| No. 4 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Quarterback | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | (1973-10-23)October 23, 1973 (age 51) Houston, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 218 lb (99 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Deer Park (TX) | ||||||||||||
| College: | Texas A&M | ||||||||||||
| Undrafted: | 1996 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
| Career Arena League statistics | |||||||||||||
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Corey Pullig (born October 23, 1973) is a formerquarterback forTexas A&M University who went on to play professionally for theArena Football League (AFL)'sGrand Rapids Rampage andBuffalo Destroyers.
Pullig was aParadeAll-American atDeer Park High School inDeer Park, Texas. He was highlyrecruited and came to Texas A&M after being promised a shot at thestarting job by thenoffensive coordinatorBob Toledo andhead coachR. C. Slocum.
Pullig began his true freshman year (1992) behind sophomoreJeff Granger, but took the job when Granger suffered aconcussion againstSMU. Making his first start at quarterback for the No. 5-ranked Aggies againstLouisville, Pullig led the team to victory in front of anABC television national audience atKyle Field.
The next week Pullig outdueledHouston Cougars' quarterbackJimmy Klingler in front of a national television audience onESPN at theAstrodome. Pullig threw for 272 yards as the Aggies rallied from a 17-10 halftime deficit with 21 unanswered points in the third quarter. His 17 completions in the game ranked No. 3 all-time by a freshman at A&M while his passing yards ranked second.
Texas A&M defeated in-state rival Texas, 31-10, that year atDarrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium inAustin. Texas A&M also defeated allSouthwest Conference opponents to win the 1992 Southwest Conference Championship.
Texas A&M faced Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl and lost 28-3. This was Texas A&M's only loss that season.
In 1993, Texas A&M lost early in the season to Oklahoma, the only ranked opponent on the schedule that year, before beating in-state rival Texas, 18-9, onKyle Field inCollege Station. Like in 1992, Texas A&M swept itsSouthwest Conference opponents to win the 1993 Southwest Conference Championship.
Texas A&M went on to face Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl that year. Texas A&M went into halftime up 14-7 and an upset over Notre Dame looked in the making. However, Texas A&M missed some key opportunities in the second half, and Notre Dame won the game 24-21.
In 1994, Texas A&M went undefeated (11-0-1). The only blemish was a tie to SMU, 21-21, at theAlamodome inSan Antonio. However, due to being on NCAA probation at the time, Texas A&M could neither qualify for theSouthwest Conference championship nor be invited to a bowl game. Also, Texas A&M football games could not be broadcast on TV.
In 1995, Texas A&M started the season with high hopes of a national championship. Texas A&M played Colorado, a ranked opponent, in Boulder. A dropped pass early in the game and an interception by Colorado (returned for a touchdown) cost Texas A&M the game (29-21), along with its national championship hopes. Texas A&M lost to Texas Tech in Lubbock the next week, 14-7, on a late interception returned for a touchdown. It took a pass for a touchdown on the last play for Texas A&M to beat SMU, an unranked opponent, the next week. Texas A&M also lost to in-state rival Texas, 16-6, on Kyle Field. This was the final game between Texas A&M and Texas while part of the Southwest Conference.
However, Texas A&M did rebound to beat Michigan in the 1995 Alamo Bowl, 22-20. This was Texas A&M's first bowl victory since the 1991 Holiday Bowl.
Pullig never relinquished the starting job, setting a school record with 40 consecutive starts. While quarterback, Texas A&M had, at the time, the longest active home game winning streak in the NCAA.
Pullig finished his career with a 33–6–1 mark as a starter, the most wins for any quarterback in Texas A&M history. He also passed for a school record 6,888 yards (broken byReggie McNeal in 2005). Texas A&M posted ten or eleven wins per season while Pullig was quarterback.
Texas A&M won the Southwest Conference championships in 1992 and 1993. In 1994, Texas A&M ranked first in the Southwest Conference but was unable to qualify for the Southwest Conference championship due to being on probation from the NCAA.
Pullig was the starting quarterback for part of the 1998 season for the AFL's Grand Rapids Rampage, and stayed as a reserve the following season. He played in 2000 for the Buffalo Destroyers. Pullig finished his AFL career with 2038 passing yards, 28touchdowns, 13interceptions, and an 82.13passer rating.
After retiring from football, Pullig attended theSouth Texas College of Law. He then joined theU.S. Marine Corps where he currently serves as aMarine judge advocate.[1]
