Mark Brunell Biography

Mark Allen Brunell, born September 17, 1970, is an American professional football coach and former quarterback who has served as the quarterbacks coach for the Detroit Lions in the National Football League. Brunell has played in the NFL for 19 seasons, with his career most prominently defined by his tenure with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Mark Brunell played quarterback at the University of Washington before being drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round of the 1993 NFL draft. After two seasons with the Packers, Brunell was traded to the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars for their inaugural 1995 season. Brunell led Jacksonville to four consecutive playoff appearances within their first five seasons, a feat that made them the first NFL expansion team to achieve such a streak, and he secured the franchise's first division title in 1999. Brunell committed to the University of Washington in 1988, joining a highly regarded recruiting class that included future NFL players Lincoln Kennedy and Steve Emtman. He made his first appearance in his redshirt freshman year and assumed starting duties during his sophomore season in 1990.