David Daniel Fales (born October 4, 1990) is a former
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
. He was drafted by the
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
in the sixth round of the
2014 NFL Draft
The 2014 NFL draft was the 79th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players to the league. The draft, officially the "Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in New Y ...
. He played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
at
San Jose State
San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a public university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the oldest public university on the West Coast and the founding campus of the California State University (CSU) sy ...
.
Fales played
high school football
High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...
at
Palma School
Palma School is a grade 6-12 Catholic boys school located in Salinas, California, United States. Located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Monterey, its motto is "Palma Merenti," which translates in English as "Palms to the Victor."
History
Palm ...
in
Salinas, California
Salinas (; Spanish for "Salt Marsh or Salt Flats") is a city in California and the county seat of Monterey County. With a population of 163,542 in the 2020 Census, Salinas is the most populous city in Monterey County. Salinas is an urban area lo ...
. After
redshirting freshman year for the
Nevada Wolfpack
The Nevada Wolf Pack are the athletic teams that represent the University of Nevada, Reno. They are part of NCAA's Division I's Mountain West Conference. It was founded on October 24, 1896 with football as the Sagebrushers in Reno, Nevada.
Hi ...
of the
University of Nevada, Reno
The University of Nevada, Reno (Nevada, the University of Nevada, or UNR) is a public land-grant research university in Reno, Nevada. It is the state's flagship public university and primary land grant institution. It was founded on October 12, ...
, Fales attended
Monterey Peninsula College
Monterey Peninsula College (MPC) is a public community college in Monterey, California. Established in 1947, it is a part of the California Community Colleges system. There are two additional MPC campuses located in Marina, CA, and Seaside, ...
for two years and transferred to
San Jose State University
San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a public university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the oldest public university on the West Coast and the founding campus of the California State University (CSU) sys ...
for his junior year in 2012. With Fales, the
San Jose State Spartans
The San Jose State Spartans are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent San José State University. SJSU sports teams compete in the Mountain West Conference (MW) at the NCAA Division I level, with football competing in the Football B ...
went 11–2 in 2012 with the school's first-ever
BCS ranking, first
AP Poll
The Associated Press poll (AP poll) provides weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling 62 sportswriters and broadca ...
ranking since 1975, and first
bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is one of a number of post-season college football games that are primarily played by teams belonging to the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). For most of its history, the Division I Bowl Subdivis ...
berth since 2006. With 31 touchdown passes in his first year with San Jose State, Fales was the most accurate FBS quarterback for the 2012 season and was
MVP
In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...
of the
2012 Military Bowl
The 2012 Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman was a post-season American college football bowl game held on December 27, 2012, at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in Washington, D.C. The fifth edition of the Military Bowl began at 3:00&n ...
.
Early life
Fales was born and raised in
Salinas, California
Salinas (; Spanish for "Salt Marsh or Salt Flats") is a city in California and the county seat of Monterey County. With a population of 163,542 in the 2020 Census, Salinas is the most populous city in Monterey County. Salinas is an urban area lo ...
.
A 2009 graduate of
Palma High School
Palma School is a grade 6-12 Catholic boys school located in Salinas, California, United States. Located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Monterey, its motto is "Palma Merenti," which translates in English as "Palms to the Victor."
History
Palm ...
in Salinas, Fales was twice selected as all-league as quarterback.
As a junior, Fales was named as the starting quarterback after the fourth game of 2007 after the regular starter suffered a severe
concussion
A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include loss of consciousness (LOC); memory loss; headaches; difficulty with thinking, concentration, ...
. In his first game as starter on October 5, a 35–3 win over rival
Salinas, Fales completed 5 of 10 passes for 57 yards, including one 26-yard touchdown pass. Palma also had over 200 rushing yards. With an 8–2 record for the 2007 regular season, Palma lost the first round
Central Coast Section
The Central Coast Section (CCS) is the governing body of public and private high school athletics in the portion of California encompassing San Mateo County, Santa Clara County, Monterey County, San Benito County, Santa Cruz County and a few pri ...
playoff game 20–14 to
Los Gatos
Los Gatos (, ; ) is an List of municipalities in California, incorporated town in Santa Clara County, California, United States. The population is 33,529 according to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is located in the San Franci ...
on November 16 after Fales lost a fumble with 1:33 left.
As a senior, Fales was Tri-County League offensive
MVP
In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...
.
In Palma's
homecoming
Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States, Canada and Liberia.
...
game on October 10, 2008, Fales completed 15 of 19 passes for 164 yards and ran for two touchdowns in a 21–14 victory over
Seaside. In his junior and senior years, Fales threw 31 touchdowns and nine interceptions on 220-for-319 passing over 3,267 yards.
Having attracted little attention from college recruiters, Fales accepted a scholarship from the
University of Nevada, Reno
The University of Nevada, Reno (Nevada, the University of Nevada, or UNR) is a public land-grant research university in Reno, Nevada. It is the state's flagship public university and primary land grant institution. It was founded on October 12, ...
, the first school to offer him one.
Other colleges that expressed interest in Fales included
Boise State,
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...
,
Colorado State
Colorado State University (Colorado State or CSU) is a public land-grant research university in Fort Collins, Colorado. It is the flagship university of the Colorado State University System. Colorado State University is classified among "R1: ...
,
Kansas State
Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public instit ...
,
Oregon State
Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering col ...
, and
Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
, but none of them offered scholarships.
''
Scout.com
Scout Media is an integrated sports publishing company that produces Internet content covering hundreds of professional and college teams across America. The company was founded in 2001 and was acquired by Fox Sports in 2005. In 2013, Fox Sports ...
'' ranked Fales #115 among quarterbacks in the United States.
College career
A two-star recruit, Fales attracted only one offer from
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...
. On July 28, 2008, Fales signed with
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...
. Fales also attended a summer camp for
Oregon State
Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering col ...
.
Nevada
At the University of Nevada, Fales
redshirted
Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...
his freshman year in 2009, behind starter and future NFL quarterback
Colin Kaepernick
Colin Rand Kaepernick ( ; born November 3, 1987) is an American civil rights activist and football quarterback who is a free agent. He played six seasons for the San Francisco 49ers in the National Football League (NFL). In 2016, he knelt dur ...
. Fales later explained why he left Nevada: "I realized that what they wanted to do wasn't a good fit for me. They wanted me to be more of a runner."
Monterey Peninsula
In 2010, Fales returned home to
Monterey County
Monterey County ( ), officially the County of Monterey, is a county located on the Pacific coast in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, its population was 439,035. The county's largest city and county seat is Salinas.
Montere ...
and transferred to
Monterey Peninsula College
Monterey Peninsula College (MPC) is a public community college in Monterey, California. Established in 1947, it is a part of the California Community Colleges system. There are two additional MPC campuses located in Marina, CA, and Seaside, ...
. According to Fales, he "had a previous relationship with the head coach (Mike Rasmussen)" at the college.
Fales was a two-time all-conference selection and completed 61.8 percent of passes for 4,635 yards and 37 touchdowns.
After
Wyoming
Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...
offered Fales a non-scholarship position, Fales took a summer class at Wyoming in 2011 but returned to Monterey Peninsula for the fall.
For the 2011 season with Fales, Monterey Peninsula was 2011 Coast Conference co-champion and qualified for the Sierra Central Credit Union Bowl. Fales was among the top ten
junior college
A junior college (sometimes referred to colloquially as a juco, JuCo or JC) is a post-secondary educational institution offering vocational training designed to prepare students for either skilled trades and technical occupations and workers in su ...
quarterbacks in number of completions, completion rate, passing yards, touchdown passes, and passer efficiency.
As a two-star recruit, Fales attracted one offer from
San Jose State
San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a public university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the oldest public university on the West Coast and the founding campus of the California State University (CSU) sy ...
. On December 21, 2011, he signed with
San Jose State
San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a public university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the oldest public university on the West Coast and the founding campus of the California State University (CSU) sy ...
.
San Jose State
2012 season
During the 2011 season, San Jose State found itself without a viable future starting quarterback after
Tate Forcier
Robert Patrick "Tate" Forcier ( ; born August 7, 1990) is a former American football quarterback. He was a starting quarterback for the 2009 Michigan Wolverines football team ahead of Denard Robinson, and Robinson's backup for the 2010 Michigan ...
, who was redshirting a year after transferring from
Michigan
Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
, withdrew from San Jose State. Recruiting coordinator Terry Malley suggested recruiting Fales, and quarterbacks coach
John DeFilippo
John Eugene DeFilippo (born April 12, 1978) is an American football coach who is the head coach for the New Orleans Breakers (2022), New Orleans Breakers of the United States Football League (2022), United States Football League (USFL). He playe ...
met with Fales at Monterey Peninsula College. DeFilippo would later comment about Fales: "They did a great job with him at MPC. They ran a similar offense to what we had, a pro style. So I knew the learning curve wouldn't be as steep as with a guy coming from the spread offense."
In December 2011, Fales signed a
letter of intent
A letter of intent (LOI or LoI, or Letter of Intent) is a document outlining the understanding between two or more parties which they intend to formalize in a contract, legally binding agreement. The concept is similar to a Heads of agreement ( ...
for
San Jose State University
San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a public university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the oldest public university on the West Coast and the founding campus of the California State University (CSU) sys ...
. The
FCS school
Indiana State University
Indiana State University (ISU) is a public university in Terre Haute, Indiana. It was founded in 1865 and offers over 100 undergraduate majors and more than 75 graduate and professional programs. Indiana State is classified among "D/PU: Doctor ...
also offered Fales a scholarship.
![David Fales](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/02/David_Fales.jpg)
On August 23, 2012, following summer training camps, coach
Mike MacIntyre
George Michael MacIntyre (born March 14, 1965) is an American football coach. He is the head coach at FIU. MacIntyre served as the head football coach at San Jose State University from 2010 to 2013 and the University of Colorado Boulder from 2 ...
named Fales the starting quarterback. Fales debuted for San Jose State on August 31 against
Stanford
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is considere ...
. In San Jose State's 20–17 loss, Fales completed 24 for 35 passes for 216 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. After SJSU trailed Stanford 17–3 at halftime, Fales capped a third quarter rally with a 21-yard touchdown pass to Noel Grigsby. Following the
extra point
The conversion, try (American football, also known as a point(s) after touchdown, PAT, or (depending on the number of points) extra point/2-point conversion), or convert (Canadian football) occurs immediately after a touchdown during which the sc ...
, the game was tied at 17. Fales's interception occurred with one minute and 10 seconds left in the fourth quarter, and Stanford
ran out the clock to win the game. Fales was also sacked three times for a loss of 17 yards but also had one 8-yard run.
For the next two games, both at home against
UC Davis
The University of California, Davis (UC Davis, UCD, or Davis) is a public land-grant research university near Davis, California. Named a Public Ivy, it is the northernmost of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The institut ...
on September 8 and
Colorado State
Colorado State University (Colorado State or CSU) is a public land-grant research university in Fort Collins, Colorado. It is the flagship university of the Colorado State University System. Colorado State University is classified among "R1: ...
on September 15, Fales had interception-free games with a total of four touchdowns: one on September 8 and three on September 15.
On September 22, in a 38–34 road victory over
San Diego State
San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system ...
, Fales completed 21 of 31 passes for 260 yards, four touchdowns, and an interception.
The lead changed four times in the fourth quarter after one tie. With 50 seconds left in the game, Fales capped a five-play, 65-yard drive with the winning 14-yard touchdown pass to Chandler Jones. Fales had a season-high completion percentage of 85.3 percent (29-for-34, 276 yards) in San Jose State's 12–0 road victory over
Navy
A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...
on September 29 but threw no touchdowns and one interception.
After the Navy game, San Jose State was 4–1, the best start since its
2006 New Mexico Bowl championship season.
![David Fales drops back to pass in the 2012 Military Bowl](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/41/David_Fales_drops_back_to_pass_in_the_2012_Military_Bowl.jpg)
Despite this start, San Jose State would lose its
homecoming
Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States, Canada and Liberia.
...
game 49–27 to
Utah State
Utah State University (USU or Utah State) is a public land-grant research university in Logan, Utah. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. With nearly 20,000 students living on or near campus, USU is Utah's ...
on October 13. Although Fales completed 38 of 50 passes for three touchdowns and no interceptions, Fales was
sacked 13 times for a total loss of 102 yards. Fales also lost a fumble late in the game, and Utah State scored its final touchdown off that turnover. After this loss, Fales would lead SJSU to four straight wins and an 8–2 record by November 10. In those four games, three of which were away games, Fales threw 13 touchdowns and 4 interceptions.
By November, Fales was approaching school records for career passing yards and touchdowns. On November 17, San Jose State won its ninth game of the year and reached its first nine-win season since 2006. In a game nationally televised on
ESPN2
ESPN2 is an American multinational pay television network owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and Hearst Communications (which owns the remaining 20%).
ESPN2 was initially fo ...
, Fales completed 25 of 34 passes for 305 yards for three touchdowns and one interception in San Jose State's 20–14 win over
BYU
Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day S ...
. Those three touchdowns all came from San Jose State's first three offensive drives. San Jose State's next game, the season finale victory on November 24 against
Louisiana Tech
Louisiana Tech University (Louisiana Tech, La. Tech, or simply Tech) is a public research university in Ruston, Louisiana. It is part of the University of Louisiana System and classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activi ...
, again was nationally televised on ESPN2. For the sixth time this season, Fales passed for more than 300 yards, as he completed 25 of 37 passes for three touchdowns and an interception.
For the regular 2012 season, Fales threw for 3,798 yards with 31
touchdowns
A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether Rush (gridiron football), running, Forward pass, passing, returning a Kickoff (gridiron football), kickoff or Punt (gridiron football), punt, or recovering a Turno ...
and nine interceptions.
With a completion rate of 72.1 percent, Fales was the most accurate passer and third in efficiency nationally among FBS starting quarterbacks. In addition to second-team All-
Western Athletic Conference
The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is an NCAA Division I conference. The WAC covers a broad expanse of the western United States with member institutions located in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Utah, Washington (state), Washington, and Texa ...
honors, Fales made the ''
Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...
'' honorable mention All-American team.
On November 25, San Jose State made the 24th spot in the
Bowl Championship Series (BCS) Top 25 rankings. This was San Jose State's first-ever BCS ranking and first national ranking since 1990. The following week, both the
AP Poll
The Associated Press poll (AP poll) provides weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling 62 sportswriters and broadca ...
and
''USA Today'' Coaches' Poll ranked San Jose State 24th in the top 25. This ranking marked San Jose State's first top-25 AP ranking since 1975. San Jose State also played its first
bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is one of a number of post-season college football games that are primarily played by teams belonging to the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). For most of its history, the Division I Bowl Subdivis ...
since the
2006 New Mexico Bowl. On December 27, San Jose State defeated
Bowling Green
A bowling green is a finely laid, close-mown and rolled stretch of turf for playing the game of bowls.
Before 1830, when Edwin Beard Budding of Thrupp, near Stroud, UK, invented the lawnmower, lawns were often kept cropped by grazing sheep on ...
in the
2012 Military Bowl
The 2012 Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman was a post-season American college football bowl game held on December 27, 2012, at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in Washington, D.C. The fifth edition of the Military Bowl began at 3:00&n ...
by a score of 29–20. With 33 of 43 passes completed for 395 yards and 2 touchdowns, Fales was named the game's
most valuable player
In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...
.
[ Also published by ESPN.com as]
San Jose State caps turnaround year with win in Military Bowl
.
2013 season
Prior to the 2013 season, Fales was being projected as a first round pick in the
2014 NFL Draft
The 2014 NFL draft was the 79th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players to the league. The draft, officially the "Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in New Y ...
.
San Jose State started off 2013 with a 24–0 win over
Sacramento State
California State University, Sacramento (CSUS, Sacramento State, or informally Sac State) is a public university in Sacramento, California. Founded in 1947 as Sacramento State College, it is the eleventh oldest school in the 23-campus California ...
on August 29. Fales completed 16-of-32 passes for 225 yards and 2 touchdowns. The next game on September 7, in a 34–13 loss to
Stanford
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is considere ...
, Fales completed 29 of 43 passes for 216 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception and was sacked 4 times for 39 lost yards. Fales again played well on September 24 with 29 of 43 passes completed for 216 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception, but San Jose State lost to
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
43–24. On September 27 in a 40–12 loss to
Utah State
Utah State University (USU or Utah State) is a public land-grant research university in Logan, Utah. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. With nearly 20,000 students living on or near campus, USU is Utah's ...
, Fales completed 25 of 48 passes for 314 yards and 2 interceptions. In contrast to last year's game against Utah State where he was sacked 13 times, Fales was sacked only once in this game.
San Jose State won on October 5, 37–27 over
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
. Fales completed 16 of 35 passes for 318 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions.
In a 31–0 run that followed a 14–3 first quarter deficit, Fales threw touchdowns of 61, 35, and 27 yards. On October 12, in
Colorado State
Colorado State University (Colorado State or CSU) is a public land-grant research university in Fort Collins, Colorado. It is the flagship university of the Colorado State University System. Colorado State University is classified among "R1: ...
's homecoming game, San Jose State won 34–27. Completing 28 of 35 passes for 431 yards, Fales threw 3 touchdowns of 83, 77, and 62 yards. According to ''
The Coloradoan
The ''Coloradoan'' is a daily newspaper in Fort Collins, Colorado. The ''Coloradoan''s website is updated throughout the day with breaking news and video coverage of community news in Northern Colorado.
History
Founded by Joseph L. McClella ...
'', Fales completed several of his passes after eluding backfield defenders. Excluding two sacks for a loss of 13 yards, Fales had a career-high 33 rushing yards on 7 scrambles. Following the game, the NCAA ranked Colorado State next-to-last in pass defense efficiency among all FBS teams. With 5:36 left in the game, Fales threw the winning touchdown 62 yards to true freshman wide receiver Tyler Winston. Following a bye week, San Jose State won its homecoming game on October 26, 51–44 over
Wyoming
Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...
. Fales reached new career highs in passing yardage and touchdowns as he completed 27 of 37 passes for 482 yards and 5 touchdowns; Fales also scored the winning touchdown on a 1-yard
sneak with 8 seconds left. This was also Fales's fifth consecutive game with over 300 passing yards, a
Mountain West Conference
The Mountain West Conference (MW) is one of the collegiate athletic conferences affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) (formerly I-A). The MW officially began operations o ...
record.
After starting the season 5–3, San Jose State then lost three games in a row. On November 9, San Jose State lost 34–30 to
San Diego State
San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system ...
after leading for most of the game. On fourth down with 2:35 left, Fales threw an interception, and San Diego State won after running out the clock.
Fales had three touchdown passes.
One of the touchdowns came after a trick play in which Fales pitched the ball to wide receiver Tim Crawley, who pitched the ball back. Fales then passed deep to Chandler Jones for a 40-yard touchdown.
In San Jose State's loss to
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...
the following week, Fales completed 28 of 43 passes for 326 yards and a touchdown.
On November 2, in a home game against
Navy
A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...
nationally televised on
ESPN2
ESPN2 is an American multinational pay television network owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and Hearst Communications (which owns the remaining 20%).
ESPN2 was initially fo ...
's ''
College Football Friday Primetime'', Fales completed 42 of 56 passes for 440 yards and again had 5 passing touchdowns.
However, San Jose State lost 58–52 in triple overtime after Fales threw an interception during the third overtime, and Navy quarterback
Keenan Reynolds then scored the winning touchdown. San Jose State finished 6–6 after beating
AP 16th-ranked and 11–0
Fresno State
California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California. It is one of 23 campuses in the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers bachelo ...
62–52 in San Jose on November 29. Fales threw a career-high six touchdown passes and single-game school record 547 yards.
Despite a bowl-eligible 6–6 record, San Jose State did not receive a bowl game invitation. Fales finished his San Jose State career breaking
Adam Tafralis
Adam Gregory Tafralis (born August 30, 1983) is a former professional gridiron football quarterback. He was signed by the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at San Jose State University.
He was a ...
's San Jose State records for career pass completions (639) and career total offense (8,250 yards) and Fales's own record for single-season total offense (4,196 yards). Fales surpassed
Steve Clarkson's previous record with 66 career touchdown passes and Tafralis's previous record with 8,382 passing yards.
College statistics
Professional career
Chicago Bears
Fales was selected by the
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
in the sixth round of the
2014 NFL Draft
The 2014 NFL draft was the 79th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players to the league. The draft, officially the "Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in New Y ...
with the 183rd overall pick. Fales is the first San Jose State quarterback to be drafted since
Mike Perez in
1988
File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...
, and the fourth in school history since the
AFL-NFL merger. On May 12, 2014, Fales signed a four-year contract with the Bears. Fales ended a 26-year drought for San Jose State quarterbacks being drafting in the NFL when he was selected by the Bears. "It’s an honor," Fales said. "I’m excited to be representing San Jose State." Fales is the school’s record holder in every significant passing category including career and single season marks in passing-yards and touchdowns. Fales would be San Jose State’s first quarterback since Jeff Garcia to play in the NFL.
Fales played sparingly throughout the 2014 preseason, where he saw most of his action in the finale. With Fales still fighting for a spot on the final roster with the other backup quarterbacks, he was given the start and saw significant playing time in the final preseason game of 2014. In that game, Fales made a good case for himself to make the team, by finishing the game going 13-of-24 for 146 yards and a touchdown. However, Fales was waived on September 12. After he cleared waivers, he was signed to the Bears' practice squad on September 14. On December 13, 2014, Fales was elevated from the Bears' practice squad to the team's 53-man roster. The move came right after the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
attempted to sign Fales. On November 23, 2015, Fales was promoted once again to the active roster after
Jimmy Clausen
James Richard Clausen (born September 21, 1987) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) from 2010 to 2015. He played college football at Notre Dame and was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in t ...
was waived.
On September 3, 2016, Fales was released by the Bears as part of final roster cuts.
Baltimore Ravens
On September 6, 2016, Fales was signed to the
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...
' practice squad. He was released by the Ravens on November 8, 2016, but he was re-signed two days later, only to be released again on November 15. He was re-signed again to the practice squad on November 19.
Chicago Bears (second stint)
On November 23, 2016, Fales was signed by the Bears from the Ravens' practice squad. In Week 17, he made his NFL debut in the regular season finale, entering the game in the fourth quarter and completing 2-of-5 passes for 22 yards as the Bears lost to the
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...
by a score of 38–10.
Miami Dolphins
2017 season
On April 5, 2017, Fales signed with the
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...
. He was waived by the team on September 2, 2017. On October 24, 2017, the Dolphins brought back Fales to back up
Matt Moore after an injury to starter
Jay Cutler
Jay Christopher Cutler (born April 29, 1983) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the Chicago Bears. He played college football for the Van ...
. On December 3, 2017, Fales made his first regular season appearance as a Miami Dolphin, as the Dolphins were up 35–9 with 3 minutes left in the game, he made two handoffs to
Senorise Perry, and went 0-of-1 passing. In the regular season finale, on December 31, Fales replaced Cutler after the first series. Fales then completed 29 of 42 passes for 265 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception while also rushing for a one-yard touchdown as the Dolphins lost to the
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...
by a score of 22–16. His first career passing touchdown was a one-yard pass to
Jarvis Landry
Jarvis Charles Landry (born November 28, 1992) is an American football wide receiver for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at LSU and was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the second round o ...
.
2018 season
On March 15, 2018, Fales re-signed with the Dolphins. He was named the third string quarterback behind
Ryan Tannehill
Ryan Timothy Tannehill III (born July 27, 1988) is an American football quarterback for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Texas A&M, where he was a wide receiver until his junior year, an ...
and
Brock Osweiler
Brock Alan Osweiler (born November 22, 1990) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football at Arizona State and was selected by the Denver Broncos in the s ...
, but did not appear in a game all season.
Detroit Lions
On June 10, 2019, Fales was signed by the
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
. He was waived on August 27, 2019.
New York Jets
On September 18, 2019, Fales was signed by the
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...
. On September 23, 2019, Fales was released. On October 4, 2019, Fales was re-signed by the Jets.
On April 23, 2020, Fales re-signed with the Jets. On September 5, 2020, Fales was released by the Jets and re-signed to the practice squad the next day. He was released on October 28.
NFL career statistics
References
External links
Miami Dolphins bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fales, David
1990 births
Living people
American football quarterbacks
Baltimore Ravens players
Chicago Bears players
Detroit Lions players
Miami Dolphins players
Monterey Peninsula Lobos football players
Nevada Wolf Pack football players
New York Jets players
San Jose State Spartans football players
Sportspeople from Salinas, California
Players of American football from California