Steve was born March 7, 1965 in Hollywood, California. In his seventeen-year NFL career, Steve played quarterback for six teams. Before entering the NFL, he had an impressive collegiate career as a 4 year starting quarterback for the University of Notre Dame. In 1987, Steve was drafted in the fourth round by the Los Angeles Raiders and he was the starting QB for the season opening game in 1988. After 4 years with the Raiders, the Dallas Cowboys traded for Beuerlein in 1991. When Troy Aikman got hurt in week 12 that season, Steve filled in and led the Cowboys to 4 consecutive wins and their first playoff birth (and win!) in 6 years. Beuerlein served as Troy Aikman’s backup in 1992 and claimed his only Super Bowl ring that year. In 1993 “free agency” became a part of the NFL and Steve moved on to the Arizona Cardinals. He threw for over 3000 yards for the first time in his career while leading a powerful Cardinal offensive attack. After a ’94 season that did not go as well for the Cardinals, Steve moved on to the Jacksonville Jaguars as the 1st pick in the 1995 expansion draft. After that 1995 season, Steve became a free agent again and signed with the Carolina Panthers before the start of the ’96 season. Steve spent the next five years with Carolina where he finally found a home! Beuerlein became the full-time starter for the Panthers 4 games into the 1998 season and in 1999 was named to the Pro-Bowl after a season in which he led the NFL with 4,436 passing yards and 36 touchdowns. At the time, only 11 other quarterbacks in NFL history had thrown for over 4000 yds and 30 TD’s in the same year. After another productive season in 2000, Steve was surprisingly released by the Panthers for salary cap reasons and then promptly signed by the Denver Broncos. For the next 3 seasons Steve battled various injuries while contributing as a backup quarterback for the Broncos. In 2003, Steve shattered the small finger on his throwing hand while playing in place of the injured Jake Plummer which ended his 17th NFL season. After 2 surgeries to repair the finger, Beuerlein was given the option to return to the Broncos if he decided to not retire. After evaluating his choices, Steve decided to contact the Carolina Panthers and request to retire as a Panther because his best years were in that uniform. Beuerlein’s wish was granted and he retired in May of 2004 after signing a one-day contract. Marty Hurney, General Manager of the Panthers said, “He exemplifies what this organization looks for in a person.” Steve was quoted as saying, “I will always be proud to have been part of this organization because I know what it stands for and I am so grateful that this organization stepped up and allowed me to go out this way.” At the time of his retirement, Beuerlein was the all-time leader in every passing category for the Carolina Panthers organization.
In Steve’s career, he played in 147 games and started 102 of them. He passed for 24,046 yards, had 147 touchdowns with only 112 interceptions ending his career with a QB rating of 80.3. Since retiring as a player, Steve has been a game analyst for CBS covering both NFL and college football. Steve also is employed by Marsh, the largest and most respected commercial insurance broker in the world. He is a VP primarily focusing on new business development. Beuerlein also is a motivational speaker and is very involved with various charitable and community organizations. He now resides in Dana Point, CA and has four children: Taylor (21), Kailey (19), Jacob (18), and Kendall (11).
