COLUMBIA, Mo. – Record-setting quarterback Chase Daniel has been chosen as University of Missouri’s 2024 Southeastern Conference Football Legend, the conference announced Tuesday. Daniel, who played for the Tigers from 2005-08 before a 14-year NFL career, will be formally honored with the rest of the 2024 SEC Legends Class during events surrounding the SEC Championship Game on Dec. 7 in Atlanta.
The Football Legends Class recognizes 16 former representatives from current SEC institutions who starred on the field for their respective program, including some, like Daniel, who played in other conferences before their school joined the SEC.
Daniel is among the most decorated college football players to attend Mizzou and one of the most successful student-athletes in the university’s history. Daniel rewrote the program’s record books during his career and helped reshape the landscape of Mizzou football. As a quarterback he not only elevated the Tigers to national prominence but also positioned the program on an upward trajectory that still resonates with its success in the SEC.
Daniel’s breakout college season came in 2006 when he took over the starting role and led the Tigers to an 8-5 season, passing for 3,527 yards and 28 touchdowns while completing 63.5% of his passes. His confidence in the pocket and leadership in the huddle began to resonate throughout the team, setting the stage for one of the most remarkable seasons in Missouri football history.
The 2007 season is one that will forever define Daniel’s legacy at Mizzou. Under his leadership, Missouri compiled the most successful season in program history, finishing 12-2 behind one of the nation’s most prolific offenses. Daniel orchestrated the spread attack with surgical precision, helping the team achieve the No. 1 ranking in the national polls for the first time since 1960. His signature moment came on November 24, when Mizzou defeated archrival and No. 2 Kansas in the Border War as Daniel passed for 361 yards and three touchdowns in the 36-28 victory, clinching a spot in Mizzou’s first of two consecutive Big 12 Championship games and putting the Tigers a win away from the BCS national championship game.
By season’s end, Daniel had accumulated staggering statistics, completing 68.2% of his passes for 4,306 yards and 33 touchdowns. He earned a trip to New York as a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, ultimately finishing fourth in the voting. As a junior, Daniel was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, the Big 12 Male Athlete of the Year and a Second-Team All-American.
Daniel returned for his senior season in 2008 with unfinished business. He continued to set records and lead Mizzou to success during the 10-4 season, including another trip to the Big 12 Championship Game. In his final college season, Daniel passed for 4,335 yards, 39 touchdowns and completed 72.9% of his passes with a passer rating of 159.4 — all Missouri single-season records.
By the time his college career ended, Daniel had rewritten the Missouri record books. He finished his career with 12,515 passing yards, 101 passing touchdowns and a completion percentage of 68.0% and passer rating of 148.9 — which all stood as program records when the 2024 season began. His passing yardage and passing touchdown totals ranked second all-time in Big 12 history at the time.
While Daniel’s on-field accomplishments were remarkable, his success off the field was equally notable. He earned a degree in business administration from the University of Missouri and was named to the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll four times. He was named to ESPN The Magazine’s Academic All-District First Team in 2006 and 2007. Daniel was an outstanding student who was awarded an $18,000 post-graduate scholarship as a National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete.
After leaving Missouri, Daniel went undrafted in 2009 before signing with the Washington Redskins. He’d later surface with the New Orleans Saints, where he’d spend five of his 14 NFL seasons and earned a Super Bowl championship ring as a rookie backup. Over the next decade-plus, he carved out a successful career as a reliable reserve with the Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Chargers. Upon retirement following the 2022 season, Chase launched a successful media career across multiple platforms as a TV analyst and podcast host.
In 2011, Daniel returned to Mizzou to announce the “Chase Daniel Lone Star State Endowment Scholarship” that’s awarded annually to a recruit from the state of Texas with preference given to student-athletes with a grade point average above 3.0 who exhibits outstanding community leadership. Daniel was inducted into the University of Missouri Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame in 2014 and on Sunday was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.
Mizzou’s SEC Football Legends
2012: Johnny Roland, running back/defensive back, 1962-65
2013: Phil Bradley, quarterback, 1977-80
2014: Kellen Winslow, tight end, 1976-78
2015: Roger Wehrli, defensive back, 1966-68
2016: Justin Smith, defensive end, 1998-2000
2017: Brad Smith, quarterback, 2002-05
2018: Devin West, running back, 1995-98
2019: Jeremy Maclin, wide receiver, kick returner, 2007-08
2022: Gary Pinkel, head coach, 2001-15
2023: Chase Coffman, tight end, 2005-08
2024: Chase Daniel, quarterback, 2005-08
*The SEC did not honor Football Legends classes in 2020 and 2021.
2024 SEC Football Legends Class
Alabama: Barrett Jones, offensive lineman, 2009-12
Arkansas: Ken Hamlin, safety, 2000-02
Auburn: Marcus McNeill, offensive tackle, 2002-2005
Florida: Rex Grossman, quarterback, 2000-02
Georgia: Terrence Edwards, wide receiver, 1999-2002
Kentucky: Dicky Lyons Sr., tailback/receiver, 1966-68
LSU: Andrew Whitworth, offensive tackle, 2002-05
Ole Miss: Dexter McCluster, running back, 2006-09
Mississippi State: Fletcher Cox, defensive lineman, 2009-11
Missouri: Chase Daniel, quarterback, 2005-08
Oklahoma: Barry Switzer, head coach, 1973-88
South Carolina: Corey Miller, defensive end, 1987-90
Tennessee: Eric Berry, defensive back, 2007-09
Texas: Vince Young, quarterback, 2002-05
Texas A&M: Luke Joeckel, offensive tackle, 2010-12
Vanderbilt: Ricky Anderson, punter/kicker, 1981-84
