Brooks Bollinger Position: Quarterbacks

Brooks Bollinger, one of the most prolific and efficient passers in Wisconsin Badgers history, enters his second season as quarterbacks coach at Pitt.

Bollinger was a four-year starter at Wisconsin from 1999-2002 and went on to play eight seasons in professional football. The Big Ten Network lauded him as one of the 10 best quarterbacks to play in the league from 2000-10.

That background helped him make an immediate impact on the position at Pitt, where he tutored graduated quarterback Tino Sunseri to the finest season of his career in 2012. Sunseri achieved personal bests in every statistical category, completing 256-of-393 passes (65.1%) for 3,288 yards and 21 touchdowns. He threw only three interceptions on the year, ranking Pitt second nationally in that category (trailing only Army, which threw two interceptions). Sunseri set a school record by throwing 271 consecutive passes without an interception, a streak that covered nine complete games and parts of two others.

Sunseri's passing yardage was the second highest single-season total in school history. He became only the fourth Pitt quarterback to reach 3,000 yards passing, joining a list that includes former NFL players Rod Rutherford, Alex Van Pelt and Tyler Palko.

Bollinger played under famed Wisconsin coach Barry Alvarez and was an impressive 30-12 as a starter. He had a 3-0 record in bowl games, becoming only the second quarterback in Big Ten history to start in three bowl victories.

As a redshirt freshman, Bollinger took over as the starter a month into the season and led Wisconsin to eight consecutive victories, the Big Ten title and a 17-9 victory over Stanford in the Rose Bowl. His performance earned him Big Ten Rookie of the Year honors as the Badgers finished with a No. 4 national ranking.

Bollinger would go on to become one of the most effective dual-threat quarterbacks in Wisconsin history. More than a decade following his final collegiate season, he still holds school records for rushing yards (1,767) and rushing touchdowns (26) by a quarterback. Bollinger is second all-time at Wisconsin in total offense (7,394 yards) and touchdown responsibility (64), and third in passing yards (5,627), completions (414) and touchdown passes (38).

As a senior, Bollinger was named a team captain and the recipient of UW's Wayne Souza Coaches Appreciation Award. He was also named to the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) "Good Works Team," which honors football student-athletes for exemplary community service.

Bollinger played eight years in professional football, including six seasons in the National Football League and two in the United Football League. He was selected in the 2003 NFL Draft by the New York Jets and would play three seasons in New York before also spending time with the Minnesota Vikings and Dallas Cowboys.

Bollinger concluded his pro career by playing two seasons for the Florida Tuskers in the UFL. He was named the league's Most Valuable Player in 2009 after leading his team to an undefeated regular season and a berth in the UFL championship game.

Following his retirement from pro football, Bollinger embarked on his coaching career. As the first-year head coach at Minnesota's Hill Murray High School last fall, he led the Pioneers to a 9-3 record and their first state playoff berth in 24 years, advancing to the Class 4A semifinals.

A native of Grand Forks, N.D., Bollinger was an outstanding football and baseball player at Central High School. He was North Dakota's Gatorade Football Player of the Year as a senior and would later be selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Major League Baseball Draft.

A 2003 graduate of Wisconsin with a degree in history, Bollinger and his wife Natalie have three children: sons Miles and Beau, and daughter Liviana.

PERSONAL INFORMATION

Born: November 15, 1979

Hometown: Grand Forks, N.D.

Alma Mater: Wisconsin, 2003

Family: Bollinger and his wife Natalie have three children: sons Miles and Beau, and daughter Liviana.

COACHING EXPERIENCE

College

Pittsburgh, 2012-present, quarterbacks.

High School

Hill Murray (Minn.), 2011, head coach.