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 Torretta in 1993 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 13 | |||||||||||||||
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| Position | Quarterback | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | (1970-08-10)August 10, 1970 (age 55) Pinole, California, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight | 215 lb (98 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Pinole Valley | ||||||||||||||
| College | Miami (1989–1992) | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1993: 7th round, 192nd overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
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Gino Louis Torretta (born August 10, 1970) is an American former professionalfootball player who was aquarterback for five seasons in theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theMiami Hurricanes, where he won theHeisman Trophy in 1992 and was a member of thenational championship teams of 1989 and 1991. He was selected by theMinnesota Vikings in the seventh round of the1993 NFL draft and was a member of several NFL teams, but never became a regular starter as a pro. He was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame in 2010.[1]
Torretta was born inPinole, California. He graduated fromPinole Valley High School, where he was a standouthigh school football quarterback for the Pinole Spartans.
Torretta accepted anathletic scholarship to attend theUniversity of Miami, where he played for theMiami Hurricanes football team from 1989 to 1992.
As a quarterback for the Hurricanes, Torretta spent his first two seasons mostly on the bench behind then starting quarterbackCraig Erickson, with his only significant playing time coming with three starts in 1989 after Erickson injured his throwing hand. During that span, however, the then-unknown Torretta lit upSan Diego State for 485 yards, setting a school record for most passing yards in a game that was only broken on September 29, 2012, by Stephen Morris.
Prior to an October 28, 1989, game against long-standing rivalFlorida State atDoak Campbell Stadium inTallahassee, University of Miami mascotSebastian the Ibis was tackled by a group of police officers for attempting to put outOsceola and Renegade's flaming spear. Sebastian was wearing a fireman's helmet and yellow raincoat and holding a fire extinguisher. When a police officer attempted to grab the fire extinguisher, the officer was sprayed in the chest. Sebastian was handcuffed by four officers and detained but ultimately released. Torretta, who started that game for Miami, later toldESPN, "Even if we weren't bad boys, it added to the mystique that, 'Man, look, even their mascot's getting arrested.'"[2]
In his first year as a starter, Torretta garnered further attention by stealing the show in a nationally televised 1991 game versus theHouston Cougars and their Heisman-frontrunning quarterback,David Klingler. As Miami's defense stymied Houston's run-and-shoot offense with relentless blitzing, Torretta put on the performance that many expected out of Klingler en route to a 40–10 victory; Klingler's lone touchdown pass in the game came with three seconds left in the fourth quarter against Miami's third-string defense, long after the game was decided. Torretta went on to lead Miami to a fourth-quarter comeback win on the road versus #1Florida State and ultimately to an undefeated season and a co-national championship.
Torretta passed for more than 3,000 yards his senior year in 1992 on his way to winning theHeisman Trophy and theDavey O'Brien Award that season. He also won theWalter Camp Award, theMaxwell Award, theJohnny Unitas Trophy, and theChic Harley Award. One of the key games of the season came againstWest Virginia when he threw for 363 yards and two touchdowns in the 35–23 victory. His career as quarterback at Miami was hugely successful, with Torretta leading the team to 26 wins and only one loss, which came in the1993 Sugar Bowl where the Hurricanes were dominated by theAlabama Crimson Tide's defense. Torretta was flummoxed by Alabama's 11-man fronts, and threw three interceptions after only throwing four all season. Alabama won the game, 34–13, and the national championship.
| Season | Team | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | TD | Int |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Miami | 101 | 177 | 57.1 | 1,325 | 8 | 8 |
| 1990 | Miami | 21 | 41 | 51.2 | 210 | 0 | 1 |
| 1991 | Miami | 205 | 371 | 55.3 | 3,095 | 20 | 8 |
| 1992 | Miami | 228 | 402 | 56.7 | 3,060 | 19 | 7 |
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Vertical jump |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 219 lb (99 kg) | 29+3⁄8 in (0.75 m) | 9+3⁄8 in (0.24 m) | 31.0 in (0.79 m) |
Despite his collegiate-level success, Torretta was not regarded as a high-level NFL prospect, and his NFL career was unremarkable. He was selected by theMinnesota Vikings in the seventh round in the 1993 NFL Draft with the 192nd overall pick. Torretta did not appear in an NFL game that season.[3] In 1994, Torretta was on the Vikings' roster, and then was picked up by theDetroit Lions. Again, he did not play at all that year, serving the entire season in a backup role with the Lions.
In 1995, Torretta moved toNFL Europe and was also on the roster for theSan Francisco 49ers andDetroit Lions but was again relegated to backup roles. He was cut by the 49ers in 1996 and subsequently picked up by theSeattle Seahawks. His only chance to play in an NFL game came in the 1996 season finale when he came off the bench for the Seahawks against theOakland Raiders. He immediately threw a 32-yard touchdown pass toJoey Galloway that put Seattle ahead, leading the team to victory.
In 1997, Torretta was on the roster for Seattle and later theIndianapolis Colts but again did not play. After a brief stint with Kansas City in 1999, he retired from the NFL.
Following his NFL career, Torretta founded Touchdown Radio in 2005, a nationally syndicated radio broadcast, featuring a weekly NCAA football game. He is also an NCAA football expert analyst onSirius XM channel 91, College Sports Nation.
Previously he held a position atWachovia Securities as a senior financial advisor. Later he became is vice president for GAMCO Asset Management, working with institutional clients nationwide and working out of the firm'sPalm Beach office.
On September 18, 2025, TheUniversity of Miami announced that Max Chira, a UM fan, has made a $1.81 million donation that will be used to construct life-sized statues of Torretta andVinny Testaverde on campus outside the Schwartz Center for Athletic Excellence.[4]
