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Brees Enshrined into Pro Football Hall of FameBrees Enshrined into Pro Football Hall of Fame
Chad Krockover; Krock Photograph

Brees Enshrined into Pro Football Hall of Fame

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Purdue University, I don't know how you got this Texas kid up to West Lafayette, Indiana, but it was certainly one of the best decisions I ever made in my life.

Drew BreesPro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026

CANTON, Ohio – Drew Brees, a Purdue Boilermaker and one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday (August 8). A first-ballot Hall of Famer, Brees joined Roger Craig, Larry Fitzgerald, Luke Kuechly and Adam Vinatieri in the Hall’s class of 2026.

Presented by his longtime NFL coach, Sean Payton, Brees became the fifth Boilermaker to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame alongside Len Dawson (1987), Bob Griese (1990), Hank Stram (2003) and Rod Woodson (2009).

A Super Bowl MVP and Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year, Brees retired in 2020, which made the class of 2026 his first year of eligibility for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He set five NFL records throughout his career: completions (7,142), 5,000-yard passing seasons (5), consecutive games with a touchdown pass (54), most touchdown passes in a game (7) and the highest single-season completion percentage (74.4). He also still ranks second in NFL history in passing touchdowns (571) and passing yards (80,358), while ranking third in completion percentage (67.7) and fourth in wins (172).

Brees was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in 2001, spending five seasons with the team before joining the New Orleans Saints. While in New Orleans, Brees broke nearly all of the organization’s statistical passing records, and he led the Saints to victory in Super Bowl XLIV (2009). As a Saint, he was a two-time NFL Offensive Player of the Year, five-time All-Pro and 13-time Pro Bowler.

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Before his incredible NFL career, Brees rewrote the record books at Purdue. He arrived in West Lafayette as a little-known quarterback and left as one of the most-decorated players in school history, setting two NCAA records, 13 Big Ten Conference records and 19 Purdue records. On the Big Ten career lists, he still ranks first in completions (1,026) and passing yards (11,792) and second in passing attempts (1,678), passing touchdowns (90) and total offense (12,692).

The Boilermaker QB was a two-time Heisman Trophy finalist, two-time Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and two-time first team all-conference selection. Brees also won the 2000 Maxwell Award as the nation's outstanding player and the "Chicago Tribune" Silver Football as the Big Ten Most Valuable Player. That same year, he broke his own total offense record with 4,189 yards to lead the Boilermakers to a Big Ten title and Rose Bowl appearance. Brees completed 309-of-512 passes for 3,668 yards with 26 touchdowns, while rushing for 521 yards on 95 carries (5.5 average) with five touchdowns en route to leading the nation in total offense (358.1 yards per game). As a star in the classroom, he was the 2000 Academic All-American of the Year.

Brees is no stranger to halls of fame. He was inducted into the Purdue Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame in 2009 and the Academic All-America Hall of Fame in 2016. Earlier this year (January 2026), Brees became the fourth Boilermaker to earn the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award, marking 25 years since the conclusion of his college career.

 

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