Early years Favre was raised in the small town of Kiln, Mississippi and is of French and Choctaw ancestry; one of his paternal grandparents was a Native American affiliated with the Choctaw.[5] He was the second of four children and attended Hancock North Central High School where he played baseball and football. Favre started for the Hancock North Central baseball team as an eighth-grader and earned five varsity letters. He played quarterback, lineman, strong safety, placekicker and punter in a primarily option, run-oriented offense coached by his father, Irvin Favre. Irvin Favre said he knew his son had a great arm but also knew that the school was blessed with good running backs. As a result, in the three years Brett was on the team, his father ran a run-oriented offense called the wishbone. Favre rarely threw more than five passes in a game.[6] College career After high school, Southern Mississippi offered Favre a scholarship (the only one he received). Southern Miss wanted him to play defensive back but Favre wanted to play quarterback instead. Favre began his freshman year as the seventh-string quarterback and took over the starting position in the second half of the third game of the year against Tulane on September 19, 1987. Favre, despite suffering a hangover from the night before and vomiting during warm-ups, led the Golden Eagles to a come-from-behind victory with two touchdown passes.[7] In his junior season, Favre led the Golden Eagles to an upset of Florida State (then ranked sixth in the nation) on September 2, 1989. Favre capped a six-and-a-half-minute drive with the game-winning touchdown pass with 23 seconds remaining.[7] On July 14, 1990, before the start of Favre's senior year of college, he was involved in a near-fatal car accident. When going around a bend a few tenths of a mile from his parents' house, Favre lost control of his car, which flipped three times and came to rest against a tree. It was only after one of his brothers smashed a car window with a golf club that Favre could be evacuated to the hospital. In the ambulance, his mother was sitting with him. "All I kept asking [her] was 'Will I be able to play football again?'" Favre recalled later. Doctors would later remove 30 inches (760 mm) of Favre's small intestine. Six weeks after this incident, on September 8, Favre led Southern Miss to a comeback victory over Alabama. Alabama coach Gene Stallings said, "You can call it a miracle or a legend or whatever you want to. I just know that on that day, Brett Favre was larger than life."[8] Favre continues to hold various Southern Miss football records. As of the end of the 2007 season, he holds the career individual record in the following categories: most plays, most total yards gained, most passing yards gained, most completions made, and most passing attempts made. He had held the record for the most touchdowns scored (52), but it was later tied by quarterback Lee Roberts, who played for the school from 1995–98. Favre had 15 games over his career where he compiled more than 200 passing yards, making him the fourth all-time school leader in that category. Of those 15 games, 5 were 300-yard games, the most compiled by any of the school's quarterbacks. Additionally, he was the seasonal leader in total passing and total offense in all four of his seasons at Southern Miss.[9] Favre earned a teaching degree with an emphasis in special education from The University of Southern Mississippi.[10] Professional career Atlanta Falcons Favre was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the second round, 33rd overall in the 1991 NFL Draft.[11] Atlanta coach Jerry Glanville did not approve of the drafting of Favre, saying it would take a plane crash for him to put Favre into the game.[12] Favre's first pass in an NFL regular season game resulted in an interception returned for a touchdown. He only attempted four passes in his career at Atlanta, completing none of them.[3] The Green Bay Packers general manager Ron Wolf traded a first-round pick (19th overall, RB Tony Smith, Southern Miss) for Favre during the following offseason. Wolf, while an assistant to the general manager of the New York Jets, had intended to take Favre in the 1991 NFL draft, but Favre was taken by the Falcons on the previous pick.[12] According to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel and other sources, during the physical after the trade, Favre was diagnosed with avascular necrosis, the same degenerative hip condition that ended Bo Jackson's career, and doctors recommended he be failed. Wolf overruled them.[13] Green Bay Packers Brett Favre played 16 seasons in Green Bay. During his time in Green Bay, Favre has won three consecutive AP MVP awards, the first and only person in NFL history to do so.[14] He helped the Packers appear in two Super Bowls, winning Super Bowl XXXI. Favre also started every Green Bay Packers game from September 20, 1992 to January 20, 2008.[2] Beginnings in Green Bay In the second game of the 1992 season, the Packers played the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Buccaneers were leading 17-0 at half time when head coach Mike Holmgren benched starting quarterback Don Majkowski and Favre played the second half. On his first regular season play as a Packer, Favre threw a pass that was deflected and caught by himself. Favre was tackled and the completion went for -7 yards. The Packers lost the game 31-3, chalking up only 106 yards passing.[15][16] In the third game of the 1992 season, then-starting quarterback Don Majkowski injured a ligament in his ankle against the Cincinnati Bengals, an injury severe enough that he would be out for four weeks. Favre replaced Majkowski for the remainder of the contest. Favre fumbled four times during the course of the game,[16] a performance poor enough that the crowd chanted for Favre to be removed in favor of another Packers backup quarterback at the time, Ty Detmer.[17] However, down 23-17 with 1:07 left in the game, the Packers started an offensive series on their own 8 yard line. Still at the quarterback position, Favre completed a 42 yard pass to Sterling Sharpe. On the next play, Favre threw the game-winning touchdown pass to Kitrick Taylor with 13 seconds remaining.[16] The next week's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers began the longest consecutive starts streak for a quarterback in NFL history. The game ended in a 17-3 victory and his passer rating was 144.6. During the season, Favre helped put together a six-game winning streak for the Packers, the longest winning streak for the club since 1965. They ended 9-7 that season, missing the playoffs on their last game.[16] Favre finished his first season as a Packer with 3,227 yards and a quarterback rating of 85.3, helping him to his first Pro Bowl.[18] The following season Favre helped the Packers to their first playoff berth since 1982 and was named to his second pro bowl. After the season Favre became a free agent. General manager Ron Wolf negotiated Favre into a five-year, $19 million contract. The Packers finished the 1994 season 9-7, advancing them to the playoffs in back to back years, a feat the they had not accomplished since the Vince Lombardi era.[19] In 1995, Favre won the first of his three AP MVP awards. Favre led the Packers to an 11-5 record, Green Bay's best record in nearly thirty years.[20] Favre passed for a career high of 4,413 yards, 38 touchdowns, and recorded a quarterback rating of 99.5, the highest of his career.[21] The Packers advanced to the NFC Championship Game after upsetting the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Divisional Game. The Packers lost the NFC Championship game to the Dallas Cowboys, marking the third year in a row the Packers season was ended by the Cowboys in the playoffs. Favre helped the Packers advance farther in the playoffs than any other Packer team since 1967, the season the Packers won Super Bowl II.[22] While being treated for various injuries, Brett Favre developed an addiction to vicodin, which became publicly known when he suffered a seizure during a hospital visit. Amid an NFL investigation, he went public to avoid any rumors about his condition. In May 1996 he went into treatment and remained in rehabilitation for 46 days. Had he chosen not to go, the NFL would have imposed a $900,000 fine.[23][24] Super Bowl years Favre led the Packers to their best season in 30-years in the 1996 season, winning his second consecutive MVP award in the process. The Packers led the NFL in points scored as well as fewest points scored against. Green Bay tied the Denver Broncos for the NFL's best regular season record, 13-3, defeated the San Francisco 49ers and Carolina Panthers at Lambeau Field in the playoffs. The Packers advanced to Super Bowl XXXI at the Louisiana Superdome, a short drive from Favre's hometown.[25] In Super Bowl XXXI, Favre completed 14 of 27 passes for 246 yards and 2 touchdowns. On the second play of the game, Favre threw a 54-yard touchdown pass to receiver Andre Rison. Favre also completed an 81-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Freeman in the second quarter (then a Super Bowl record). Favre rushed for 12 yards and another touchdown, as the Packers won Super Bowl XXXI over the New England Patriots, 35-21. In their 19 games of the season, the Packers had a turnover ratio of plus 24, and outscored their opponents 100-48 in the playoffs.[25] Favre and the Packers continued their dominance of the NFC during the next season. Favre was named AP co-MVP of the league along with Detroit Lions' running back Barry Sanders, his third straight award. Also, Green Bay advanced to the Super Bowl for the second year in a row. After being heavily favored, the Packers lost to the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXII by the score of 31-24 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego. Favre completed 25 of 42 passes for 256 yards and 3 touchdowns, with 1 interception in the losing effort.[14] Post-Super Bowl seasons Favre scans the Bears' defense during the 2004 seasonFavre and the Packers continued posting positive results through the next few seasons. Through the 2004 season, the Packers had the longest streak of non-losing seasons (13) in the NFL, despite an 8-8 record under coach Ray Rhodes, a 9-7 season under coach Mike Sherman, and no playoff berths in either 1999 or 2000. The streak ended in 2005, with the Packers finishing 4-12 overall. Favre had not had much success in the postseason prior to the Packers' appearance in the 2007 NFC Championship Game versus the New York Giants; he is 3-5 in the playoffs since the 1998 season.[26] Two of those losses were at home in the wild-card game, and they were the first postseason losses ever at Lambeau Field. Since 1998, he has recorded 149 completions on 249 attempts for 1,804 yards, with 11 touchdown passes and 16 interceptions, leaving him with a quarterback passer rating of 70.1 in the playoffs.[27] On March 1, 2001, Favre signed a "lifetime" contract extension, which technically was a 10–year contract extension worth around $100 million dollars.[28] In the regular season finale of 2001, Favre was the target of minor controversy when, in a game against the New York Giants at Giants Stadium, he was sacked by the Giants defensive end Michael Strahan. It was Strahan's lone sack of the game and gave him the NFL's single-season sack record of 22.5, which topped Mark Gastineau's record of 22 set in 1984.[29] Some analysts, such as Mike Freeman of The New York Times, expressed opinion that Favre allowed himself to be sacked in order to allow Strahan to set the record.[30] 2003 Oakland Raiders game One of the defining moments of Favre's career and arguably his greatest game ever took place on December 22, 2003, in a Monday Night Football game against the Oakland Raiders. The day before, on Sunday, December 21, 2003, Brett's father Irvin Favre ran into a ditch near Kiln, Mississippi, where years earlier Brett Favre had nearly died in a car accident. Sergeant Joe Gazzo of the Mississippi Highway Patrol stated, "It didn't appear that the accident was serious enough to cause him to be unconscious, so that leads us to believe that a medical condition was what caused him to go off the road." Irvin Favre went off the road at 5:23 p.m., according to eye-witness reports, and was pronounced dead at 6:15 p.m. An autopsy performed the following day showed that Irvin Favre died of a sudden heart attack.[31] Favre elected to play the day after his father's death, and passed for four touchdowns in the first half and 399 total yards in a 41-7 victory over the Raiders on international television (even receiving applause from "Raider Nation"). Afterwards, Favre said, "I knew that my dad would have wanted me to play. I love him so much and I love this game. It's meant a great deal to me, to my dad, to my family, and I didn't expect this kind of performance. But I know he was watching tonight."[32] He was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance.[33] He then went to his father's funeral in Pass Christian, Mississippi. Favre won an ESPY Award for his Monday Night Football performance.[34] 2004-2006 From 2003-2005, a series of events related to Favre's family were reported in the media. In October, 2004, ten months after the death of Favre's father, his brother-in-law, Casey Tynes, was killed in an all-terrain vehicle accident on Favre's Mississippi property.[35] Soon after in 2004, Favre's wife, Deanna Favre, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Following aggressive treatment through 2004, Deanna made significant progress and was expected to make a complete recovery. She created The Deanna Favre Hope Foundation which supports breast cancer education and women's breast imaging and diagnosis services for all women, including those who are medically underserved.[36][35] Brett Favre, third from the left, his wife Deanna, second from the left, and First Lady Laura Bush, third from the right, attend a ribbon cutting ceremony in Kiln, MS after Hurricane KatrinaIn late August 2005, Favre's family suffered another setback: Hurricane Katrina blew through Mississippi, destroying his family's home there; however, none of his family members were injured.[37] Brett and Deanna's property in Hattiesburg, Mississippi was also extensively damaged by the storm.[38] Favre elected to continue to play in the 2005 season. For the 2005 Green Bay Packers season, despite throwing for over 3,000 yards for a record 14th consecutive time, Favre had a below average season with only 20 touchdown passes and a league-leading 29 interceptions. The loss of guards Marco Rivera and Mike Wahle to free agency along with key injuries to Javon Walker, Ahman Green, Bubba Franks, among others, hampered Favre and the team. His passer rating was 70.9, 31st in the NFL and the worst single season rating of his career.[39] After the disappointing season, many speculated that Favre would retire.[40] However, on April 26, 2006, Favre announced that he would remain with the team for the 2006 season. Despite earlier comments that the 2006 season would be his last, Favre announced in a press conference on May 6, 2006 that he had not ruled out the possibility of returning beyond the 2006 season.[41] For the 2006 Green Bay Packers season, Favre suffered his first career shutout against the Chicago Bears. Later in the season, the New England Patriots shut out the Packers in a game where he was injured before half time and could not complete the game.[42][43] On September 24, 2006, he became just the second quarterback in NFL history to record 400 touchdown passes (Dan Marino being the first). He connected with rookie wide receiver Greg Jennings on a 5-yard pass that Jennings turned into a 75-yard touchdown play during a win against the Detroit Lions.[44] He also became the first player ever to complete 5,000 passes in his career. On December 31, 2006 the Packers played their last game of the season, winning 26-7 against the Chicago Bears. It was his 22nd career win versus the Bears, moving him to an all-time record of 22-8. 2007: A Career milestone season On February 26, 2007, Brett Favre underwent minor arthroscopic ankle surgery in Green Bay, Wisconsin to remove a buildup of bone spurs in his left ankle.[45] Favre broke Dan Marino's touchdown pass record on September 30, 2007, at the Hubert H. Humphrey MetrodomeFavre began the Packers 2007 season trailing in a number of career NFL passing records. On September 16, 2007 Favre and the Packers defeated the New York Giants to give Favre his record setting 149th win, passing John Elway. On September 30, Favre threw a 16 yard touchdown pass to Greg Jennings in a game against the Vikings. This was his 421st NFL touchdown pass, and set a new all time record, surpassing Dan Marino's 420. Breaking this record received high praise from around the NFL, with congratulations coming from people such as NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, former Packers head coach Mike Holmgren, and colleague quarterbacks Steve Young and Joe Montana. On November 4, 2007, after the Packers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 33-22, Favre became only the 3rd quarterback to have defeated all thirty-one other current NFL teams. He joined Peyton Manning and Tom Brady as the only quarterbacks in NFL history to do this, just the week after the two of them achieved the accomplishment.[46] On Thanksgiving, 2007, Favre led the Packers to a 37-26 win over the Lions, and brought Packers to a 10-1 record. He won the Galloping Gobbler award, given by the broadcasters at Fox to the game MVP. Favre threw three touchdown passes for his 63rd career game with at least three TDs, surpassing Marino's former record of 62.[47] Favre led the Packers to a 13-3 regular season record, the NFC North championship, and the second seed in the NFC playoffs. Prior to the Packers' playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks, Favre stated his desire to continue playing football for another season.[48] In the Divisional Playoffs, Favre threw three touchdowns as the Packers cruised to a 42-20 victory over the Seahawks at a snowy Lambeau Field. The Packers' season ended the following week when they suffered a 23-20 overtime loss in the NFC Championship Game to the eventual Super Bowl Champion New York Giants. Negotiating subzero temperatures, Favre amassed 236 passing yards and two touchdowns, but also threw an interception in overtime that setup the Giants' game-winning field goal. Favre's 90-yard touchdown pass to Donald Driver in the second quarter was the longest pass in Packers playoff history, and it extended Favre's NFL record for consecutive postseason games with a touchdown pass to 18.[49] Favre stated after the game that he would make a decision more quickly than he has in the past regarding whether he would return for another season. Favre's milestone 2007 season culminated with his selection to the 2008 Pro Bowl as the starting quarterback for the NFC. Favre was forced to withdraw, however, due to an ankle injury.[50] Retirement Brett Favre during the pre-game warm-ups against the Chicago Bears.On March 4, 2008, Favre formally announced his retirement.[51][52][53][54] Favre's agent, Bus Cook, stated "Nobody pushed Brett Favre out the door but then nobody encouraged him not to go out that door either. I don't think he had a lot of encouragement to stay, but nobody told him to leave either."[55] Cook also believed that Favre had not gotten the impression from the Packers that they wanted him back. Although Favre stated that he had been willing to play another year, he felt that another season would only be successful if he led his team to another Super Bowl victory. He added the chances for a Super Bowl win are small, and that he wasn't up for the challenge. At his press conference, Favre openly wept about leaving the NFL. He stated that his decision, regardless of what was being said in the media, had nothing to do with what the Packers did or didn't do. He said, seemingly contradictory to Cook's statements, that his decision to retire was based on the fact that he didn't want to play anymore. He said during the conference, "I know I can play, but I don't think I want to. And that's really what it comes down to." If Favre stays retired, he will be eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2013. The Packers plan to retire Favre's No. 4 jersey during their regular season opener against the Minnesota Vikings on September 8. Favre will appear on the cover of the Madden NFL 09 video game, due to be released on August 13, 2008.[56] Favre stated that if the Packers asked him to return in an emergency situation, that "it would be hard to pass up." He stressed, however, that he would only return if he was in shape.[57] Return On July 2, 2008, it was reported that Favre was in contact[clarify] with the Packers about a possible return to the team.[58] On July 11, 2008, Favre sent a letter to the Packers asking for his unconditional release to allow him to play for another NFL team.[59] Packers general manager Ted Thompson announced he would not grant Favre an unconditional release[60] and reaffirmed the organization's commitment to Aaron Rodgers as its new quarterback.[61] Complicating matters is Favre's unique contract giving him the the leverage to void any potential trade by not reporting to the camp of the team he might be traded to if the Packers elect to go that route.[62]Brett Farve announced that he would report to Packers training camp on Monday, August 4, 2008.[63] Favre spoke publicly for the first time about his potential comeback in a July 14, 2008 interview with Greta Van Susteren on the Fox News Channel's On the Record with Greta Van Susteren. In the interview, Favre said he was "guilty of retiring early," that he was "never fully committed" to retirement, and that he was pressured by the Packers to make a decision before the NFL Draft and the start of the free agent signing period.[64] Favre disputed the notion that he doesn't want to play for Green Bay and said that while he understands the organization has decided to move on, they should now allow him to do the same. He made clear that he would not return to the Packers as a backup and reiterated his desire to be released rather than traded, which would allow him the freedom to play for a competitive team. Favre also accused the Packers of being dishonest, wishing the team would have been straightforward with him and the public.[65] In the second part of the interview, which aired on July 15, Favre expressed his frustration with Packer management, spoke of his sympathy for successor Aaron Rodgers' predicament, and affirmed he is 100 percent committed to playing football in 2008.[66] FOXSports.com's Jay Glazer reported on July 16, 2008, that the Packers have filed tampering charges against the Minnesota Vikings with the league office, alleging improper communication between Vikings offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and Favre,[67] although one source suggested that Favre may have been in contact with Vikings head coach Brad Childress.[68] After formally filing for reinstatement with the NFL on July 29, 2008, Favre's petition was granted by Commissioner Roger Goodell, effective August 4, 2008.[69]