Volek with Chargers.
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No. 12, 7 | |||||||||
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Position: | Quarterback | ||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||
Date of birth: | April 28, 1976 | ||||||||
Place of birth: | Hemet, California | ||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||
Weight: | 214 lb (97 kg) | ||||||||
Career information | |||||||||
College: | Fresno State | ||||||||
Undrafted: | 2000 | ||||||||
Career history | |||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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TD–INT: | 27–15 |
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Passing yards: | 3,754 |
QB Rating: | 84.9 |
Player stats at NFL.com |
John William "Billy" Volek (born April 28, 1976) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League. He was signed by the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2000 and also played for the San Diego Chargers. He played college football at Fresno State.
Volek attended Clovis West High School in Fresno, California, and was a letterman in football. In football, as a senior, he was named the Northwest Yosemite League Offensive Player of the Year. He then went to California State University, Fresno, where he led the Bulldogs to a Western Athletic Conference title in 1999 and set the NCAA record for career lowest percentage of passes intercepted.
Volek was signed by the Tennessee Titans in 2000 from free agency, after not being selected by any team in the 2000 NFL Draft. He would see very little action during his rookie season, completing 0 of his 3 passes with no touchdowns and no interceptions. After such a small amount of play time, he would not be seen on the field again until the 2003 season, where he would make a name for himself as one of the National Football League's more talented backup quarterbacks.
In 2004, he became only the fourth quarterback in NFL history—along with Dan Marino, Dan Fouts, and Phil Simms—to pass for over 400 yards in two consecutive games, a feat that was also accomplished in 2008 by New England Patriots quarterback Matt Cassel and in 2011 by Tom Brady and Cam Newton. In doing so, he set the record for passing yards in back to back games with 918. It was announced on December 17, 2004 that he would be the starting quarterback for the rest of the season for the Titans, replacing the injured Steve McNair. McNair's injuries healed in time for the next season, and Volek backed him up once again, starting only 1 game. McNair was later traded to the Baltimore Ravens during June 2006, allowing Volek the opportunity to truly earn the starting position.