(born Jun. 10, 1951) Among the players to come from an Oregon college, Dan Fouts ranks as one of the most well known for his transition to the professional ranks, both statistically and for his position within the national media.

Born in 1951, Fouts grew up in San Francisco, Calif., as the son of radio broadcaster Bob Fouts, who handled play-by-play duties for San Francisco 49ers games. Dan Fouts played for two private schools before accepting a scholarship to the University of Oregon.

At Oregon, the 6-foot-3 Fouts blossomed into one of the nation’s top passers and set 19 school records, including career passing with 5,995 yards. He threw 24 touchdown passes in 1970 and 54 from 1970-72. Oregon went 15-17-1 in those years.

From Oregon, Fouts moved to the San Diego Chargers, who selected him in the third round of the 1973 NFL Draft. He became the starting quarterback almost immediately for a team that finished with just two wins in 14 games and scored 6 points or less five times. Fouts passed for 1,126 yards and six touchdowns with 13 interceptions.

In 1978, the Chargers hired Don Coryell as coach and became a pass-oriented team behind Fouts, who threw for 2,999 yards and 24 touchdowns. The next season, Fouts threw for 4,082 yards and 24 touchdowns as the Chargers went 12-4, won the AFC West and reached the NFL playoffs for the first time since the AFL and NFL merged. San Diego won the AFC West the next two seasons and reached the AFC championship game in ’80 and ’81, but lost both games.

Fouts was selected as the league Offensive Player of the Year in 1982 – a season shortened to six games by strike. The team struggled to win the next five years and Fouts retired in 1987 at age 36.

In his 15 seasons, Fouts passed for 43,040 yards and 254 touchdowns. The Chargers retired his number (14), and fans voted him the “Greatest Charger of All-Time” in 2009. Following his retirement, Fouts became a television broadcaster working on NFL games as both a play-by-play and color commentator. His broadcast career included a role on ABC’s Monday Night Football.

Dan Fouts was inducted to both the University of Oregon and Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1992. He was inducted to the NFL Hall of Fame in 1993.