Brees Shouts Out Former UW Coaches During Hall of Fame Speech

LARAMIE -- Drew Brees received just two scholarship offers out of Westlake High School in Austin, Texas: Kentucky and Purdue.

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He chose the latter and went on to throw for nearly 11,000 yards and 81 touchdowns while leading the Boilermakers to new heights, including a rare Rose Bowl appearance in 2001, putting a bow on the program's eighth Big Ten championship.

If you ask former Wyoming wide receiver Marcus Harris, all that damage above could've easily happened in Laramie.

“He said he wanted to be in a place where they throw 50 times a game,” the 1996 Biletnikoff Trophy award winner told 7220sports.com back in 2019. “He would’ve been where Joe Tiller is at, period.”

Brees on Saturday gave a well-deserved shoutout to his college head coach during part of his near 27-minute speech at the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Canton, Ohio.

Tiller, who roamed the sidelines at Wyoming from 1991-96, was instrumental in bringing Brees to West Lafayette, Ind., and his offensive philosophy was a match made in Heaven for the 6-foot, 170-pound gunslinger, who went on to throw for more than 80,000 yards and become a Super Bowl champion during his 20-year pro career.

"Thank you for creating an environment where we always had to prove it," Brees said of Tiller, a photo of the duo appearing in the background. "You always had that look in your eye like you knew something we didn't. You knew how hard to push us, and that was well past our perceived limits. We trusted your plan as you set a new standard that developed grit, toughness, and put a massive chip on our shoulders.

"We carried that everywhere we went."

Brees also handed out admiration for Tim Lappano, who he claims "stood on the table to recruit" him.

Lappano was the receivers coach at UW during Harris' record-breaking senior campaign, one in which he racked up 1,650 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns while helping lead the Cowboys to the inaugural WAC Championship game.

Brees also gave love to former offensive coordinator Jim Chaney, who served as Wyoming's offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator from 1994-96. He coached the likes of All-American left tackle Steve Scifres, Rob Rathbun, Rob Bohlinger, Jeff Smith and many others.

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