Gary Danielson Biography
Gary Danielson (Gary Dennis Danielson) is a former professional American football player and a current college football commentator. Danielson is currently working for CBS Sports as a commentator for its college football coverage; he previously held the same position for ABC Sports.
He was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). From 1976 to 1984 he played for the Detroit Lions and for the Cleveland Browns in 1985, 1987, and 1988.
In 1970, Danielson succeeded Mike Phipps as the Boilermakers’ starting quarterback, and had 30 touchdown passes and 14 interceptions with a 46 percent completion rate in two full seasons as a starter.
He spent two years in the short-lived World Football League as a non-starter, with the New York Stars/Charlotte Hornets in 1974 and the Chicago Winds in 1975. The Winds franchise folded a month before the league’s collapse in October, and Danielson signed with the Lions for the 1976 season.
Danielson amassed 13,764 passing yards and 81 touchdowns in 101 games in the NFL. He ranks fourth in Lions history in passing yards and touchdowns. Danielson’s five touchdowns in a 1978 game against the Minnesota Vikings is still tied for a Lions record.
Gary Danielson Broadcasting career
GaryDanielson got a start on his broadcasting career before his playing days were over. He was a part-time anchor/reporter at WDIV-TV during the off-season while a member of the Lions. In Cleveland, Danielson co-hosted a sports talk show while a member of the Browns.
After retiring from the Browns, he joined ESPN as a college football analyst. Danielson continued to work in that capacity for ESPN/ABC Sports until 2006, when he joined CBS Sports as a college football analyst, partnered with Verne Lundquist (and later Brad Nessler) on the network’s primary broadcast team during Southeastern Conference telecasts.
Danielson also serves as the college football radio analyst for Paul Finebaum where he appears weekly during the college football season. Starting in the 2011 college football season, Danielson became a weekly guest on Mike’s On: Francesa on the FAN with Mike Francesa. He has also become a regular guest on The Dan Patrick Show.
Gary Danielson Education
Danielson attended Divine Child High School where he played high school football under Tony Versaci in Dearborn, Michigan, and graduated in 1969. Danielson then played college football at Purdue University and graduated in 1973 with a Bachelor of Arts in industrial management. He then earned a Master’s degree in physical education in 1976.
Gary Danielson Age | How Old Is Gary Danielson?
Danielson was born on September 10, 1951 in Detroit, Michigan, United States. He is 72 years old as of 2023.
Gary Danielson Height
Danielson stands tall at the height of 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 meters).
Gary Danielson Family
Danielson is private about his personal life, he has not revealed any information about his parents nor if he has any siblings.
Gary Danielson Wife | Is Gary Danielson Married?
Danielson is married to Kristy Danielson whom he met in college at Purdue, where Kristy’s father, George King, was the head basketball coach and athletic director.
The couple has four children. The family resided in Rochester Hills, Michigan, where the children attended Rochester Adams High School. His son Matt Danielson played college football at Northwestern.
Danielson ran an importing and exporting business with former Lions teammate James Jones in the early 1990s. He has also invested in business ventures with former Browns teammate Bernie Kosar.
Gary Danielson Salary
The exact amount of salary that Danielson earns has not yet been disclosed, it is estimated to be around $10,000 to $100,000 annually.
Gary Danielson Net Worth
He has an estimated salary of about $1 million to $5 million.
Gary Danielson Stats
| Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | Sacks | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | Lng | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Sck | Yds | ||
| 1976 | DET | 1 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1977 | DET | 13 | 2 | 1-1 | 42 | 100 | 42.0 | 445 | 4.5 | 61 | 1 | 5 | 38.1 | 7 | 62 | 8.9 | 16 | 0 | 9 | 64 |
| 1978 | DET | 16 | 11 | 6-5 | 199 | 351 | 56.7 | 2,294 | 6.5 | 47 | 18 | 17 | 73.5 | 22 | 93 | 4.2 | 25 | 0 | 25 | 237 |
| 1980 | DET | 16 | 16 | 9-7 | 244 | 417 | 58.5 | 3,223 | 7.7 | 87 | 13 | 11 | 82.4 | 48 | 232 | 4.8 | 33 | 2 | 44 | 338 |
| 1981 | DET | 6 | 4 | 2-2 | 56 | 96 | 58.3 | 784 | 8.2 | 45 | 3 | 5 | 73.4 | 9 | 23 | 2.6 | 11 | 2 | 12 | 84 |
| 1982 | DET | 8 | 5 | 2-3 | 100 | 197 | 50.8 | 1,343 | 6.8 | 70 | 10 | 14 | 60.1 | 23 | 92 | 4.0 | 16 | 0 | 19 | 145 |
| 1983 | DET | 10 | 0 | 0-0 | 59 | 113 | 52.2 | 720 | 6.4 | 54 | 7 | 4 | 78.0 | 6 | 8 | 1.3 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 68 |
| 1984 | DET | 15 | 14 | 3-10-1 | 252 | 410 | 61.5 | 3,076 | 7.5 | 77 | 17 | 15 | 83.1 | 41 | 218 | 5.3 | 40 | 3 | 41 | 335 |
| 1985 | CLE | 8 | 6 | 4-2 | 97 | 163 | 59.5 | 1,274 | 7.8 | 72 | 8 | 6 | 85.3 | 25 | 126 | 5.0 | 28 | 0 | 17 | 128 |
| 1987 | CLE | 6 | 1 | 1-0 | 25 | 33 | 75.8 | 281 | 8.5 | 23 | 4 | 0 | 140.3 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| 1988 | CLE | 2 | 1 | 0-1 | 31 | 52 | 59.6 | 324 | 6.2 | 26 | 0 | 1 | 69.7 | 4 | 3 | 0.8 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 43 |
| Career | 101 | 60 | 28-31-1 | 1,105 | 1,932 | 57.2 | 13,764 | 7.1 | 87 | 81 | 78 | 76.6 | 186 | 857 | 4.6 | 40 | 7 | 183 | 1,446 | |
Regular season[edit]
| Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | Sacks | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | Lng | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Sck | Yds | ||
| 1983 | DET | 1 | 1 | 0-1 | 24 | 38 | 63.2 | 236 | 6.2 | 20 | 0 | 5 | 41.0 | 4 | 17 | 4.3 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 12 |
| Career | 1 | 1 | 0-1 | 24 | 38 | 63.2 | 236 | 6.2 | 20 | 0 | 5 | 41.0 | 4 | 17 | 4.3 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 12 | |