Gainesville's Prodigal Son
An exclusive interview with Danny Wuerffel

By Maria Alejandra Cancino

After eight years of playing professional football, 1996 SEC Player of the Year Danny Wuerffel returned to Gainesville to encourage high school students to keep a path next to God and to set their priorities.

Wuerffel was the starting quarterback for the University of Florida Gators football team from 1993 to1996. During these years, the team won four South Eastern Conference titles and a national title. In 1996, his last year in college, Wuerffel was awarded the Heisman Trophy, a yearly award which recognizes the most outstanding college football player in the United States.

The journey of his life has taken Wuerffel to many places, but during a recent visit to speak to UF’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes, he took a moment to share his experiences with his fervent fans and friends from Florida Leader magazine.

“When you come to college, there are so many opportunities to be involved in so many things, a lot of things could be fascinating, and you have a lot of freedom,” Wuerffel says. “I would be very careful where you invest your time. Be careful not to get behind in school because there is so much social life and parties. Remember why you came—for your education.”

As a student at UF, Wuerffel was a member of FCA. Today, after retiring from professional football, he’s dedicated his energy to helping Desire Street Ministries, a New Orleans organization. DSM is located in one of the nation’s poorest neighborhoods, and it focuses on indigenous leadership development. Looking back, Wuerffel remembers how FCA influenced his life. ”My faith in God affected my life in an amazing way, all the way from my football career to my relationship with [my wife] Jessica—everything. FCA played a big role in helping God direct my life.”

Copyright © 2006 Oxendine Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved