One of the most popular sports, football, has its own legends share, especially when it comes to the NFL. How about talking about someone who has the audacity to come across people engraving all the necessary skills with confidence.
No more delays, let’s take it to cut straight; we are talking about none other than Rich Gannon, who has worked with various squads in his tenure and has already remained the NFL’s most valuable player.
And he is a sports commentator now with CBS sports.
Rich has always remained a powerhouse. He used to play football since his high school days and decided to take it further for eighteen long seasons. Rich’s life is as interesting as his career statistic is.
All we have to do is need to drive our focus to his slow and steady but accomplishing career graph.
We shall take a closer look at his life but first and foremost, let’s start with taking a dig at easy, quick facts about Rich Gannon.
Rich Gannon | Quick Facts
| Full Name | Richard Joseph Gannon |
| Birth Date | December 20, 1965 |
| Birth Place | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Nick Name | The Cannon |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | White |
| Education | St. Joseph’s Preparatory School, University of Delaware |
| Horoscope | Sagittarius |
| Father’sName | Not known |
| Mother’sName | Not known |
| Siblings | Not known |
| Age | 58 years old |
| Height | 1.91m (6 feet 2 inches) |
| Weight | 95 kg (209 lb) |
| Current City | Ocean City, NJ |
| Hair Color | Dark Brown |
| Eye Color | Light Brown |
| Jersey No | 12 |
| Build | Athlete |
| Marital Status | Married to Shelley Brown |
| Kids | Danielle Gannon and Alexis Gannon |
| Position | Quarterback |
| Profession | Sports Commentator and former NFL Player |
| Net Worth | $8.5 million |
| Salary | above $105,000 dollars |
| Currently Working for | CBS Sports and Sirius XM NFL Radio |
| League | NFL |
| Active Since | 1987-Present |
| Social Media | |
| Merch | Football Card |
| Last Update | April, 2024 |
Rich Gannon | Early Life
Rich stepped into this world on December 20, 1965, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is an American by nationality and follows a roman catholic religion. There is no information revealed on the internet about his parents and siblings.
But yes, from the available online sources, we realized that he is really close to Aunt Kath, his father’s sister.
Rich is closer to Kath to the extent that he symbolizes her as his surrogate mother. His aunt is a nun, and Rich takes her as a good luck charm. Moreover, Kath used to join him for most of the matches.
Besides all of these, Rich considered Joe Namath as his childhood idol. He was brought up in a middle-class Catholic family where he was fairly taught about morals, principles, and values. He knew the importance of hard work and dedication.
Also, since he was interested in games from his early days, he was taught about throwing a pass, knowing a defense, shaping an offensive play, and handling the ball.
Rich Gannon | High School Career
Rich went to Saint Joseph’s Preparatory School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and nourished himself more as an athlete.
He retrieved three varsity letters both in football and rowing. He also earned two varsity letters in basketball as a senior year student.
Furthermore, he grabbed the first-team All-City award as a quarterback and a punter, throwing 1567 yards in his senior year.
Rich Gannon | College Career
For attending college, Rich went to the University of Delaware, where he took the membership of Sigma Phi Epsilon.
Tubby Raymond remained his coach for the Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens football team, where he played as a wing T offense.
Rich used to play as a punter until he finished his freshman season. He then switched to the quarterback and became the first player from the team to record at least 2000 yards in a row for three years.
Following that, he also grabbed the Division I-AA Rookie of the Year award in the 1984 Eastern College Athletic Conference.
As a senior, Rich was profound to receive the Yankee Conference Offensive Player of the Year award in 1986. He also got entitled to All-American selection.
Read about another former NFL Player, Lavar Ball.
Rich Gannon | Professional Career
Minnesota Vikings
Rich did not really enter the NFL with a silver spoon in his mouth. He had to strive really hard for it. And all those awards and achievements received in college depict his ard work. We don’t need to clarify again and again.
As a result, Rich was soon hired by the New England Patriots with 98th overall pickup in the fourth round of the 1987 NFL Draft and placed into a running back position.
He could not spend much time with the Patriots as he was soon waived to the Minnesota Vikings.
And, that was the strong time when he started as a quarterback. Rich played six regular seasons for the Vikings and led his team to win over the Atlanta Falcons, the New Orleans Saints, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Detroit Lions in 1987-1988.
Despite all these victories, somewhere, he lagged to win the NFC championship game in 1987. Rich played along with Kramer and Wilson as a quarterback for the Vikings.
For the first time in his career, Rich was spotted with an injury in 1992 where he hyperextended his left knee while gaining a victory over the Lions. The winning and losing stories remained on their way for Rich until 1992.
Washington Redskins
Rich moved to the Washington Redskins in 1994. He was positioned as the third-stringer, supporting starter Mark Rypien and backup Cary Conklin. He presented himself in eight games and initiated four games.
During weeks 6-7, he faced a foot injury and had to leave his position for a few games. For the 1994 season, he was again benched out because of a shoulder injury.
Kansas City Chiefs
Rich inked a deal with the Kansas City Chiefs in 1995. He was placed as a backup to Steve Bono.
Things went into turmoil when there held a quarterback in 1997 because Rich led the team in Elvis Grbac’s absence. As a result, the team and Rich had to part ways in 1998.
Oakland Raiders
Rich was appointed as a free agent by the Oakland Raiders in February 1999. He then soon remained victorious enough to seize the Pro Bowl MVP award regularly for the years 2001 and 2002.
His winning stories do not only get stuck to that. There’s more coming. Rich received the NFL Most Valuable Player Award in 2002. While other players still dream of it, he conquered it.
Not to mention, Rich led his team to Super Bowl XXXVII in 2003, being the second player from the Delawares to join the Super Bowl. Rich ended his professional career nearly when he surfaced with a serious neck injury in 2004.
Rich Gannon | Retirement and Broadcasting
He finally took retirement from football at the age of 40 in August 2005. Rich moved on to taking a job for CBS television as an NFL analyst.
He ended up becoming the twenty-eighth famous quarterback of the present era by Football Nation.
Fired up for another season of @NFLMondayQB on @CBSSportsNet at 5pm EST pic.twitter.com/rZ8mb2kq1N
— Rich Gannon (@RichGannon12) September 14, 2020
Moreover, he served as a game analyst for Green Bay Packers preseason games. After sixteen years on the CBS, he has also left the field as an analyst.
To date, his position in the CBA hasn’t been filled but they have two candidates on the line; Adam Archuleta and James Lofton.
Rich Gannon | Awards and Achievements
He is a four-time Pro Bowl Champion from 1999 to 2002.
Rich was a two-time All-Pro Champion in 2000 and 2002.
He was the NFL’s Most Valuable Player in 2002 and also the passing yard leader in the same year.
Rich was the passing touchdown leader in 2001 and an AFC Champion in 2002.
He took the 101 Awards AFC Offensive Player of the Year in 2000 and 2002.
Rich was a two-time Bert Bell Award winner in 2000 and 2002.
He won the NFL Alumni Quarterback of the Year two times in 2000 and 2002.
He was elected to the University of Delaware Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005.
Rich Gannon | Personal Life
Coming to his personal life, he lives a very happily ever after kind of married life with his long-time wife Shelley and has two beautiful daughters named Danielle Gannon and Alexis Gannon.
Bill Brown, his father-in-law, was a former player for the Minnesota Vikings.
Things did not go well for Rich when her youngest daughter, Danielle, was diagnosed with celiac disease, a gastrointestinal dysfunction when the kids cannot digest oats, cookies, or pizza, in 1997.
Later, the couple decided to act as a spokesperson for the Celiac Disease Foundation, a public awareness program.
Not only that, but they also formed an annual Celiac March at Holy Family Catholic High School in Victoria that raises funds for the people who have celiac disease.
From then onwards, the two most important things in his life are his family and faith, which he never wants to lose. Also, he realized that one could not feel content with the classic cars and houses they have.
Read about an upcoming sensational player, Kevin Love.
Rich Gannon | Net Worth
We cannot stop naming the awards, recognitions, and honors that Rich has received in his life.
Without any doubt, we can depict that he is living a luxurious life though he is a fine believer of good values, hard work, and contentment that comes solely from the inside.
Sunset on the Bay pic.twitter.com/XXyoHFZwqU
— Rich Gannon (@RichGannon12) August 19, 2020
We do not have the exact data of his net worth as of 2020. But yes, he certainly made an earning of $105,000 from his job at CBS Sports.
And Rich Gannon has an accumulated net worth of $8.5 million as of 2019. For his previous salary details, you can click here.
Besides that, Rich does have a collection of branded cars and owns a house in Ocean City, NJ.
You might be interested in reading Johnny Manziel Bio: Career, Controversies, Net Worth, Love
Rich Gannon | Social Media Presence
Sad but true it is, we cannot find Rich on each possible social networking site. But yes, he is abundantly available n Twitter. He is pretty much famous for his tweets being followed by a whopping number of 65.2k followers.
If you haven’t given him a follow and want to explore more about this man, then surely click on the link below.
Here’s to Rich Gannon’s fans,@RichGannon12.
Rich Gannon | FAQs
Is Rich Gannon one of the voice actors in Backyard Football?
Yes, Rich Gannon is the voice of Rich Gannon in Backyard Football (GameCube).
What is Rich Gannon’s career stats like?
As of his career stats, Rich Gannon features 28,743 passing yards, 180–104 touchdown interceptions, and 21 rushing touchdowns. Likewise, he depicts a passer rating of 84.7.
