This week, Touchdown Wire’s Ed Easton Jr. spoke to retired NFL quarterback and Heisman Award winner Danny Wuerffel.
In his interview with Easton Jr., Wuerffel discussed his inspiration for ‘The Wuerffel Foundation’s The Pickle Bowl: Heisman Edition at Life Time Pickleball NYC gathered past winners for a good cause. He also shared advice to today’s college football stars heading into bowl season and potential careers in the NFL.
“Well, during COVID, I started playing with my son to have something to do, and I’ve fallen in love with the sport,” Wuerffel explained. “I play a lot and enjoy it, but I’ve also been leveraging this sport of pickleball to support our work at the foundation. This event came together in a really fun way in New York City with the Heisman guys here. So we got a bunch of Heisman guys out playing and having fans jump in and hit some balls with us, and just a really fun, exciting way to gather and celebrate and, you know, raise money for a good cause.”
Wuerffel recruited fellow Heisman award winners Tim Tebow, Cam Newton, Eric Crouch, Charlie Ward, and Johnny Rodgers, along with pickleball pros Ryan Sherry and Kate Fahey, for the event. His foundation’s mission is to inspire greater service and unity in communities.
Super grateful for an amazing PickleBowl: Heisman Edition!
Thanks so much to all who made this happen to support our work @WuerffelFdn @WuerffelTrophy @HeismanTrophy @TimTebow @CameronNewton pic.twitter.com/qSLP8mniJ0— Danny Wuerffel (@DannyWuerffel) December 15, 2024
“We’re a very blessed group, and to come back to this group every year to celebrate in New York has been fantastic. And then to add this pickleball event. A lot of the guys play and enjoy it,” said Wuerffel. “So this gives us an opportunity to add one more fun event. We’re grateful to the Heisman Trust for helping support it and making it happen in a lifetime. Just really excited.”
After being drafted by the New Orleans Saints in 1997, Wuerffel played six years in the league with four teams, including the Green Bay Packers, the Chicago Bears and the Washington Redskins. He shared some advice for the many college players ending their collegiate careers over the next month with hopes of making it to the NFL.
“I mean, enjoy it. It’s a really unique time. Everybody’s usually dreamt their whole life of playing in the NFL, but there’s something special about college.” said Wuerffel. “Enjoy it. Finish strong, and I hope the guys stick and do the bowl games, and we have a great ending to a great college football season.”
The following links provide more information on Pickle Bowl and The Wuerffel Foundation.
