsylvania
deathdate=
debutyear=1980
finalyear=1985
draftyear=1980
draftround=6
draftpick=145
college=Delaware
teams=
* New York Giants (1980-1984)
* St. Louis Cardinals (1985)
stat1label=TD-INT
stat1value=29-54
stat2label=Yards
stat2value=6,457
stat3label=QB Rating
stat3value=56.3
nfl=BRU683984

Scott Lee Brunner (born March 24, 1957 in Sellersville, Pennsylvania) is a former professional American football quarterback in the National Football League who played for the New York Giants from 1980 to 1983, the Denver Broncos in 1984, and the St. Louis Cardinals in 1985.

Bruner was born in Sellersville, Pennsylvania, and grew up in Middletown, New York. By the time he started high school, the family had moved to West Chester, Pennsylvania. [Katz, Michael. [http://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article?res=F40F11FD3B5C0C738EDDA00894DA484D81 "THE EDUCATION OF QUARTERBACK BRUNNER"] , "The New York Times", September 20, 1982. Accessed October 23, 2007. "Scott, who was born in Sellersville, Pa., grew up in Middletown, N.Y.; West Chester, Pa., and Lawrenceville, N.J.... The family moved to Lawrenceville just before Scott's junior year in high school."] Brunner played high school football at Henderson High School in West Chester, Pennsylvania and Lawrence High School in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, where the family had moved before his junior year. [ [http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=BRUNNSCO01 Scott Brunner] , database Football. Accessed September 16, 2007.]

College

Scott Brunner played under head coach Tubby Raymond and led the Delaware Fighting Blue Hens to the NCAA Division II national title in his only year as a starter in 1979. A native of Lawrenceville, New Jersey, Brunner earned first team All-American honors by the American Football Coaches Association and was the Eastern College Athletic Conference All-East Player of the Year in 1979 when he threw for 2,401 yards and a then school record 24 touchdowns in leading Delaware to a 13-1 record and a national title game win over Youngstown State University. He also served as a backup in 1978 (behind future NFL player Jeff Komlo) and helped UD advance to the NCAA Division II championship game. Brunner was selected to the NCAA Division II Hall of Fame in 2002.

NFL

Phil Simms was injured in the 1981 season and was replaced by Scott Brunner. The Giants would beat the defending conference champion Philadelphia Eagles 20-10 before losing to the San Francisco 49ers 17-10. The Giants would then defeat the Los Angeles Rams 10-7 and the St. Louis Cardinals 20-10, setting up a season finale against the Dallas Cowboys, in which a win would clinch their first playoff berth since 1958. The Giants won the game 13-10 in overtime. The Giants were unable to build on their success in 1982, mainly due to the 1982 NFL Players Strike that reduced the schedule to 9 games. Ray Perkins left the Giants after the 1982 season and George Young's choice to replace Perkins would be Bill Parcells, the Giants' defensive coordinator. "The people's choice," turned out to be the favorite of Coach Bill Parcells as well. Brunner was named the starter for the 1983 opener against the Los Angeles Rams. Parcells chose the 26-year-old Brunner over Phil Simms, Jeff Rutledge and Mark Reed. Brunner was traded after the 1983 season to the Denver Broncos to serve as back-up QB to John Elway. Brunner was later traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for the 1985 season. He retired after one last stint with the Green Bay Packers in 1986.

Brunner was selected by the Giants in the sixth round of the 1980 NFL Draft. In his NFL career, he played in 72 games and threw for 29 touchdowns. He is one of several ex-Delaware Blue Hens quarterbacks to have played in the NFL.

Personal

Brunner is currently a stockbroker in New York City and lives in Millburn, New Jersey. He has three children, daughters Ashley (24) and Whitney (21) and son Adam (20). Brunner continues to stay active in football by training high school and collegiate level quarterbacks through TEST Sports Performance Center in Martinsville, New Jersey. The most notable quarterback Scott trained for The Combine was recently drafted NFL Quarterback, Joe Flacco (Baltimore Ravens).

References

ee also

*History of the New York Giants (1979-1993)