Brett Favre

Brett Lorenzo Favre (born October 10, 1969 in Gulfport, Mississippi) has been the starting quarterback for the Green Bay Packers football team in the National Football League since 1992. Favre is considered one of the greatest players in the history of the NFL.

Favre played college football at Southern Mississippi, and was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in 1991, where he was a second string quarterback with unremarkable numbers. Favre was acquired by the Packers in 1992 in a trade with the Falcons.

He has started every Green Bay Packers game after September 20, 1992, when he was summoned in to replace an injured Don Majkowski during game 3 of the season against the Cincinnati Bengals and proceeded to lead the team to a come-from-behind victory, throwing the game-winning touchdown pass with 13 seconds remaining. He holds the longest consecutive starts streak for quarterbacks in NFL history, a number that continues to grow despite numerous injuries, including a broken thumb on his right (throwing) hand that he played with for all of 2003.

Favre has won the National Football League's Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award a record three times, all in consecutive years (1995-1997; the last was shared with Barry Sanders).

During that time, while being treated for various injuries, Favre developed an addiction to Vicodin. He went public with his problem in May 1996, and immediately sought rehabilitation after a press conference admitting his problem. He remained in rehab for 46 days. Shortly thereafter, he led the Packers to their greatest season in thirty years; the Packers won the Vince Lombardi Trophy and Super Bowl XXXI against the New England Patriots at the end of the 1996 season.

The Packers, led by Favre, fought their way to a second Super Bowl in the 1997 season, losing to the Denver Broncos.

One of the defining moments of Favre's career took place on December 22, 2003, in a Monday-night game against the Oakland Raiders. The day before, his father, who had been his high school coach and lifelong mentor, died. Where most players would have taken the week off, Favre elected instead to play. He passed for four touchdowns in the first half, and 399 yards in the game. He was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week. He then went to his father's funeral in Pass Christian, Mississippi and returned in time to lead the Packers to a 2003 NFC North title with a win over the Denver Broncos.

Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle declared November 29, 2004 as Brett Favre Day to honor Favre's 200th consecutive NFL regular season start. The Packers defeated the St. Louis Rams on Monday Night Football.

On March 10, 2005, Favre announced his intention on playing in the 2005-2006 season, contingent on the health of his wife, Deanna, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2004.[1]

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