Brett Favre

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Brett Favre (Brett Lorenzo Favre) , 1969–, American football player, b. Gulfport, Miss. As starting quarterback at the Univ. of Southern Mississippi he led the team to two bowl games and 29 wins. Drafted (1991) by the NFL's Atlanta Falcons, he spent most of his single season there on the bench. In 1992 he was traded to the Green Bay Packers, where the spirited quarterback revitalized the team during the 1990s. The first NFL player to be named most valuable player three times (1995–97), Favre led the Packers to two Superbowls, in 1997, when they won, and 1998, when they lost. His powerful arm and accurate throwing made him an outstanding passer, and he broke many records, including career marks for most completed passes (6,300), most touchdown passes (508), and most yards passing (71,838); all previously held by Dan Marino ) and for most wins as a starter (185; previously held by John Elway ). He announced his retirement in 2008, but subsequently returned and was traded to the New York Jets; he "retired" again in 2009 before signing with the Minnesota Vikings. Over 19 years with the Packers, Jets, and Vikings, he started 297 regular-season games in a row, also a record.

Bibliography: See his For the Record (1997) and Favre (2004), both with C. Havel.