Rex Grossman
A cannon-armed quarterback whose rollercoaster career with the Chicago Bears peaked with a thrilling, if flawed, Super Bowl run in 2006.
Born 1980 (age 46)·American football player·Birthday: August 23·Generation X
Biography
Rex Grossman's football story is one of explosive potential and polarizing performance. At the University of Florida, he was a gunslinger in Steve Spurrier's 'Fun 'n' Gun' offense, launching deep balls with abandon and finishing as the Heisman Trophy runner-up in 2001. Drafted in the first round by the Chicago Bears, his tenure became a saga of 'Good Rex' and 'Bad Rex.' When he was on, he could unleash breathtaking throws that few could match. When he was off, turnovers piled up. This volatility defined the Bears' 2006 season, where his aggressive play helped fuel a 13-3 record and an NFC Championship, but his inconsistency contributed to a rainy Super Bowl XLI loss. Injuries and benchings marked his later years, but his legacy in Chicago is cemented as the quarterback who, for better or worse, piloted a beloved team to the brink of a title.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Rex was born in 1980, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Rex Was Born
The biggest hits of 1980
#1 Movie
The Empire Strikes Back
Best Picture
Ordinary People
#1 TV Show
Dallas
Rex's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1980Born
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1985Started school
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1993Became a teenager
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
1996Could drive
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
1998Could vote
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2001Turned 21
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2010Turned 30
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 40
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 46 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Led the Chicago Bears to Super Bowl XLI as the starting quarterback during the 2006 NFL season.
- Named the Associated Press College Football Player of the Year in 2001 as a sophomore at the University of Florida.
- Won the 2002 Orange Bowl with Florida, defeating the Maryland Terrapins.
- Selected by the Chicago Bears with the 22nd overall pick in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft.
Did You Know?
His grandfather, Rex Grossman Sr., was a linebacker for the Baltimore Colts in the 1950s.
He was given the nickname 'Sexy Rexy' by Bears fans during the 2006 season.
Grossman and his Florida Gators teammate Jabar Gaffney connected for a then-NCAA record 14 touchdown passes in 2001.
He threw a 99-yard touchdown pass to Bernard Berrian in 2006, tied for the longest possible passing play.
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