Steven Carl Pelluer (born July 29, 1962) is a former professional

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 wi ...

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 ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

for the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...

and

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The ...

. He was selected by the

in the 5th round of the 1984 NFL Draft. He played college football at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattl ...

Early years

Pelluer attended

Interlake High School Interlake High School (IHS) is a public secondary school in Bellevue, Washington, one of the four traditional high schools in the Bellevue School District. Its mascot is a Saint Bernard named Bernie, and the school's sports teams are known as th ...

Bellevue, Washington Bellevue ( ) is a city in the Eastside region of King County, Washington, United States, located across Lake Washington from Seattle. It is the third-largest city in the Seattle metropolitan area and has variously been characterized as ...

, a suburb east of

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

, and

lettered Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "t ...

in football and

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

. In football, he led his team to the state quarterfinals in his last two years. As a senior, he received All-state honors and was a National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete. Pelluer's family had a tradition of playing football at

Washington State University Washington State University (Washington State, WSU, or informally Wazzu) is a public land-grant research university with its flagship, and oldest, campus in Pullman, Washington. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest land-grant uni ...

in Pullman, but he accepted a scholarship from the rival

in Seattle. As a sophomore in

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

under head coach Don James, Pelluer took over the starting

position, after

Tim Cowan Tim Cowan (born August 17, 1960) is a former American football quarterback who played four seasons in the Canadian Football League (CFL) with the BC Lions and Toronto Argonauts. Cowan played college football at the University of Washington. He was ...

injured his thumb in the second game of the season. He finished with 110 of 234 completions, for 1,138 yards and 9

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Amer ...

s, while leading the team to a Pacific-10 Conference title and a 28–0 win over the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 col ...

in the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day. Even though his record was 7–1, Pelluer lost the starting job to Cowan in 1982. In his senior season in

1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning ...

, he had one of the best

seasons in school history, receiving All-Pac-10 and the conference's offensive player of the year honors, after completing a 67.2% of his passes (school record) for 2,365 yards and 11

s. He also set a school record with most consecutive passes completed (137) without an interception. Pelluer left as the school's second career leader in passing yards with 4,603 passing yards, to go along with 436 completions (school record), 30

s, 342 rushing yards and a record.

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys

Pelluer was selected by the

in the fifth round (113th overall) of the 1984 NFL Draft. He also was selected by the

Oakland Invaders The Oakland Invaders were a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League (USFL) from 1983 through 1985. Based in Oakland, California, they played at the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum. The team can tra ...

in the sixth round (111th overall) of the

1984 USFL Draft The 1984 USFL Draft was the second collegiate draft of the United States Football League The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played ...

. He was the third-string quarterback in his first two years. In

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

, with the first place in the NFC East division at stake, he was forced to enter a close game against the New York Giants and make his career debut, because both starting quarterback

Danny White Wilford Daniel White (born February 9, 1952) is a former quarterback and Punter (football), punter for the Dallas Cowboys and an American football coach in the Arena Football League. He has been the color commentator for Cowboys games on Compas ...

and backup

Gary Hogeboom Gary Keith Hogeboom (born August 21, 1958) is an American former football quarterback, real estate developer, and television personality. He played in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts and Phoenix Cardinals. ...

had been injured. Pelluer on his second series directed a 72-yard drive (which included a third-and-15 conversion) for the winning

, leading the Cowboys to a victory that clinched the division title. In

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 **Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal enter ...

, he was named the backup

after Hogeboom was traded. When White suffered a season-ending injury in week 9 against the New York Giants, Pelluer nearly rallied the team after completing 28-of-38 passes for 339 yards. He started 6 out of the last 7 games, showing a strong arm and great mobility. Against the Seattle Seahawks, he set the franchise record for consecutive passes completed (14) without an incompletion. He finished with a 1–6 record and was sacked 47 times in 9 starts. In

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, ...

, he began as a backup, but took over White in week 10 against 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 p ...

and started 4 out of the last 6 games. He finished with 94 straight passes without throwing an interception. 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 Bicenten ...

, at a low point in franchise history, he started 14 of the 16 games, passing for 3,139 yards, 17

s, rushing for 314 yards (second on the team) and 2

s, but the team finished just 3–13 (3–11 in his starts). In the seventh game against the Chicago Bears, while sliding feet first, a fierce hit by

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

Mike Singletary forced him to leave the game with a concussion. In the eighth game against the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...

, he completed 32 (second in team history) out of 46 passes for 342 yards. In the fifteenth game against the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

, he passed for 333 yards and 3

s. He was the last

to start and win a game for a

Tom Landry Thomas Wade Landry (September 11, 1924 – February 12, 2000) was an American professional football player and coach. He was the first head coach of the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League (NFL), a position he held for 29 seasons. Dur ...

-coached team and became one of only 3 quarterbacks in franchise history to pass for more than 3,000 yards in a season, joining

Roger Staubach Roger Thomas Staubach (, -; , -; born February 5, 1942), nicknamed "Roger the Dodger", "Captain America", and "Captain Comeback", is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for ...

(2 times) and

(4 times). The next year, he asked to be traded, after Jimmy Johnson was hired as the new head coach and drafted two rookie

s (

Troy Aikman Troy Kenneth Aikman (born November 21, 1966) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. After transferring from Oklahoma, he played college football at UCLA, ...

and Steve Walsh). On October 17,

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxon Valdez oil tanker runs ...

, he was traded to the

in exchange for a third round draft choice in

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicist ...

(#68-

Ron Lewis Ronald Edward Lewis (born September 14, 1946) is an American retired politician who was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1994 to 2009, having represented the 2nd congressional district of Kentucky. Lewis a ...

) and a fourth round draft choice in

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...

(#106- Bill Musgrave).

Kansas City Chiefs

, he appeared in 5 regular season games with 3 starts. On November 5, he led his team to a 20–10 win against the Seattle Seahawks and tied a franchise record for rushing yards (69) by a

. In

, he appeared in 13 games with no starts, after Steve DeBerg established himself as the team starter during the preseason. On August 7,

, he walked out of training camp, before returning on August 19. He was released on August 27 and later re-signed on December 17 to back up

Mark Vlasic Mark Richard Vlasic (born October 25, 1963) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons. During this time, he played for the San Diego Chargers, Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buc ...

after DeBerg was injured.

Denver Broncos

In 1992, he was signed in

Plan B free agency In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

by the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...

and was cut on August 18, before the start of the season.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...

, Pelluer signed with the

Winnipeg Blue Bombers The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West division. They play their home games at IG Fie ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

after being out of football for three years. He was lost for the season after dislocating his shoulder in the second game against the

Birmingham Barracudas The Birmingham Barracudas were a Canadian football team that played the 1995 season in the Canadian Football League. The Barracudas were part of a failed attempt to expand the CFL into the United States. Franchise history In the beginning Ins ...

Frankfurt Galaxy

In 1996, he played with the Frankfurt Galaxy of the

World League of American Football NFL Europe League (simply called NFL Europe and known in its final season as NFL Europa League) was a professional American football league that functioned as the developmental minor league of the National Football League (NFL). Originally ...

, reuniting with head coach

Ernie Stautner Ernest Alfred Stautner (April 20, 1925 – February 16, 2006) was a German-American professional American football coach and defensive tackle in the National Football League for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He also served as a coach for the Pittsburg ...

, who was the defensive coordinator with the

. Pelluer was one of the three top

s in the league and helped his team reach the

World Bowl The World Bowl was the annual American football championship game of the World League of American Football/NFL Europe. The World Bowl was played each year from 1991 to 2007 (except 1993 and 1994). The game was conceived as the final of the NFL-r ...

. He returned the next year, but was a reserve player, before deciding to retire at the end of the season.

Personal life

Pelluer's brother, Scott Pelluer, attended

and played