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Danny Through The Decades

A man of many facets, Wuerffel has been actively involved in many ventures, spanning athletics to service-based awards and non-profit outreach. To learn more about these aspects of Danny’s history, click the icon to expand the section and discover more about Wuerffel’s endeavors, events, and impact. 

From winning the Florida 4A State Championship to being named USA Today’s Florida High School Player of the year, Danny built incredible momentum to launch into his collegiate career.  At University of Florida, Danny led the Gators to four SEC Championships and the National Championship, under the leadership of Coach Steve Spurrier. Wuerffel set 17 NCAA and UF records, led the nation in touchdown passes, earned the SEC Player of the Year title twice, and culminated his career with the coveted Heisman Trophy in 1996, exactly 30 years after his legendary coach had won the distinguished award. Danny’s 3.7 GPA and leadership off the field awarded him the Campbell Award presented to the nation’s top scholar athlete, one of only two athletes to earn both the Heisman and the Campbell Award. During his NFL years, Danny played with the Saints, Packers, Bears and Redskins. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2013 and the Sugar Bowl Hall of Fame in 2023.  

Danny Wuerffel first joined Desire Street Ministries (DSM) as a volunteer while quarterbacking for the New Orleans Saints. Wuerffel connected with the DSM youth in a unique way, serving a neighborhood in need of strong male role models.  Following his NFL career, Wuerffel felt a calling to return to DSM as a full-time employee in New Orleans’ lower ninth ward, one of the nation’s most impoverished neighborhoods.Wuerffel led an expansion of DSM to serve the leaders of other Southeastern ministries. Additionally, he relocated Desire Street’s headquarters to Atlanta and has been serving as the Executive Director since 2006.  The Desire Cup Rivalry for a Cause Golf Tournament and Gala began in 2010 as a fundraiser for DSM, which seeks to unite Florida Gators and Georgia Bulldogs ahead of the rivalry football game each year.  

The Wuerffel Trophy honors college football players who serve others, celebrates their impact, and inspires greater service in the world. Established in 2005, this award was the first major award honoring the character of service to others. As a member of the National College Football Awards Association, thousands of leaders in community service have been named nominees, semi and finalists, and recipients of the Wuerffel Trophy. In 2024, the Wuerffel Foundation joined forces with the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team to unite football’s highest community service honors and officially launch the Allstate Wuerffel Trophy.  

The Wuerffel Foundation exists to leverage the brand, experiences and relationships of Danny Wuerffel to honor and develop community service leaders. Danny’s life mission is to inspire greater service and unity in the world, and the Wuerffel Foundation accomplishes this by raising funds, celebrating excellence in service, and providing resources for other leaders. Established in 2020, the foundation hosts the annual Desire Cup Golf Tournament and Gala, the PickleBowl celebrity pro-am pickleball tournament, the Allstate Wuerffel Trophy Presentation Gala, and more.  

Although Danny’s childhood sporting days were dominated by football and basketball, he loved to play tennis, racquetball, and ping pong for fun. Wuerffel was introduced to the sport of pickleball, a game that combines elements of all three games, and he fell in love. His competitive spirit flared, and the COVID-19 pandemic led him and his son, Jonah, to channel the sport more seriously. By 2022, Danny had incorporated pickleball into his Wuerffel Foundation fundraising efforts, and The PickleBowl celebrity pro-am hosted by Danny Wuerffel was born. Additionally, his skill and devotion to the sport grew, he became an ambassador for various pickleball facilities and equipment, and he quickly achieved professional status in the sport. 27 years after participating in the NFL Draft, Danny was selected in the NPL (National Pickleball League) Draft by the Denver Iconics in Spring of 2024. He shared, “Pickleball, for me, really aligns well with my mission in life, the non-profit, the Wuerffel Foundation, with Desire Street.” 

 

1991

Won the Florida Class 4A State Football Championship

1992

Named USA Today’s high school player of the year in Florida

1993

High School to UF

Graduated from high school as his class co-valedictorian; freshman year at the University of Florida; won his 1st SEC Championship

1994

High School to UF

Won 2nd  SEC Championship

1995

Awards & Accoldes

Named first-team All American; recipient of the Davey O’Brien Award, Sammy Baugh Trophy, SEC Player of the Year; won 3rd SEC Championship  

1996

Pigskin Pinnacle

Won Florida’s first National Championship and 4th SEC Championship; Recipient of the Heisman Trophy, Campbell Award, Davey O’Brien Award, SEC Player of the Year, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Player of the Year Award. 

1997

NFL Draft

Drafted by the New Orleans Saints; began volunteering with Desire Street Ministries 

1999

Love & Marriage

Married wife Jessica 

2000

NFL Europe

Led the Rhein Fire to the NFL Europe league championship; named MVP of the World Bowl  

2004

NFL Retirement

Retired from the NFL and began full-time at Desire Street Ministries  

2005

Trophy Starts, Katrina Rolls

 The Wuerffel Trophy established; Hurricane Katrina destroys Desire Street facilities

2006

Director of DSM

Became Executive Director of Desire Street Ministries; appointed to the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation  

2010

Desire Cup

Hosted first Desire Cup golf tournament and gala 

2011

A New Challenge

Diagnosed with GBS (Guillain-Barré Syndrome)

2013

Hall of Fame

Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame

2020

Wuerffel Foundation

Launched the Wuerffel Foundation

2021

Wooden Citizenship Cup

Awarded the Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup

2022

PickleBowl

Hosted the first PickleBowl celebrity pro-am pickleball tournament 

2023

Hall of Fame

Inducted into the Sugar Bowl Hall of Fame 

2024

Drafts & Celebrations

Drafted to the National Pickleball League (NPL) by the Denver Iconics; 20th anniversary of the Wuerffel Trophy 

"Danny Wuerffel represents not only everything that’s wonderful about intercollegiate athletics, but he represents everything that’s great about the human spirit."

Danny Wuerffel Trophy
  • Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup Recipient
  • 2020 Humanitarian of the Year Award
  • 2015 Academic All-America Hall of Fame
  • 2013 College Football Hall of Fame
  • 2000 The World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame “Tradition of Excellence Award”
  • 2000 MVP of World Bowl, Europe NFL
  • 1996 National Champion
  • 1996 Heisman Trophy Winner
  • 1996 Campbell Award (Top Student Athlete)
  • 1996 Maxwell Award - Player of the Year Recipient
  • 1996 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award
  • 1996 Walter Camp Player of the Year Award
  • 1995 Davey O’Brien Award Recipient
  • 1995 SEC Player of the Year
  • 1996 SEC Player of the Year
  • Presidential appointee to the White House Council for Service and Civic Participation
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