Portal:American football/Selected biography/April, 2007
Rex Grossman (born August 23, 1980) is a quarterback for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. Grossman was born in Bloomington, Indiana to Daniel and Maureen Grossman. Under the motivation and guidance of his father, Grossman began to play football at an early age in grade school. He originally started his football career as a running back. Despite his success as a running back, Grossman’s mother asked his coach to convert him to a quarterback, while he was in the sixth grade.
He attended Bloomington South High School, where he threw 97 touchdowns for 7,518 yards. Grossman threw 44 touchdown passes during his senior year, including a game where he threw six and two games where he threw four. His senior season reached its pinnacle on November 28, 1998, when he led his team to a 34-14 5A championship title over Homestead High School. Grossman threw five touchdowns for 216 yards, setting a state record for most touchdowns thrown in a championship game.
Grossman received national recognition as the 1998 Indiana Player-of-the-Year by USA Today, and was ranked among the top fifteen players in the nation by the National Recruiting Advisor. Parade Magazine also named him to their "All-America team". He received state-wide honors when he was named "Indiana's Mr. Football" later that year. Residents of his hometown community still remember his accomplishments and passing records. Grossman’s high school retired his jersey in 2006 to commemorate his initial return and success during the 2006 season.
After completing high school, Grossman elected to attend the University of Florida as opposed to Indiana University, where his father and grandfather played football.