Damon Huard

Damon Paul Huard was born on July 9, 1973, in Yakima, Washington. He grew up in Puyallup, Washington, where his father, Mike Huard, was a high school teacher and head football coach. Huard attended Puyallup High School, excelling in both football and basketball. Initially playing tight end as a sophomore, he became the starting quarterback in his senior year, earning Powerade State Player of the Year and All-America honors in 1990. Following high school, Huard attended the University of Washington, redshirting in 1991 during the Huskies’ national championship season. He became the starting quarterback in 1993, continuing through 1995. During his college career, he passed for 2,415 yards and 11 touchdowns in his final season and concluded as the Huskies’ all-time passing leader with 5,692 yards. A notable achievement during his junior year in 1994 was leading the Huskies to an 18-point victory over the Miami Hurricanes at the Orange Bowl, ending their nine-year home winning streak.

Huard’s professional career began in 1996 when he signed with the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent. After a brief stint, he signed with the Miami Dolphins in 1997. He played for the Frankfurt Galaxy in NFL Europe in 1998 before returning to the Dolphins. In 1999, an injury to starting quarterback Dan Marino led to Huard making his first NFL start, where he achieved a 4-1 record, a Dolphins record for consecutive wins by a first-time starter, before Marino’s return. He finished the season with eight touchdowns and 1,288 passing yards. In 2000, he made history with his brother Brock as the first set of brothers to start at quarterback in the NFL on the same weekend. Subsequently, Huard joined the New England Patriots in 2001, where he served as a backup quarterback behind Tom Brady and Drew Bledsoe. During his time with the Patriots, he earned two Super Bowl rings in 2002 (Super Bowl XXXVI) and 2004 (Super Bowl XXXVIII).

In 2004, Huard moved to the Kansas City Chiefs. He saw significant playing time in 2006 after an injury to Trent Green, starting eight games and achieving a 5-3 record. That season, he set an NFL record for the lowest percentage of passes intercepted among qualified players, with only one interception in 244 attempts, demonstrating remarkable precision and decision-making. He continued as a starting quarterback for the Chiefs in 2007 and had limited appearances in 2008 due to injuries. He signed with the San Francisco 49ers in 2009 before retiring from professional football. After his playing career, Huard returned to the University of Washington, serving as Chief Administrative Officer of the football program and later as Director of External Relations. He also served as an analyst for Husky radio broadcasts from 2010 to 2019.