Christopher Leak (born May 3, 1985 in Charlotte, North Carolina) is an American football quarterback. In 2006, he led the Florida Gators to a 13-1 record, which culminated with a BCS Championship 41-14 victory over the top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes. Despite declaring for the 2007 NFL Draft, Leak went undrafted, and signed as a free agent with the Chicago Bears. Chris is the brother of Independence alumnus C.J. Leak. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 515 × 419 pixelsFull resolution (515 × 419 pixel, file size: 89 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Chris Leak (left) visits President George W. Bush at the White House. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the forty-third and current President of the United States of America, originally inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ... For other uses, see White House (disambiguation). ... A diagram showing typical football positions In American football, each team has 11 players on the field at one time. ... Navy quarterback Aaron Polanco sets up to throw. ... is the 123rd day of the year (124th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... “Charlotte” redirects here. ... This is a list of athletic conferences of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). ... The University of Florida (Florida, UFL, or UF) is a public land-grant, space-grant, research university located in Gainesville, Florida. ... The Hall Trophy (actually the Ball Park National High School Player of the Year Award) has been awarded annually since 2001 to the most outstanding high school football player in the United States, comparable to the Heisman Trophy for collegiate football players. ... The Pete Dawkins Trophy is awarded to most valuable player of the annual U.S. Army All-American Bowl. ... The BCS National Championship Game or BCS title game is the final game of the annual Bowl Championship Series intended by Series organizers to determine the NCAA Division I-A national football championship. ... City Chicago, Illinois Other nicknames Da Bears, The Monsters of the Midway Team colors Navy Blue and Orange Head Coach Lovie Smith Owner Virginia Halas McCaskey Chairman Michael McCaskey General manager Jerry Angelo Fight song Bear Down, Chicago Bears Mascot Staley Da Bear League/Conference affiliations Independent (1919) National Football... is the 123rd day of the year (124th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... “Charlotte” redirects here. ... United States simply as football, is a competitive team sport that is both fast-paced and strategic. ... Navy quarterback Aaron Polanco sets up to throw. ... Florida Gators is the team name used for all of the intercollegiate athletic teams that play for the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. ... The BCS National Championship Game or BCS title game is the final bowl game of the annual Bowl Championship Series and is intended by Series organizers to determine the NCAA Division I-A national football championship. ... The Ohio State Universitys intercollegiate sports teams and players are called the Buckeyes (after the state tree, the Buckeye), and participate in the NCAAs Division I in all sports and the Big Ten Conference in most sports. ... The 2007 National Football League Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 28 and April 29, 2007. ...

High school career

Chris attended Independence High School in Charlotte, NC where he led his high school team to 3 consecutive state championships under head coach Tommy Knotts. Independence High School (or, The Big I) is a high school in Mint Hill, North Carolina, southeast of Charlotte. ...

College career

Chris began his career at Florida as a freshman, seeing playing time in the first few games, and taking over as the starter in the game against Kentucky. Leak finished his freshman year with a Southeastern Conference record for a freshman going 6-3 as a starter including wins over the eventual National Champion, LSU and rival, Georgia. Chris was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team and Rivals.com’s Freshman All American Team. The University of Kentucky, also referred to as UK, is a public, co-educational university located in Lexington, Kentucky. ... The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is a college athletic conference headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, which operates in the southeastern part of the United States. ... City Baton Rouge, Louisiana Team Mascot Mike the Tiger Team Colors Purple and gold Head Coach Les Miles Home Stadium Tiger Stadium League/Conference affiliations Independent (1893-1895) Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (1896-1921) Southern Conference (1922-1932) Southeastern Conference (1932-present) Western Division (1992-present) Team history All-Time... Rivals is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting. ...

In his sophomore year, Chris' quarterback skills progressed, transforming him into one of the notable quarterbacks in college football. He started all of Florida’s games, including a memorable school record-tying six touchdown performance against South Carolina. However, following a disappointing loss to unranked Mississippi State and an on-campus confrontation with a fraternity house, head coach Ron Zook was fired. In December of that year, head coach Urban Meyer was hired and introduced his “spread option” offense. Dan Mullen was introduced as the offensive coordinator. This would be the third offensive coordinator change for Leak. The University of South Carolina, Columbia (USC or Carolina) is a public, co-educational, research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. ... Ron Zook (born April 28, 1954 in Loudonville, Ohio) is an American football coach and the current head coach at the University of Illinois. ... Urban Meyer (born July 10, 1964 in Ashtabula, Ohio) is currently the head football coach at the University of Florida. ...

Heading into his junior season, Leak had to learn a third offensive scheme in as many years. He was touted as a possible Heisman Trophy candidate. Chris won his first five games, including a big win over SEC East rival Tennessee, but struggled in the option portion of the offense. Being that Leak was a drop back passer and not the ideal choice to run Meyer's spread option offense, Meyer tweaked the offense to tailor it to Leak's abilities after the Gators struggled midway through its schedule. The result was successful with the team winning its last two games against ranked competition in 2005. “Heisman” redirects here. ... Category: ...

Heading into his senior season, there was unsubstantial speculation Leak may not be the starting quarterback in 2006 due to the emergence of talented freshman Tim Tebow.^[1] This speculation proved false when Florida head coach, Urban Meyer, publicly endorsed Leak to be the starting quarterback and affirmed that Tim Tebow will play the back-up role. Preseason analysis showed that Florida had the hardest schedule in the country. Florida would have to play Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, LSU, Auburn, and Georgia in back to back weeks. The 2006 season proved to be a redemption year for Leak: leading the Gators to their first SEC Championship since 2000, and a spot in the 2007 BCS National Championship Game against Ohio State University (their first championship game appearance since 1996). Leak also broke many University of Florida passing records set by Heisman Trophy winner Danny Wuerffel. He eclipsed Wuerffel's record for career passing yards at Florida during the 2006 SEC championship. The team is honored as BCS champions by President George W. Bush at the White House. ... Timothy Tebow (born August 14, 1987) is an American football quarterback for the Florida Gators. ... This article covers the SEC championship football game. ... 2007 BCS National Championship Game BCS National Championship Game Florida Gators at Ohio State Buckeyes Ohio State Buckeyes (12-0) 14 January 8, 2007 University of Phoenix Stadium The 2007 Tostitos BCS National Championship Game or BCS Title Game was played on January 8, 2007 at the University of Phoenix... The Ohio State University (OSU) is a coeducational public research university in the state of Ohio. ... “Heisman” redirects here. ... Danny Carl Wuerffel (Born:May 27, 1974 in Pensacola, Florida) is an American football player who won the 1996 Heisman Trophy while playing quarterback at the University of Florida under coach Steve Spurrier. ...

Leak led the Florida Gators to their second National Championship win with a 41-14 victory over Ohio State on January 8, 2007, taking home the offensive MVP award for the game. Leak's performance was solid throughout the championship game, completing his first nine passes at the start of the game. His final games stats includes completing 25 of 36 passes for 213 yards and one touchdown-- sealing a University of Florida rout of Ohio State University.

Chris Leak graduated from the University of Florida in the Fall, 2006 semester with a degree in sociology from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. He was a finalist for the Draddy Trophy, also known as the Academic Heisman for college athletes. He was a keynote speaker during the graduation ceremony, an honor only a handful of individuals are allowed to participate in due to their achievements in college. The University of Florida (Florida, UFL, or UF) is a public land-grant, space-grant, research university located in Gainesville, Florida. ... The Draddy Trophy is a trophy given to the American college football player with the best combination of academics, community service, and on-field performance. ...

While in college, Leak was listed on the SEC Academic Honor Roll each semester at UF. His mentors describe him as possessing tremendous motivation, compassion and the unique ability to lead by example. His peers agreed and elected him team captain three of the four years he played at UF.

When he's not leading on the field, Leak volunteers with children through the Goodwill Gators Program, encouraging them to put school first and stay away from drugs if they want to succeed. At home in Charlotte, N.C., he works with the Boys and Girls Club and the Steele Creek Youth Athletic Association. He served as an inspirational speaker with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and spoke at area middle schools encouraging students to stay focused on their goals.

Professional career

Leak was not selected during the 2007 NFL Draft. The Chicago Bears signed him immediately after the draft.^[2] He spent the summer of 2007 working with the team, and working with former Gator Rex Grossman.^[3] However, Leak only saw playtime during the final game of the Preseason, where he completed eleven of sixteen passes for eighty-eight yards, an interception and touchdown.^[4] He was eventually cut on September 16 in favor of Kyle Orton. Leak is expected to try out for the AAFL spring league, where he would join a team based in Gainesville, Florida.^[5] The 2007 National Football League Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 28 and April 29, 2007. ... City Chicago, Illinois Other nicknames Da Bears, The Monsters of the Midway Team colors Navy Blue and Orange Head Coach Lovie Smith Owner Virginia Halas McCaskey Chairman Michael McCaskey General manager Jerry Angelo Fight song Bear Down, Chicago Bears Mascot Staley Da Bear League/Conference affiliations Independent (1919) National Football... Rex Grossman (born August 23, 1980) is a quarterback for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. ... Kyle Raymond Orton (born November 14, 1982 in Altoona, Iowa) is an American football player and a quarterback in the National Football League. ... The All American Football League is a professional league of American football. ... Location in Alachua County and the state of Florida Coordinates: , Country State County Alachua Incorporated (city) 15 April 1869 Government  - Type Council-manager  - Mayor Pegeen Hanrahan  - City Manager Russ Blackburn Area [1]  - City  49. ...

References

is the 119th day of the year (120th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... May 14 is the 134th day of the year (135th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 258th day of the year (259th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 265th day of the year (266th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ...

External links

• Chicagobears.com Profile
• Gators' Player Profile