Purdue Great Drew Brees Inducted into New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame

Former Purdue quarterback and Big Ten icon Drew Brees was inducted into the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame on Thursday. He enjoyed a 15-year career with the Saints, winning a Super Bowl and a pair of NFL Offensive Player of the Year honors.

Dustin Schutte | May 31, 2024

Former New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees is honored at halftime of a game / Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

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Purdue Boilermakers

Legendary Purdue quarterback Drew Brees was officially inducted into the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame on Thursday. The honor comes after an incredible 15-year career with the organization.

In over a decade with the Saints, Brees was a 12-time Pro Bowler and was twice named the NFL Offensive Player of the Year. He led New Orleans to a victory in Super Bowl XLIV, winning the MVP award after completing 32 passes for 288 yards with two touchdowns.

"This is a tremendous honor, and I am so grateful to everybody here, and forever will be," Brees said. "Once a Saint, always a Saint. And I will be living and dying with the team every Sunday."

Brees began his NFL career with the San Diego Chargers, selected in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. But the quarterback was hindered by a shoulder injury and was never able to gain much traction with the team.

The former Boilermaker's career took off in New Orleans, where he spent the remainder of his career (2006-20). In addition to the accolades, Brees was also a seven-time passing yards leader, a six-time completion percentage leader and led the NFL in touchdown passes four times.

"The 15 years that I spent here from 2006 to 2020, were 15 of the best years of my life," Brees said. "My wife Brittany and I were embraced by this city, by this organization, by Mrs. Benson and by the unbelievable staff that, you know, it's so great to just, I think, see the consistency throughout this building, so many familiar faces, so many people that have been such a huge part of the success around here, not just on the field, but off the field and in the community.

"And that's why I feel like this organization has always been the standard-bearer and setter for all of professional sports when it comes to the connection that a team has with its community. And I think we recognized that very quickly back in 2006, when we first arrived here. We hoped that we would be able to make an impact, not just on the field, but off the field. Never in of our wildest dreams could have, imagined that it would be 15 years."

Prior to his NFL career, Brees enjoyed a tremendous career at Purdue. He was twice named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year (1998, 2000) and was named the conference's Most Valuable Player in 2000.

Brees led Purdue to a Big Ten championship during the 2000 campaign, finishing with an 8-4 record, including a 6-2 mark in conference play. The Boilermakers reached the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1967.

When his career in West Lafayette concluded, Brees had thrown for 10,909 yards with 81 touchdowns and a 61.8% completion rating. He also rushed for 906 yards and 14 additional trips to the end zone.

Brees helped revolutionize the way offense was played in the Big Ten, fully embracing Joe Tiller's "basketball on grass" style.

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