Quinn Early

Quinn Remar Early (born April 13, 1965) is an American former professional football player who was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the third round of the 1988 NFL draft. Early was a wide receiver who played college football for the University of Iowa Hawkeyes. Early played in 12 National Football League (NFL) seasons from 1988 to 1999.

Early life and college Early played high school football at Great Neck South High School in Great Neck, New York. He was an All-New York Team selection in track & field, as well as an All-County Team member in both football and basketball.

As a four-year letterwinner for the Iowa Hawkeyes, Early was named First Team All-Big Ten in 1987 as a wide receiver. He finished the 1987 season as the Big Ten leader in receptions, and finished second in receiving yards (978) and touchdowns (10). As a senior, he was named Third Team All-American. and 1987 Holiday Bowls and the 1984 Freedom Bowl. Both Holiday bowl victories in back-to-back seasons came by a single point:

1986: Iowa 39, Wyoming 38 1987: Iowa 20, San Diego State 19

At Iowa, Early was a receiving target for four future NFL quarterbacks: Chuck Long, Mark Vlasic, Chuck Hartlieb and Dan McGwire.

San Diego Chargers (1988–1990) Early was selected 60th overall by the San Diego Chargers in the third round of the 1988 NFL draft, the 11th wide receiver to be drafted (and the second wide receiver selected by the Chargers behind first-round selection Anthony Miller of Tennessee. Early was the Hawkeyes' highest draft pick in 1988.

Early played three seasons with the Chargers, totaling 55 receptions, 739 yards and 5 touchdowns during that span. More than half of those figures came in his rookie season (29–375–4), as he missed 10 games in 1989, and started just three games in 1990.

New Orleans Saints (1991–1995) Prior to the 1991 season, Early joined the New Orleans Saints, where he would remain for the next five seasons. He would reach the postseason for first time in 1991 and again in 1992. In a 1992 NFC Wild Card Game loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, Early caught a team-best seven passes for 93 yards and his only postseason touchdown, a 7-yard pass from Bobby Hebert.

His playing time and receptions increased annually during this period, peaking in 1995, when Early recorded career bests of 135 targets, 1,087 receiving yards and 8 touchdowns. In 1994, he caught a career-best 82 passes.

Buffalo Bills (1996–1998) Early signed with the Buffalo Bills in 1996, reaching the playoffs in 1996 and 1998 (however, Early was not active for the 1998 playoffs).

Early's most productive season in Buffalo was 1996. In Week 2, Early caught a 63-yard touchdown pass in a 17–10 win over the New England Patriots. He also recorded a career-long 95-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter of a Week 14 loss at Indianapolis.

In the Bills' 1996-97 AFC Wild Card playoff loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Early recorded postseason bests in receptions (9) and receiving yards (122). The Jacksonville Jaguars, in their second season of play, defeated Buffalo 30–27 at Rich Stadium. It would be his last NFL postseason appearance.

New York Jets (1999) Early retired after playing for the New York Jets in 1999. Despite playing in all 16 games, he recorded just three starts, collecting just six receptions for 83 yards.

NFL career statistics Legend Led the league Bold Career high

Regular season Year Team Games Receiving GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD 1988 SDG 16 11 29 375 12.9 38 4 1989 SDG 6 3 11 126 11.5 21 0 1990 SDG 14 3 15 238 15.9 45 1 1991 NOR 15 12 32 541 16.9 52 2 1992 NOR 16 16 30 566 18.9 59 5 1993 NOR 16 15 45 670 14.9 63 6 1994 NOR 16 13 82 894 10.9 33 4 1995 NOR 16 15 81 1,087 13.4 70 8 1996 BUF 16 13 50 798 16.0 95 4 1997 BUF 16 16 60 853 14.2 45 5 1998 BUF 16 2 19 217 11.4 37 1 1999 NYJ 16 3 6 83 13.8 24 0 179 122 460 6,448 14.0 95 40

Playoffs Year Team Games Receiving GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD 1991 NOR 1 1 5 41 8.2 12 0 1992 NOR 1 1 7 93 13.3 20 1 1996 BUF 1 1 9 122 13.6 25 0 3 3 21 256 12.2 25 1

Martial arts and stuntman Early taught Choy Li Fut Kung Fu in San Diego and has written and published for Inside Kung Fu magazine. Early also serves as a stunt performer (both credited and uncredited) in both movies and television. IMDb credits him as having been a stunt double in productions for actors Will Smith, Michael Dorn, Richard Roundtree, Shemar Moore, Mike Epps, Mykelti Williamson and Chike Okonkwo. His credits also include writing for television and film.