Danny Wuerffel has spent a lifetime proving that true greatness goes far beyond the football field. The former Heisman Trophy winning quarterback and NFL veteran now devotes his days to serving others guided by faith, fueled by gratitude, and anchored in family.
“My father was an Air Force chaplain, so I grew up moving all over the country and in Spain,” he recalls. “I played high school football and got a scholarship to play at the University of Florida. My time there was amazing. Sometimes I feel like it wasn’t even real. We won four SEC championships, a national title and I won the Heisman Trophy in 1996. I was drafted by the New Orleans Saints and after seven years in the NFL, I retired to work full time at an inner city ministry in New Orleans, Desire Street Ministries. After Katrina, we moved our headquarters to Atlanta and now support other ministries and under resourced neighborhoods all over the country.”
His résumé reads like a sports fan’s dream. Racking up 17 NCAA and UF records, earning the Campbell Award for the nation’s top scholar-athlete, and graduating with honors. Drafted by New Orleans Saints in 1997, he also played for the Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears and Washington Redskins. In 2000 he won the World Bowl Championship in the NFL’s European League with the Rhein Fire, before retiring in 2004. In recognition of his character and leadership, the Allstate Wuerffel Trophy was established in 2005 as college football’s premier community service award, and in 2013 he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
While still a rookie, Wuerffel began volunteering at Desire Street Ministries, a nonprofit serving under resourced neighborhoods. “I got involved as a volunteer in my rookie season with the Saints. It’s been an incredible journey over the past nearly 30 years. We’ve had lots of highs and lows, and there’s lots of struggles in this type of work, but it’s very rewarding.”
That early act of service would shape the rest of his life. In 2006, he became Desire Street’s Executive Director, leading efforts to create thriving and sustainable ministries across the Southeast. The Wuerffel Foundation followed in 2020, leveraging his platform to inspire service and unity by honoring and developing community service leaders.
Football prepared him well for leadership beyond the gridiron. “It definitely teaches you a lot of lessons about life, and also about leadership. I believe life is lived better as a team sport. How we engage and work with other people largely determines quality of life and our effectiveness at any endeavor. Learning to deal with adversity, to focus on the things you can control versus the things you can’t, the ability to be flexible, are just a few of things one can learn from football for life.”
Two profound trials deepened his perspective. “Hurricane Katrina destroyed our house and leveled the ministry where we worked in 2005,” he shares. “The aftermath was so difficult, but it helped shape the future for Desire Street and really established my calling as the leader. In 2010, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease called Guillain Barre Syndrome, and was very sick for several months, and then very tired for over a year. That forced me to slow down, be still, and learn some new things about myself in life. I now cherish quality time alone each day, and have a much more authentic and deeper prayer life.”
Faith and gratitude have been the steady threads through every season. “As a husband, father, former football player and leader of a nonprofit, I fully believe the quality of life is based on how well we deal with other people. I can’t even begin to express how grateful I am for all the amazing people that have been a art of my life."
Wuerffel continues to inspire on and off the field. A competitive pickleball player in the National Pickleball League, he was drafted by the Denver Iconics for the 2024 season and is a partial owner of the Major League Pickleball team, the Orlando Squeeze. In 2022, he hosted the first annual PickleBowl, a charity celebrity pro-am tournament.
Part of his legacy as written in his new book, Tales from the Gator Swamp: Reflections of Faith and Football is available on Amazon. This book takes readers on a delightful journey back to the "good old days" of the 1990s, when Spurrier's running and gunning and cunning style of offense revolutionized the SEC. Fans will understand why Danny collected as much admiration and as many accolades as perhaps any player in the history of college football.
Whether cheering on the Gators at “The Swamp,” where his bronze statue stands, or speaking to corporate and nonprofit groups around the country, Danny Wuerffel embodies the spirit of gratitude and service. He and his wife, Jessica, now make their home in Atlanta with their three children. He is living proof that a life dedicated to love, family and giving back is the greatest victory of all.
Visit wuerffelfoundation.org or desirestreet.org.