Joe Flacco (NFL) ; Date of birth: January 16, 1985 Place of birth: Audubon, New Jersey

Also known as: Joseph Vincent Flacco Education: University of Delaware

Significance: is a professional American football player who plays quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens selected Flacco as the eighteenth overall pick in the first round of the 2008 NFL Entry Draft. In 2013, Flacco led the Ravens to victory in XLVII over the , a game in which he was named Most Valuable Player.

Background Joesph Vincent Flacco was born in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania suburb of Audubon, New Jersey in 1985. He is the oldest of five children born to Steve and Karen Flacco. Flacco has four brothers, Joe, Michael, Brian and Thomas, one sister, Stephanie. The Flacco’s encouraged all their children to participate in sports, often practicing football and baseball with their young children. Flacco would later claim that he was not a fan of a specific football team as a child, opting instead to admire singular players, notably Joe Montana and . He earned three varsity letters as an athlete for his native Audubon High School Green Wave in wrestling, baseball and football, though he particularly excelled at football. Named the team’s starter his sophomore year, Flacco would set all-time New Jersey state records for both career passing yards and single-game passing yards prior to his graduation. Flacco’s success at Audubon led to several collegiate scholarship offers. His recruiting decision was strongly influenced by whether the school he chose would allow him to be a two-sport athlete in both football and baseball. He ultimately decided to stay relatively close to home, opting to attend the University of Pittsburgh, which acquiesced to his two-sport request.

Life’s Work Flacco’s tenure at University of Pittsburgh did not go as planned. The Panthers “redshirted,” or asked him sit out his freshman football season despite sound health as a way to hone his skills and preserve roster positions for other players. His sophomore year, Flacco was relegated to the squad’s third-string quarterback behind and Luke Getsy. Disgruntled, Flacco ultimately opted to depart Pittsburgh and transfer to the University of Delaware. Despite the fact that the move represented a drop from NCAA Division I football to lesser Division I-AA, he was eager to switch to a school where he would have a stronger opportunity to play. NCAA rules required Flacco to sit out the entire 2005 season and forgo his scholarship before he joined the University of Delaware Blue Hens in 2006 as a non-scholarship student athlete. In two seasons as the Blue Hens starting quarterback, Flacco would become the most successful quarterback in school history, setting records in 20 categories, notably career completions and total passing yards. Despite playing against lesser I-AA competition, Flacco’s excellence at Delaware caught the attention of numerous NFL scouts, who lauded his tremendous arm strength and game management skills. In 2008, the Baltimore Ravens selected Flacco as the eighteenth overall pic in the NFL Draft. While opposition scouts viewed Flacco as a development project at quarterback, injuries to other quarterbacks on the Ravens roster thrust him into the team’s starting role for the 2008 NFL season. Flacco would respond to the pressure with aplomb, becoming the first rookie quarterback in NFL history to win two football games before ultimately losing to the in the 2009 AFC Championship game. Flacco received the 2008 NFL Rookie of the Year Award for his success. With Flacco at their helm, the Baltimore Ravens who have three more consecutive winning seasons, reaching the playoffs from 2009 to 2011. The team’s trend of eventual playoff tournament exits would end when they reached Super Bowl XLVII in 2012 against the San Francisco 49ers. Flacco would complete over twenty passes for 287 yards and three touchdowns in the Ravens victory, a performance for which he earned the Super Bowl MVP award.

Impact Joe Flacco is representative of a new generation of NFL quarterbacks, including Ben Rothlisberger and Russell Wilson. Each has, unlike a majority of their predecessors, entered into the NFL from relatively unknown college programs, without the celebrity and fanfare that has followed numerous past NFL starting quarterbacks from their college career to their professional one. Flacco has gone to great lengths to keep his personal life private, opting to eschew lucrative commercial endorsements while concentrating on the job at hand. It is a dedication to his team and organization that has earned him the respect of both his teammates and fans. In a league where mobile, running-style quarterbacks have been a recent trend, Flacco is somewhat of a throwback to the quarterbacks he grew up in suburban Philadelphia admiring: a patient, pocket passer who relies on pre- game preparation and his magnificent throwing ability to reach receivers far down the field.

Personal Life Flacco married his long-time Dana Grady in 2011. The couple, who met as students at Audubon High School, have two sons, Steven and Daniel.

John Pritchard

Burlington, Vermont

Bibliography

"Biography: Joe Flacco." University of Stanford. University of Stanford. Web. 23 Feb 2014. .

Cacciola, Scott. "Flacco Keeps His Profile Low, Save for One Day." The New York Times. New York Times, 27 Jan 2013. Web. 23 Feb 2014. .

Cook, Ron. "Ron Cook: Not fair to give Pitt flak about Flacco Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/ron-cook/2013/01/29/Ron-Cook-Not- fair-to-give-Pitt-flak-about-Flacco/stories/201301290139

Miller, Randy. "Average Joe: Audubon's Flacco famous, but still grounded." USA Today. Gannett, 20 Jul 2013. Web. 23 Feb 2014. .

Mink, Ryan. "5 Things You May Not Know About Joe Flacco." Baltimore Ravens: Official Site. Baltimore Ravens, 10 Jul 2013. Web. 23 Feb 2014. .

"Joe Flacco Biography." Joe Flacco Official Site. JoeFlacco5.com. Web. 23 Feb 2014. .

Van Valkenburg, Kevin. "Joe Flacco is anything but average." ESPN Magazine. ESPN, 23 Aug 2013. Web. 23 Feb 2014.