Rex Grossman
Rex Grossman (born August 23, 1980 in Bloomington, Indiana) is an American football player who currently plays quarterback for the Chicago Bears. Both his father, Daniel, and paternal grandfather, Rex, played football for Indiana University. He played quarterback for Bloomington South High School in Bloomington, Indiana, which he led to the 5A state title his senior year, before matriculating at the University of Florida in 1999.
After redshirting his freshman year, Grossman found himself the third-preference quarterback in an extremely competitive group that included senior Jessie Palmer and highly rated true freshman Brock Berlin. Nevertheless, after an injury to Palmer, he quickly established himself as the Gators' starter, achieving the third highest pass efficiency rating in the history of the NCAA. His sophomore year he came second to University of Nebraska quarterback Eric Crouch in the closest vote in Heisman Trophy history.
After an undistinguished junior season under new Florida head coach Ron Zook, who had replaced Steve Spurrier at the end of the previous season, Grossman opted to forego his final year of collegiate eligibity and declared for the NFL draft. He was picked in the first round by the Chicago Bears. He spent his rookie season largely sitting on the bench, starting only the last three games, after the Bears had already been eliminated from playoff contention. He secured the starting job for his second season, in 2004, until injury cut his season short.