Billy Joe Hobert

Who is Billy Joe Hobert?

Billy Joe Hobert is a former professional American football quarterback. While at the University of Washington, he led the Huskies to a national championship in 1991, during his redshirt sophomore season. He was elevated to the starting position after junior Mark Brunell suffered a serious knee injury during spring drills, causing him to miss much of the 1991 season.

After the success of the 1991 season, Hobert became implicated in a major NCAA scandal when it was revealed he had received a series of loans totaling $50,000 made by the father-in-law of a friend while Hobert himself had no assets and no specific payment schedule. This would cost Hobert his college eligibility, and was a mitigating factor in the University receiving NCAA sanctions for lack of institutional control, in turn leading to head coach Don James resigning in protest. Although several other Huskies players were implicated in improprieties, Hobert became the most well-known face of the sanctions, leading to him receiving death threats.

1991 Season: 173/285 for 2,271 yards with 22 TDs, 10 INTs, 56 yards rushing and 5 TDs.

Hobert was the 58th pick in the 1993 NFL Draft, selected by the Los Angeles Raiders, 60 picks ahead of teammate Mark Brunell. Hobert was the third quarterback selected in the draft, behind the top two overall picks, Drew Bledsoe and Rick Mirer. Hobert was also drafted in the 16th round of the 1993 Major League Baseball Draft by the Chicago White Sox but choose to seek a career in the NFL. Hobert was a back-up quarterback for four seasons with the Raiders, then went on to play for the Buffalo Bills in 1997. He was initially expected to compete with Alex Van Pelt and Todd Collins for the starting quarterback position made vacant by Jim Kelly's retirement; however, after a notorious incident in Buffalo where he publicly admitted that he was unprepared to play, he was promptly released. He was acquired later that season by the New Orleans Saints, where he remained until 1999. The Saints traded him in 2000 to the Indianapolis Colts. While on the Colts roster for two years, he did not play a snap during the regular season.