Gary Keith Hogeboom (born August 21, 1958) is an American former professional football player, real estate developer, and television personality.
He played as a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts, Phoenix Cardinals, and Washington Redskins.
[2] In the 1982 NFC title game against the Washington Redskins, he replaced a concussed White at the start of the second half and helped the team get back in the contest with 2 consecutive scoring drives, until making two critical interceptions, one returned by Darryl Grant for a touchdown that sealed the 31–17 loss.
White had led the team to three straight NFC Championship game appearances after taking over for Hall of Famer Roger Staubach, but couldn't win a Super Bowl.
[citation needed] The team gave Hogeboom more playing time in the pre-season, where he completed 42 out of 74 attempts for 475 yards, 4 touchdowns, 3 interceptions and a 77.1 quarterback rating.
[citation needed] White responded to the criticism by having his best statistical season ever in 1983 and leading the Cowboys to a 12–2 record going into a home matchup against the Redskins.
[7] Hogeboom started out well, completing 33 passes (club record) for 343 yards and one touchdown in a season opening win on Monday night on national TV against the Los Angeles Rams.
The constant change at quarterback didn't help to improve the team's inconsistent play, eventually resulting in a 14–3 loss to the previously winless Buffalo Bills.
[11] After acquiring Hogeboom the Indianapolis Colts traded Mike Pagel, who had been the previous starter at quarterback, to the Cleveland Browns for a ninth round pick (#247-Bob Ontko) in the 1987 NFL draft.
It was thought that giving head coach Rod Dowhower something to work with would yield great results, as he made his name with the St. Louis Cardinals where he helped develop Neil Lomax.
They were matched against the Atlanta Falcons and were a heavy underdog, Hogeboom played a great game helping the Colts come from behind to win on a blocked punt at the end of the fourth quarter.
[15] With a potential player strike looming, the Colts started the 1987 season with two losses, one was with Jack Trudeau who was replacing an injured Hogeboom.
This injury was caused by veteran defensive end Marty Lyons flagrantly spearing him on a quarterback sneak play, breaking a rib in his back and puncturing a lung.
[16] Although the Colts lost the last strike game with a new quarterback, the victories in the previous contests were crucial in securing the franchise's first playoff berth in ten years.
Since Hogeboom's injury had healed, he was re-inserted as the starter, helping the team win against the Miami Dolphins, but also lost against the New England Patriots.
On a 22-yard touchdown pass to Albert Bentley, Hogeboom was struck on the inside part of his throwing arm by a blitzing Jeff Donaldson.
[18] Although he started in the season opener and completed 15 out of 20 passes, he was demoted to third-string quarterback with rookie Chris Chandler earning the starter job.
On March 3, 1989, he was signed as a Plan B free agent with the Phoenix Cardinals, reuniting with head coach and former Cowboys assistant Gene Stallings.
In fact, post-show interviews from other contestants revealed that they actually all knew his real identity but didn't care, because he was a strong, well-liked player.