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Dan Fouts

Daniel Francis Fouts (born June 10, 1951) is an American former football quarterback who played for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League (NFL) throughout his 15-season career (1973–1987). After a relatively undistinguished first five seasons in the league, Fouts came to prominence as the on-field leader during the Chargers' Air Coryell period. He led the league in passing every year from 1979 to 1982, throwing for over 4,000 yards in the first three of these—no previous quarterback had posted consecutive 4,000-yard seasons. Fouts was voted a Pro Bowler six times, first-team All-Pro twice, and Offensive Player of the Year in 1982. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993, his first year of eligibility.

Fouts played college football for the Oregon Ducks, breaking numerous records and later being inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame and the University of Oregon Hall of Fame. He was a third-round draft pick of the Chargers in 1973. Fouts struggled during his first three seasons in the league while playing for losing teams. His form began to improve in 1976, but discontentment over the direction of the team and the restrictions of the NFL's free agency rules led Fouts to refuse to play through the majority of 1977.

Early in 1978, Don Coryell became the new head coach of the Chargers and installed his pass-oriented Air Coryell offensive scheme, giving Fouts license to throw with an unprecedented frequency. He led the NFL in passing yards four straight years from 1979 to 1982 (still a record), and became the first player in history to throw for 4,000 yards in three consecutive seasons, breaking the NFL single-season record for passing yards each time. Fouts was rewarded with six Pro Bowl selections (1979–1983 & 1985) and four All-Pro selections (first team in 1979 and 1982, second team in 1980 and 1985). In the strike-shortened 1982 season, he passed for 2,883 yards in only nine games, winning the AP Offensive Player of the Year and PFWA NFL MVP honors.

Fouts led the Chargers to three consecutive AFC West division titles (1979–1981) and a further playoff appearance in 1982. He was the winning quarterback in the Epic in Miami, breaking a playoff record with 433 passing yards. The Chargers advanced to the AFC championship game twice during his career, but never reached the Super Bowl. Fouts was the first quarterback to reach the Hall of Fame despite appearing in no Super Bowls or NFL championship games.

Fouts was a color analyst for NFL games on CBS television and Westwood One radio. He is the son of Bay Area Radio Hall of Famer Bob Fouts.

Early life and high school career
Dan Fouts was born in San Francisco on June 10, 1951, to Julie and Bob Fouts, the fourth of five children. His father was a sports broadcaster who commentated on games for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL) for over 20 years. As a child, Dan acted as a stat-keeper for Bob and worked for the 49ers as a ballboy. One of his first sporting heroes was John Brodie, the 49ers' starting quarterback of that time. When, at the age of 11, Fouts asked his parents' permission to play football, they told him that he would have to be a quarterback, as he had shown a good throwing arm while playing Little League baseball. He played Pop Warner football for the Drake Junior Pirates, where his coach described him as an "outstanding quarterback" in 1964.

Fouts attended Marin Catholic High School, located just north of San Francisco in Kentfield, California, for his two first years and started some games as a sophomore in the fall of 1966. While he temporarily lost the starting job after play described as "extremely jittery" by the local San Rafael Daily Independent Journal, an end of season report from the same paper stated that he should improve with better protection. Fouts, playing on an 0–6 team, finished the season with nine interceptions and only one touchdown. While at Marin Catholic, he also played varsity basketball as a forward.

Fouts transferred to St. Ignatius College Preparatory (San Francisco) for his final two years of high school. Explaining the switch to St. Ignatius in 2013, he said, "My dad told me you’re not going to get a scholarship at Marin Catholic; you’re going to get it at St. Ignatius." In 1967, St. Ignatius were champions of the West Catholic Athletic League with a 6–0 record, and Fouts was named to the WCAL All-Star first-team. He nearly reversed his touchdown to interceptions ratio, with 16 touchdowns and two interceptions. St. Ignatius went 5–1 in Fouts' senior year; he passed much less as his team focused more on their running game.

College career
Fouts was not a highly sought recruit when he accepted a scholarship offer from the University of Oregon to play for the Ducks in Eugene. It was the only offer from a major college that he received. Fouts didn't feature for the Ducks during his first year at Oregon (1969), instead starting for the freshman team.

In 1970, he began the season as a backup to veteran passer Tom Blanchard. In the opening game, a 31–24 victory over California, Fouts came off the bench and threw for 166 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner in the final two minutes; Fouts and Blanchard combined to set a new Pacific-8 Conference (Pac-8) record with 424 passing yards on the day. Fouts got his first chance to start two weeks later with Blanchard out injured. He kept the role for the rest of the season as the Ducks finished 6–4–1. Fouts went on to set single-game records for most attempts, completions and yards, and single-season records for completions and touchdowns. His 16 touchdowns ranked second in the Pac-8, while his 212.1 yards of total offense per game were tenth in the nation. UPI named him as an honorable mention in their season-ending all-coast team. The Salem Capital Journal described Fouts as a sophomore with "the poise of a senior."

Fouts entered 1971 as an established and highly-rated starter. He missed two and a half games of the Ducks' 5–6 season with knee ligament damage,  but still ranked third in the Pac-8 for passing yards. When Oregon moved on from Jerry Frei their head coach at the end of the year, Fouts was one of seven players on the committee of fifteen who chose his replacement, Dick Enright.

Fouts broke the Oregon record for career passing yardage early in the 1972 season, which ended with a 4–7 mark. In his last game as a Duck he threw a 65-yard touchdown pass and Oregon beat Oregon State for the first time in nine years. At the end of the season, Fouts ranked second in the Pac-8 for passing yards and touchdowns behind Mike Boryla of Stanford; comparing the two passers, the Capital Journal stated that Fouts faced "trying conditions" with a relative lack of support on offense. He was named to the All-Pac-8 team as chosen by the conference's coaches, as well as the United Press International (UPI) All-Coast team and the Associated Press (AP) All-West Coast team. Fouts was invited to the East–West Shrine Bowl (which he missed due to a foot injury), the Senior Bowl, and the Coaches All-America Game (at which he broke his collarbone on his first play from scrimmage).

At the time of his graduation, Fouts' career passing yardage ranks were No.1 in Oregon history, No. 2 in the Pac-8 and No. 7 in the NCAA. He set 19 Oregon records, including those for career passing yardage (5,995) and total offense (5,871), and was inducted into the university's hall of fame as part of the inaugural 1992 class.

Collegiate honors

 * All-Pacific-8 team (1972)
 * AP All-West Coast team (1972)
 * UPI All-Coast team (1972)
 * Oregon Ducks Hall of Fame (1992)
 * Oregon Sports Hall of Fame (1992)

1973 season
Fouts was selected in the third round of the 1973 NFL draft by the San Diego Chargers; he was the sixth quarterback taken in the draft and the 64th selection overall. At the time he was drafted, NFL scouts questioned Fouts' durability, arm strength and athleticism. He was brought in to back up one of his childhood idols, Johnny Unitas, who had joined the Chargers during the offseason after 17 years with the Baltimore Colts. Fouts' broken collarbone in the Coaches All-America Game happened after he was drafted; Chargers management had not wanted him to play in the game because of the risk of injury. Fouts missed the start of training camp while holding out for more money, then missed the first three preseason games while recovering from his injury. Head coach Harland Svare described Fouts as "about a year behind" in August, and Fouts himself did not anticipate much play as a rookie.

Once the 1973 season began, Unitas soon picked up a career-ending shoulder injury causing Fouts to see far more play than expected. His first appearance came in week 4 when he entered a game at Pittsburgh at the start of the second half with the Chargers trailing 38–0. Fouts threw his first career touchdown in the 4th quarter (a 13-yarder to Jerry LeVias), led two further touchdown drives, and the game finished 38–21. He made his first start the following week, throwing two further touchdowns in a 27–17 loss to the Oakland Raiders. United Press International described his performance as that of a "bona fide NFL quarterback." He struggled in his next game, intercepted four times during a 41–0 home loss to Atlanta, with the Associated Press reporting that he "frequently threw off balance and into a crowd of defenders."

Fouts finished the season ranked 12th by passer rating in the 13-team American Football Conference (AFC). He was benched in favor of Wayne Clark for four weeks late in the season as the Chargers struggled to a 2–11–1 record. Speaking in 1985, Fouts described the 1973 Chargers as a team in "turmoil, total disarray," and criticized the coaches for not letting him work with Unitas and benefit from his knowledge.

1974 season
Unitas announced his retirement before the 1974 season, leaving Fouts to compete with rookie Jesse Freitas for the starting job. New head coach Tommy Prothro singled out Fouts as giving the only good performance during a preseason loss; he began the regular season as the starter.

San Diego lost their first game to the Houston Oilers, but Fouts got his first career win in week 2, leading a 98-yard 4th quarter drive for the winning touchdown. The Chargers lost their next five games, culminating in a 24–14 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in which Fouts threw two interceptions and lost a fumble, prompting his home fans to start chanting for Freitas to play. In the same game, Fouts argued with wide receiver Harrison Davis, who he felt did not try hard enough to prevent an interception of an underthrown ball. Davis commented to the media, "Not much I could do about it... Fouts can yell, that's his privilege, but it was a bad pass." Fouts said, "He's got to fight for the ball. That's gold out there." He threw four touchdowns the following week and continued to start until week 11, when a broken thumb ended his season.

Fouts ranked 11th in the AFC for passer rating. Freitas started the final three games and contributed two of the Chargers' five wins on the season; Prothro declined to comment when asked about his future intentions with regard to Fouts and Freitas, except to say that he had no plans to draft another quarterback.

1975 season
Fouts and Freitas continued to vie for the starting position entering the 1975 season. Both struggled in preseason, and the Chargers added veteran quarterback Virgil Carter to their roster. All three quarterbacks played in the regular season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers, generating only 145 yards of offense in a 37–0 defeat. Two weeks later, Fouts was the only quarterback Prothro used against the Oakland Raiders. His home crowd booed him when he was announced before kickoff and he completed 3 of 13 passes for 29 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions, while getting sacked five times for the loss of 51 yards. The Chargers lost 6–0. San Diego went on to lose their first eleven games while Fouts missed playing time with a sore ankle and a concussion; he had seven injuries in total during the course of the year. The Chargers avoided a winless season when Fouts led them to a pair of victories in December.

With only two touchdown passes all season, Fouts finished with the 12th best passer rating in the AFC. Through his first three seasons in the league, Fouts had thrown 16 touchdowns and 36 interceptions while completing less than half his passes. The following year, he said the Chargers had been running a "very basic, antiquated offense" in 1974 and 1975. Reflecting on his first three seasons in a 1983 interview, he added, "We really didn't have an offensive coordinator or quarterback coach, so I had to fall back on what I'd learned from John Robinson, my offensive coordinator at Oregon."

1976 season
Starting in February 1976, Fouts worked out three times a week with Bill Walsh, who spent that year as the Chargers' offensive coordinator. Fouts would later describe the sessions: "He showed me how to set up, how to hold the ball, where to throw and why. That's a large part of my success." He also praised Walsh for introducing a more complex offensive system.

Fouts and the Chargers began the 1976 season in good form; they reached a 3–0 record with a 43–24 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in which Fouts threw four touchdown passes. Fouts was the league's No. 1 rated passer at that stage, though the defenses he had faced were not highly regarded. His performances worsened as the season went on, and fans were calling for backup Clint Longley to have more playing time entering a week 10 game with the Denver Broncos. Fouts was again booed by his home crowd in the Broncos game, a 17–0 defeat. Longley did start one game late in the season, but was benched for Fouts after failing to produce any points in the first half. The Chargers eventually finished with a 6–8 record.

Fouts finished with the eighth-best passer rating in the AFC, and led the conference in both pass attempts (359) and completions (208). San Diego sports journalist Jack Murphy described 1976 as a year of "much growth" for Fouts, and the departing Walsh predicted that he would have a fine career in the league.

1977 season: 125-day holdout
San Diego acquired quarterback James Harris from the Los Angeles Rams during the offseason, with head coach Tommy Prothro stating that he wanted depth at the injury-prone position. Harris's contract was speculated in the media to pay him approximately $170,000, compared to $82,500 for Fouts. The following month, Fouts was one of 17 players testifying against the NFL in an antitrust settlement. Fouts expressed a desire to leave San Diego, and complained at a new collective bargaining agreement which meant the Chargers had only to match the offer of another team to prevent him from leaving. Prothro speculated that Fouts was disgruntled due to Harris's signing and contract, but Fouts himself said that he wanted to play in a Super Bowl, and that the Chargers were not of that caliber; he stated that he would retire if he was not allowed to leave San Diego. He also attacked Prothro as "the farthest thing from a head coach you'll ever find... he's snowing people into thinking he knows what he's doing."

Fouts refused to report to training camp in July and was placed on the reserve list by the Chargers the following month; Harris became the new starting quarterback. Owner Gene Klein stated publicly that he would not trade Fouts, and that he would not play in the NFL again if he refused to turn out for San Diego. Fouts filed a grievance against the Chargers in October, seeking to be granted free agent status by the NFL. On November 15, the NFL grievance committee rejected an attempt by Fouts to become a free agent. Klein said that Fouts had been given bad advice by his lawyer, and would be welcomed back to the team. Fouts reported to the Chargers on November 17, 125 days late, having accrued $62,500 in fines. He declined to comment on his holdout to the press. Chargers player representative Pat Curran stated that the team welcomed Fouts back, suggesting that his criticisms of Prothro and the quality of his teammates were a "smoke-screen" to support his attempt to become a free agent.

The 1977 Chargers were a 5–5 team when Fouts returned, and had recently lost Harris to injury. Fouts won praise from Prothro while winning his first two games back, and described the team as the best of his Chargers career. He lost the next two games, struggling in both. The Escondido Times Advocate said of the finale that Fouts was "his vintage horrid self of all his bad games of the past."

1978 season
Fouts signed a new five-year contract with the Chargers during the offseason, and was installed as the starter ahead of Harris. He sustained a jammed thumb early in the 1978 season and didn't start in week 4 against the Green Bay Packers, instead coming off the bench and throwing two of the Chargers' five interceptions in a 24–3 defeat.

Prothro resigned after the Green Bay defeat with the team's record at 1–3; his replacement, Don Coryell, would be a key figure in Fouts' career. Coryell was an offensive-minded coach who favored the passing game. He later wrote of Fouts, "The first few times I saw him throw the ball, I knew that he would be our quarterback, and that he would be a great one." Recalling Coryell's first team talk, Fouts said, "I went home that day, and I had the biggest canary-eating grin on... He talked about fun, passing, moving the ball, flying around the field, hitting people. All the things I wanted to hear."

San Diego lost three of Coryell's first four games, then won their next four to preserve a small chance of making the playoffs. Fouts missed the next game with an ankle injury, and San Diego lost 23–0. Coryell, who had made few changes to the Chargers' offense up to that point, began to emphasise the passing game more during the last three games of the season. Fouts responded with a total of 917 yards and 9 touchdowns as the Chargers won all three, giving him seven consecutive victories as a starter. He passed for 369 yards in the season finale, tying Tobin Rote's franchise record.

Fouts finished with the third-best passer rating in the league (83.2) and the fourth-most touchdown passes (24). He had 2,999 passing yards, accounting for the bulk of San Diego's league-leading 3,375 yards. A later Chicago Tribune article noted the last three games of 1978 as the start of the "unprecedented passing attack" known as Air Coryell, which Fouts led for several years without further injuries.

1979 season
San Diego went 12–4 in 1979, winning the AFC West and reaching the playoffs for the first time in Fouts' career. He finished the season with 4,082 yards passing, breaking Joe Namath's NFL record of 4,007. He set an NFL record with a run of four consecutive 300-yard games, while his total of six such games tied Joe Namath's league record. With 332 completions from 530 attempts, Fouts' completion percentage of 62.2% led the league, while his passer rating of 82.6 was the best in the AFC and third-best in the NFL. His leading receivers, John Jefferson and Charlie Joiner, were the first pair of teammates to each surpass 1,000 receiving yards in a season since 1968. Fouts said of his record-breaking season, "I'm in the game for one thing—to get to the Super Bowl. The records will come because of our style of play."

In the end of season awards, Fouts finished second behind Earl Campbell for both AP NFL MVP (outvoted 34–27) and AP Offensive Player of the Year (outvoted 39–34). He was named a Pro Bowler and an AP first-team All-Pro. Other organizations to select him as their All-NFL quarterback included UPI, Pro Football Weekly and the Professional Football Writers of America.

San Diego's return to the playoffs ended in disappointment, losing 17–14 at home to the wildcard Houston Oilers. Fouts completed 25 of 47 passes for 333 yards, no touchdowns and five interceptions. Fouts said after the game, "We just made too many mistakes, that's all. We didn't play very well and they did." It was revealed after the game that Houston defensive coordinator Ed Biles had managed to crack the code San Diego used to signal their offensive plays to Fouts, giving them prior warning of the coming plays and potentially accounting in part for Fouts' struggles. Fouts himself didn't believe that the signals were stolen: "Anybody that says they're stealing signals is a liar. According to the stats, we got 500 yards of offense. If they were stealing signals, then they didn't do a very good job of it."

1980 season
Fouts had another record-breaking season in 1980 while leading the Chargers to an 11–5 record and another divisional title. He broke the single-game passing yards franchise record he had shared with Hadl in week 2, then improved on that total in weeks 6 and 7. The last of these was a 444-yard game against the New York Giants that prompted New York head coach Ray Perkins to say, "he may be the best quarterback there is." He set another franchise record by completing a 20-game streak of regular season games with at least one touchdown pass. Fouts improved on his NFL single-season record with 4,715 passing yards, also becoming the first quarterback with two 4,000 yard seasons. His totals for attempts (589), completions (348) and 300-yard games (8) were also NFL records. His passing produced an unprecedented three 1,000-yard receivers, with Jefferson, Joiner and tight end Kellen Winslow all achieving the feat.

Fouts was again named to the Pro Bowl squad; he was a second-team AP All-Pro behind Brian Sipe of the Cleveland Browns. Joiner said of Fouts at this point, "Dan has definitely matured over the last four years. His quickness of release is better, he's improved at reading defenses, he's better at going to the receiver who's open."

San Diego again had home field advantage in the AFC playoffs, and hosted the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round. The Chargers trailed 14–13 with a little over two minutes to play, facing a 3rd and 10 at midfield; Fouts then found little-used wide receiver Ron Smith for what would prove to be the game-winning touchdown. He finished with two touchdowns and 314 yards against a Bills defense known for being strong against the pass. The following week, San Diego hosted the Oakland Raiders with a place in the Super Bowl at stake. Fouts had a mixed first half, as he threw two touchdown passes to Joiner and two red zone interceptions. Joiner's second touchdown began a comeback attempt from 28–7 behind that fell short; Oakland won 34–27 despite Fouts' total of 336 passing yards. Fouts was described by a Gannett article as "deeply depressed" afterwards. He said, "the disappointment of not making the Super Bowl will hang heavy on my mind during the offseason."

1981 season
Fouts was again the league's passing yardage leader in 1981, and the Chargers won their third straight AFC West title with a 10–6 record. He had to overcome the loss of one of his leading receivers, as Jefferson was traded after holding out for more money; San Diego brought in Wes Chandler from the New Orleans Saints as a replacement and their offense continued to statistically dominate the league. Fouts also had to overcome the fragilities of the San Diego defense, which became much weaker after the trade of another holdout, defensive end Fred Dean. He completed a franchise record 15 consecutive passes during an opening day 44–14 victory over the Cleveland Browns. Another Charger record came in week 12 when he threw six touchdowns during a 55–21 win at the Oakland Raiders. Entering the final week of the regular season, San Diego needed another win over Oakland and a Denver loss to make the playoffs as division champions.

The NFL Players Association (NFLPA) ordered the Chargers to suspend Fouts before the regular season finale for non-payment of union fees. Fouts had not been a member of the NFLPA since 1976, having left because of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) that he had opposed in court in 1977. The terms of the CBA required all players to pay union fees even if they were not members, with suspension compulsory if they refused. While he had paid under protest in 1978, Fouts had refused to do so in subsequent seasons. Klein did not suspend Fouts as requested; he claimed that NFLPA executive director Ed Garvey was making a grandstanding move before the Chargers' potentially crucial final game, accusing him of vindictiveness and incompetence. Garvey said that Klein's failure to penalize Fouts could lead the NFLPA to seek a legal termination of the CBA, leaving the players free to strike at any time. This possibility was averted when a pair of Charger fans volunteered to pay the outstanding amount of $1,122. Garvey accepted the fan payment, though he still took Klein to court for his initial refusal to carry out the suspension. Fouts received an award from the National Right to Work Committee for his stance against compulsory union membership; he explained that he was a supporter of free enterprise and free association, and stated that he would continue to refuse to pay the union. With the matter temporarily settled, Fouts played against Oakland; the Chargers won the game and clinched the division as Denver had lost the previous day.

Fouts improved on his own NFL records for passing yards (4,802, also extending his record with a third 4,000 yard season) attempts (609) and completions (360). His 33 passing touchdowns led the league and set a franchise record. He again made the Pro Bowl, this time as a backup to Ken Anderson. San Diego led the league in points scored and yards gained. Fouts said "Nobody has really stopped us all year. This is the best year we've had yet."

San Diego faced the Dolphins in the divisional playoffs, winning the Epic in Miami 41–38. The Chargers led 24–0 in the 1st quarter, then Miami recovered to lead 38–31. Fouts threw a game-tying touchdown pass with 58 seconds to play, then set up Rolf Benirschke's winning field goal with a 39-yard completion to Joiner in overtime. He set NFL playoff records for pass attempts (53), completions (33) and yards (433). Fouts described the Epic in Miami as the greatest game he'd played in. He said, "I don't know what's ahead but I can't imagine how it can get any more difficult than this one." The Chargers moved on to face the Bengals in Cincinnati for the AFC championship. The game became known as the Freezer Bowl, being played in frigid and windy conditions; a gameday temperature of -9 °F contrasted with the 88 °F in Miami the previous week. Fouts struggled to grip the ball and passed for only 185 yards as the Chargers were defeated 27–7. He left the field with icicles having formed in his beard. Coryell later recalled, "Dan couldn't even talk to me on the sidelines. He couldn't get the words out of his frozen mouth. I never felt sorry for another man like that."

1982 season: Offensive Player of the Year
Fouts was again critical of the NFLPA when a players strike interrupted the 1982 season after two games. He attacked Garvey's demand for 55% of gross revenues as ridiculous and stated that the union should be lobbying for greater rights for free agents. Garvey's proposal would guarantee players certain wages based on their years of service, which Fouts felt would take away "the incentive to achieve greatness." He also said that Garvey was too fixated on strike action: "I'd like to see him negotiate, but he's obviously out-manned." Fouts was the only Charger to vote against supporting the strike at a team meeting. Teammate Linden King said of Fouts, "I understand where he is coming from, but I don't agree. It is a game of preservation. He is looking out for himself." Louie Kelcher commented, "Dan has been saying this since 1977... Guys have to live with that." Despite his opposition to the strike, Fouts trained extensively with his teammates while it was ongoing. The strike lasted for 57 days, then play resumed with a truncated nine-game regular season.

When the season restarted Fouts had consecutive 300-yard passing games, tying and then surpassing Unitas' NFL career record of 26 such games. Two weeks later, San Diego defeated the 49ers 41–37 in San Francisco. Fouts tied his career high with 444 passing yards and threw five touchdowns. Fouts had numerous friends in attendance, having grown up nearby; after his retirement, he described the game as the most fun he had while playing. The following week, Fouts passed for 435 yards in a 50–34 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, becoming the first player to post back-to-back 400-yard games. San Diego finished 6–3 and made the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season.

Fouts passed for 2,883 yards, leading the league for the fourth year in a row; this streak remains an NFL record. His average yards per game of 320.3 was an NFL record, and would have put him on pace for 5,125 yards in a 16-game season. Fouts' passer rating was second only to Anderson in the NFL, while his 17 touchdowns tied for first in the league. In the end-of-season awards, Fouts won the AP Offensive Player of the Year Award with 43 of the available 80 votes, but finished runner-up in NFL MVP voting with 33 votes, two behind Washington kicker Mark Moseley. Fouts won a league MVP award from the PFWA, as well as the player-awarded Jim Thorpe Trophy. He was also voted to another Pro Bowl (where he was the game's co-MVP) and named an AP first-team All-Pro. After his Offensive MVP award, Fouts questioned the value of giving individual awards in a team sport, saying, "It's nice to be singled out, but they probably shouldn't give out any awards... Our society is so hung up on the star system and singling out people."

San Diego traveled to Pittsburgh for the first round of the playoffs. The Steelers led 28–17 in the final quarter before Fouts finished consecutive drives with touchdown passes to Winslow and the Chargers won 31–28. Fouts threw three touchdowns in total and passed for 333 yards. San Diego moved on to Miami for a playoff rematch that would set the Chargers' top-ranked offense against the Dolphins' top-ranked defense. The Miami defense proved the decisive factor as they intercepted Fouts five times and allowed him only 191 yards. The resulting 34–13 defeat was the last playoff game of Fouts' career.

1983 season
Fouts' five-year contract with the Chargers expired on February 1, 1983, making him a free agent. He was unable to get offers from other teams, in part because of a rule that would require potential suitors to give the Chargers two first-round draft picks in compensation. Fouts continued to criticize the NFLPA for the state of NFL free agency, describing it as "another example of how the players have been misled and misguided by Garvey and his troops." On April 7, the Associated Press reported that he had scheduled a meeting with the newly-formed United States Football League (USFL) about the possibility of switching leagues. Klein announced on April 26 that Fouts had come to agreement with the Chargers, but reported ten days later that there had been a misunderstanding and Fouts had still not signed. The Chargers began making plans to start the season with backup quarterback Ed Luther promoted to the starting role. Fouts eventually did sign on June 29, saying that he had considered joining a proposed San Diego-based USFL franchise but returned to the Chargers because he wanted to win a Super Bowl. His agent Howard Slusher claimed that Fouts had been on the verge of signing a USFL contract but backed out because he felt he had unfinished work with the Chargers. Slusher reported that the six-year contract could potentially pay upward of $1 million per year, making it one of the most lucrative in pro football history up to that point.

During preseason, Fouts missed some playing time with an arch injury. More injuries followed once the 1983 season began: Fouts sprained a wrist against the Cleveland Browns in week 4 and was knocked out of a win at the New York Giants in week 5 with a bruised shoulder. He also played with a sore thumb. In week 7, a hit by Andre Tippett of the New England Patriots further injured Fouts' shoulder and caused him to miss over a month. This broke a string of 74 consecutive starts that stretched back to 1978. Luther filled in for him and struggled, with the Chargers winning only one game from five during Fouts' absence. After returning for three games, Fouts sustained a third shoulder injury and missed the season finale. He featured in only ten games but was still voted to his fifth straight Pro Bowl after finishing with the third best passer rating in the AFC.

1984 season
The 1984 Chargers began 4–2, with Fouts leading the offense to the top of the league in passing yards and total yards. They won only three games for the rest of the year while key players missed time with injuries. Fouts was shut out for the first time since 1979 in a week 9 game at the Seattle Seahawks, which both Winslow and Chandler were unfit to play in. A highlight came in week 12, when he set franchise records for attempts (56) and completions (37) while throwing 4 touchdowns and leading the Chargers to a 34–28 overtime upset of the 11–0 Miami Dolphins.

Fouts started the first thirteen games of the season, before injuring his groin and missing the remaining three. His total of 3,740 yards was still the second highest in the AFC. Over the 1983 and 1984 seasons, San Diego averaged 26.2 points per game when Fouts played and 16.6 per game when he did not.

1985 season
Fouts entered the 1985 season leading all active players for passing yards and touchdowns. A survey of three NFL scouts placed Fouts alongside Joe Montana and Dan Marino as the best quarterbacks in the league. San Diego had one of the league's weakest defenses but Fouts led them to a 2–1 start, passing for 1,002 yards and 9 touchdowns in the opening three games. He threw another touchdown on the Chargers' first possession of their week 4 game with the Cleveland Browns, but sustained knee ligament damage after hits on consecutive plays of their second series. Backup Mark Herrmann played the rest of the game, producing no points as the Browns won 21–7. Fouts underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair the injury later that day. Coryell commented, "He's an inspiration. We lost our whole key."

The injury was projected to keep Fouts out for three to six weeks, but he recovered slightly ahead of schedule. In the third game after the injury, San Diego were trailing 14–10 in the final quarter against the Minnesota Vikings before Fouts came off the bench and led a go-ahead touchdown drive; the Vikings retook the lead and won 21–17. On his third start after returning, Fouts threw for 436 yards and 4 touchdowns in a 40–34 overtime win against the Raiders. It was the sixth 400-yard game of his career, a new NFL record. Fouts started the final game of the Chargers' 8–8 season on the bench with a cracked fibula. Fouts passed for 3,686 yards despite the injuries, averaging over 300 yards per start. He was voted a second-team AP All-Pro behind Marino and made his sixth Pro Bowl. From 1983 to 1985, the Chargers were a combined 19–18 when Fouts started and 3–9 when he didn't.

1986 season
The 1986 season began well for the Chargers, who defeated Miami 50–28 with Fouts throwing 3 touchdowns and no interceptions. A week later, Fouts threw five interceptions in the second half of a 20–7 loss to the New York Giants. He continued to struggle as the season progressed, with 14 more interceptions in his next five games. Raiders cornerback Lester Hayes remarked that the Charger offense was "not the Dan Fouts show anymore," and that running back Gary Anderson was now the key player. Fouts continued to pick up injuries, missed three games due to a pair of concussions and one more with a sore shoulder. San Diego disappointed as a team, finishing 4–12; Coryell lost his job midway through the season.

San Diego's new head coach Al Saunders preferred a more conservative style of offense, with more emphasis on Anderson and less on the 36-year-old Fouts attempting to throw long balls. Fouts has some success with the new system, with a higher completion percentage and fewer interceptions thrown late in the season. He posted his sixth 3,000-yard season, breaking an NFL record he had shared with Sonny Jurgensen, and overtook Unitas for second place on the career passing yardage list. He said, "I'm honored to even be mentioned in the same sentence with Johnny Unitas, but I still feel I've got no business being there."

1987: Final season and retirement
Fouts played one full season after Coryell's resignation. He was involved in a preseason dispute with Chargers owner Alex Spanos; Spanos claimed he had met with Fouts to renegotiate his contract, which was due to pay him $750,000 in the 1987 season, and that Spanos had offered an increase to $1 million which Fouts had refused; he stated that he would be forced to trade Fouts unless the player agreed to play for $750,000. Fouts, who did not have his agent with him during the meeting, denied that he had been negotiating. He claimed that Spanos had "a PR campaign underway to set the stage for a trade," questioned the plausibility of him having refused a large pay rise and told the media that he intended to play for his contracted amount. Spanos accepted Fouts' assurances, saying "We're all happy." A Los Angeles Times article speculated that Spanos had actually been trying to persuade Fouts to take a higher salary in 1987 and then retire, foregoing his contracted $750,000 for the 1988 season.

The 1987 season was interrupted by another players strike, which caused the week 3 games to be canceled and the following three weeks to feature teams made up largely of replacement players. While Fouts was not part of the players union and did not picket with his teammates, he nonetheless refused to play for the Chargers while the strike was ongoing, noting that he would be risking injury behind an inexperienced offensive line. He led the Chargers in training five days each week, the sessions being based on a game plan prepared by San Diego's coaching staff for the opponents that the replacement Chargers were playing.

The replacements won all three of their games, meaning that Fouts and the other regulars came back to a 4–1 team that stood first in the AFC West. Fouts threw for 293 yards and two touchdowns in his first game back, and San Diego beat the Kansas City Chiefs 42–21; he credited the team's practice regime during the strike for their quick start after it. Three further victories improved the Chargers' record to a league-best 8–1. They lost all six of their remaining games and missed the playoffs. Fouts played only briefly in the first of these defeats due to a calf injury, and missed the finale with a slightly torn rotator cuff. He tended to pass over shorter distances in Saunders' offensive system. Fouts' passer rating and completion percentage were both his worst since 1975, while his 10 touchdowns passes were his fewest since 1977.

Fouts announced his retirement on March 24, 1988, at his home in Rancho Santa Fe. He cited the wear and tear on his body as the main reason. He was 36 years old at the time, and second only to Fran Tarkenton in terms of NFL career passing yards, trailing by about 4,000 yards having attempted 863 fewer passes. Fouts ranked fourth in career passing touchdowns with 254. Reflecting on his career, he said, "We had so much confidence in what we were doing and we had a lot of fun."

Legacy and playing style
Fouts threw for 43,040 yards and 254 touchdowns while starting 171 games over fifteen seasons in San Diego; he also rushed for 476 yards and 13 touchdowns. At the time of his retirement, Fouts was credited with 42 team records, as well as 7 league records. San Diego found Fouts difficult to replace, as they made 14 quarterback changes in barely five seasons before settling on Stan Humphries as a long-term starter in 1992.

Fouts is remembered as the quarterback of the Air Coryell offense, which led the league in passing yards seven times in an eight season span (1978–1983, 1985). Coryell described Fouts as a superior quarterback, writing "He had quick feet and could get back and make decisions. He wasn't afraid to pull the trigger and let the ball go." Fouts was able to make up to five reads before deciding on a pass target. His accuracy and quick decision making compensated for unexceptional arm strength. Fouts rarely used the shotgun, feeling more able to read defenses at the line. After taking the snap, he would drop back a shorter distance than most quarterbacks and often delay until the last second to give his receivers time to get open, tendencies that led him to take a number of hits throughout his career. Walsh, who went on to be a Hall of Fame head coach after leaving San Diego, said "Dan Fouts had a cool, steel-like nerve and courage... He took a lot of beatings, a lot of pounding, but continued to play, hurt or otherwise. He played more physical football than anybody on his team, including the linebackers". Fouts was noted for his aggressive leadership, and would often berate teammates who failed to perform. When Fouts was injured in 1983, Benirschke commented that the team lacked confidence, adding, "Dan's always been the guy. People might get mad at him, but they always knew he was doing it because he wanted to win." Winslow called Fouts "our leader, cheerleader and quarterback all in one."

The Chargers retired his No. 14 jersey during a ceremony at Jack Murphy Stadium on November 27, 1988, during halftime of a game against San Francisco. At the time, he was the only Charger to have his number retired. Further honors followed. The San Diego Hall of Champions placed him in the Breitbard Hall of Fame in 1989. Fouts was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993, his first year of eligibility. Later that year, he was inducted into the Chargers Hall of Fame, together with Joiner. In 1999, he was ranked number 92 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players. He was one of the twenty quarterbacks listed as finalists for the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team, though he was not among the ten who made the team. In 2009, Fouts received more votes than any other Charger during fan voting for their 50th anniversary team.

Fouts frequently credits Coryell for his success. Speaking in 1987, Fouts said, "You wouldn't be talking to me right now if it wasn't for Don, I'd be so far away from this. He meant everything. He made me." He also credited three assistant coaches: Robinson from Oregon, Joe Gibbs and Ernie Zampese from the Chargers. When Fouts was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he chose Coryell to present him. Fouts considered strong line play to be another important factor in San Diego's offense and would buy his linemen dinner if they kept him from being sacked during a game.

The Chargers never went to the Super Bowl under Fouts; he frequently appears on lists of the best quarterbacks not to win a Super Bowl or play in one. The San Diego defense was often blamed for their failure to win a title during Fouts career; a strong unit before the trade of Dean early in the 1981 season, the defense was among the league's worst for the next five years. Overall, the defense rated in the bottom quarter of the NFL in 10 of Fouts' 15 seasons in the league. Fouts was the first quarterback to be inducted into the Hall of Fame with no appearances in a title game (Super Bowl or the NFL championship game); expressing the hope that others would follow, he said "The Super Bowl is what you play for, but it is not your career, and not how you should be judged."

Professional honors

 * AP Offensive Player of the Year (1982)
 * PFWA NFL MVP (1982)
 * NEA NFL MVP (1982)
 * 2× First-team Associated Press All-Pro (1979, 1982)
 * 2× Second-team Associated Press All-Pro (1980, 1985)
 * 6x Pro Bowl (1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985)
 * 4x NFL passing yards leader (1979–1982)
 * 2x NFL passing touchdowns leader (1981–1982)
 * NFL 1980s All-Decade second team
 * San Diego Chargers 50th Anniversary Team
 * Los Angeles Chargers Hall of Fame inductee (1993)
 * Los Angeles Chargers No. 14 retired (1988)
 * Breitbard Hall of Fame (1989)
 * Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee (1993)

NFL records
The 2023 NFL Record & Fact Book credits Fouts with two NFL records.

 * Most consecutive seasons leading league, passing yards: 4 (1979–1982)
 * Most consecutive 300-yard passing games, postseason: 4 (1979–1981)

Chargers records
The Los Angeles Chargers 2023 Media Guide credits Fouts with 15 franchise records.

 * Most seasons leading league, pass attempts: 2 (1980–1981; tied with John Hadl)
 * Most seasons leading league, pass completions: 2 (1980–1981; tied with John Hadl)
 * Most seasons leading league, completion percentage: 1 (1979; tied with three others)
 * Most seasons leading league, passing yards: 4 (1979–1982)
 * Most seasons leading league, passing touchdowns: 2 (1981–1982; tied with John Hadl)
 * Most touchdown passes, game: 6 (week 12, 1981)
 * Most interceptions thrown, career: 242
 * Highest passer rating, game: 157.1 (week 1, 1981)
 * Most pass attempts, playoff game: 53 (divisional playoffs, 1981)
 * Most pass completions, playoff game: 33 (divisional playoffs, 1981)
 * Most passing yards, playoff game: 433 (divisional playoffs, 1981)
 * Most 300-yard passing games, playoffs, career: 5
 * Most 400-yard passing games, playoffs, career: 1
 * Most interceptions thrown, playoffs, career: 16
 * Most interceptions thrown, playoffs, game: 5 (twice: divisional playoffs, 1979 and second round, 1982)

Television
While announcing his retirement, Fouts stated his desire to work as a commentator, starting from the upcoming 1988 season. He had briefly worked as a journalist during his career, covering Super Bowl XX for USA Today and a San Diego television station. Fouts did an audition tape for CBS, working with Dick Stockton, and officially joined the NFL on CBS team as an analyst in March of that year. Over the course of the next six seasons, he was primarily partnered with Verne Lundquist. CBS were outbid by Fox and lost their NFL coverage rights in 1994. Fouts then switched to the CBS-affiliated KPIX-TV in his hometown of San Francisco, where he worked as the sports director and a sports anchor. In the fall of 1997, Fouts returned to network television as an analyst, this time working college football games for ABC Sports alongside play-by-play man Brent Musburger.

In 2000, Fouts moved into a commentary role on ABC's Monday Night Football, alongside MNF anchor Al Michaels and comedian Dennis Miller. He had a three-year contract, but ABC dropped both Fouts and Miller from the show in 2002, after only two seasons. Fouts stayed with ABC, returning to college football and working alongside acclaimed veteran announcer Keith Jackson. After Jackson's retirement from ABC in 2006, Fouts partnered with Tim Brant.

ABC declined to renew the contracts of either Fouts or Brant in 2008. It was reported in USA Today later that year that Fouts was returning to CBS for NFL games, where he would work with a variety of play-by-play announcers including Don Criqui, Bill Macatee and Dick Enberg. In 2009, he was moved to partner with Enberg as the number 3 broadcasting team for the NFL on CBS. Ian Eagle replaced Enberg as Fouts' partner the following season, and the new pair remained in the number three slot until 2014, when they were elevated to the number two team behind Jim Nantz and Phil Simms (and later, Tony Romo). Eagle and Fouts were often called "The Bird and the Beard". While with CBS, Fouts also covered Chargers preseason games carried throughout Southern California.

In April 2020 it was announced that CBS had parted ways with Fouts.

Other media
In 1998, Fouts made his big-screen debut, portraying himself in the football comedy The Waterboy, starring Adam Sandler. Fouts and Musburger appeared late in the film as ABC Sports' broadcast team for the fictitious New Year's Day "Bourbon Bowl" game.

Fouts did color commentary for the football video game NFL GameDay 2004, released in 2003. He partnered with long-time announcer Enberg.

During his second stint at CBS, Fouts also called NFL games for Westwood One radio, including Super Bowl 50.

Life outside football
Fouts married his first wife, public health major Julianne Mehl, in 1977. The pair had met at the University of Oregon. They later divorced, and Fouts was married for the second time in 1994, to Jeri Martin. He had two children from the first marriage and two from the second. His first son Dominic died of cancer in 2012. The family set up the Dominic Fouts Memorial Cancer Fund, with Dan Fouts as an adviser.

He lives with his wife in Oregon, the state of his alma mater, in a two-story home he had constructed from logs in the 1970s. The house is situated in the mountains near Sisters.

Described as a private person away from football, Fouts enjoyed fishing, skiing and racquetball during his playing career. He is also a keen golfer, who has appeared at numerous charity events.

title: Dan Fouts


text:
Adamawa State

Adamawa State (Fulfulde: Lesdi Adamaawa,, ) is a state in the North-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered by Borno to the northwest, Gombe to the west, and Taraba to the southwest while its eastern border forms part of the national border with Cameroon. It takes its name from the historic emirate of Adamawa, with the emirate's old capital of Yola serving as the capital city of Adamawa State. The state was formed in 1991 when the former Gongola State was broken up into Adamawa and Taraba states. The state is one of the most heterogeneous in Nigeria, having over 100 indigenous ethnic groups.

Of the 36 states, Adamawa is the eighth largest in area, but the thirteenth least populous with an estimated population of about 4.25 million as of 2016. Geographically, the state is mainly composed of the highlands of mountains (the Atlantika, Mandara, and the Shebshi ranges) and the Adamawa Plateau crossed by valleys and rivers, most notably the Benue and Gongola rivers. The lowlands of Adamawa are part of the West Sudanian savanna in the north and the wetter Guinean forest–savanna mosaic in parts of the south, while elevated areas are parts of the Mandara Plateau mosaic and Cameroonian Highlands forests ecoregions. In the extreme south of the state is part of the Gashaka Gumti National Park, a large wildlife park that contains large populations of bushbuck, African buffalo, patas monkey, black-and-white colobus, giant pangolin, and hippopotamus along with some of Nigeria's last remaining Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee, African leopard, and African golden cat populations.

What is now known as Adamawa state has been inhabited for years by various ethnic groups, including the Bwatiye (Bachama), Bali, Bata (Gbwata), Gudu, Mbula-Bwazza, and Nungurab (Lunguda) in the central region; the Kamwe in the north and central region; the Jibu in the far south; the Kilba, Mafa, Marghi, and Waga in the north, and the Mumuye in the south while the Fulani live throughout the state — often as nomadic herders. Adamawa is also religiously diverse as about 50% of the population is Sunni Muslim and 40% is Christian (mainly Lutheran, EYN, ECWA, and Pentecostal), while the remaining 10% are adherents of traditional ethnic religions.

In the early 1800s, the Fulani jihad seized much of modern-day Adamawa State and formed the Adamawa Emirate under the Sokoto Caliphate. About 90 years later, forces from Germany and the British Empire defeated the Emirate in the Adamawa Wars and split the area. The British-controlled area (much of the west of modern-day Adamawa) was incorporated into the Northern Nigeria Protectorate which later merged into British Nigeria before becoming independent as Nigeria in 1960. The German-controlled area formed a part of German Kamerun until allied forces invaded and occupied Kamerun during the Kamerun campaign of World War I. After the war, what is now eastern Adamawa State became most of the Northern Cameroons within the British Cameroons until 1961, when a referendum led to merger with Nigeria. Originally, modern-day Adamawa State was a part of the post-independence Northern Region until 1967 when the area became part of the North-Eastern State. After the North-Eastern State was split in 1976, Gongola State was formed on 3 February 1976 alongside ten other states. Fifteen years after statehood, Gongola was split with the state's south becoming Taraba State while its north became Adamawa State.

As an agriculturally-based state, the Adamawa State economy mainly relies on livestock and crops, such as cotton, groundnuts, millet, cassava, guinea corn, and yams. Due to the Boko Haram insurgency affecting development in the state, Adamawa has the eleventh lowest Human Development Index in the country but as the insurgency has abated since 2016 due to terrorist infighting, development has been renewed.

Geography
Adamawa is one of the largest states of Nigeria and occupies about 36,917 square kilometers. It is bordered by the states of Borno to the northwest, Gombe to the west and Taraba to the southwest. Its eastern border forms the national eastern border with Cameroon.

Topographically, it is a mountainous land crossed by the large river valleys – Benue, Gongola, and Yedsarem. The valleys of the Mount Cameroon, Mandara Mountains, and Adamawa Plateau form part of the landscape.

Climate change
A study conducted on climate in 2012 in Nigeria's Adamawa state revealed monthly mean temperature rise in Gyawana, Yola, and Mubi, while annual rainfall declined. Delays in rainfall and reduced length of fall were observed in these areas.

Contrarily, in recent times, the humidity and temperature of Adamawa state, especially during the dry season, begins in November, which is usually very hot. The harmattan period is experienced between December and February every year.

In recent years, the effect of climate change has begun to be more evident. Tropical wet and dry weather prevails in Adamawa State. The wet season lasts from April to October, whereas the dry season lasts for at least five months (November to March) yearly. An upsurge in rainfall in September in recent years is usually accompanied by floods. According to Dr. Sulieman Muhammad, the Executive Secretary of the Adamawa State Emergency Management Agency (ADSEMA), 25 people died in September 2022 due to floods brought on by both the overflow of water from the Lagdo Dam in Cameroon due to severe rainfall.

In October 2022, an additional flood claimed 37 lives and submerged 89,000 thousand hectares of farmlands with 58 others sustaining various degrees of injuries.

Flooding in September 2023 killed 5 people. Flooding the next month across 14 out of 21 LGAs in Adamawa caused 33 deaths and displaced 51,043 people. 11 temporary settlements across the LGAs of Yola South, Yola North, Lamude, Madagali, and Demsa were set up to house the internally displaced.

Economy
Adamawa has vast arable land for agriculture, waterfalls and landscape, and solid minerals like limestone, tantalite and kaoline. The GDP of the state is estimated to be ₦2.66 trillion. It has the 18th largest economy among the 36 states of Nigeria and the largest in the North-East region. The total revenue of the state experienced a growth of 9.93% from around ₦700.602 billion in 2020 to ₦777.62 billion in 2021. However, the state heavily depends on federally distributed revenues, with 77.52% of its total revenue being Gross FAAC in 2021. Adamawa had an IGR of ₦8.65 billion in 2021. The state imported $25.02 million worth of goods between 2019 and 2021. It has a debt stock of ₦132.68 billion as of December 2021, ranking the 19th most indebted state in Nigeria and 2nd most indebted in the North-East.

The Dangote group operates a sugar production factory in Numan which has a sugar refining capacity of 3,000 tonnes of cane per day. The company announced plans to expand to factory to a capacity of 6,000tcd, 9,800tcd and to 15,000 tcd. They also plan to increase the size of the factory from 8,700 hectares in 2022 to about 24,200 hectares within seven years.

The markets found in state are incredibly important to its economic activity and to its inhabitants. These markets, especially its cattle markets, enhanced the development of economic activities in the state, cash crops like groundnut and beans are grown and crops like rice, maize and sorghum are grown as food crops. Around River Yedseram and its tributaries, vegetable gardening in dry season is practiced. Fishing is also very popular in the riverine areas. The breeds of cattle found in Adamawa are; Adamawa Gudali, Sokoto Gudali, White Fulani, Ambala, Red Sokoto and Red Fulani. The state has around 1.5 million cattle and 64 grazing reserves of which 30 are gazetted.

Adamawa state has a thriving livestock industry especially cattle-rearing. It has 2.5 million heads of cattle. Traders come from all over the country and West Africa to buy and sell cattle in its markets, such as the Mubi International cattle market in Mubi South. Despite the state's high level of cattle production, the markets are poorly developed without essential services like meat processing. Meaning, live animals have to be transported in trucks for 4 days before they reach cities with high demand to regions like the South-West, South-South or South-East Nigeria.

The development of many communities in the state can be traced to the colonial era when the Germans ruled a swath of territory known as the Northern and Southern Kameruns from Dikwa in the North to Victoria (Limbe) on the Atlantic coast in the 19th century. These were, however, handed over as United Nations Trust Territories to the British at the end of the World War I with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. After a series of referendums, the Northern Kameruns joined Nigeria to form the then Sardauna Province, and the Southern Kameruns formed a Confederation with French speaking Cameroon.

Natural resources

 * Kaoline
 * Bentonite
 * Magnesite
 * Gypsum

Source:

Transport
Federal Highways are:
 * A4 north from Taraba State at Mayo Lane via Numan and Shellen to Borno State at Mada,
 * A8 Numan Rd east from A4 at Numan 61 km to A13 at Yola Airport, and
 * A13 north from A8 at Jimeta across the Benue River via Song, Wuro Hesso, Marraraba, Mubi, Amjawa, Gulak and Mararaba to Borno State near Wagga Lugere.

Other major roads include
 * the Gombe-Yola Rd northwest from A4 at Ngbalang via Giwano, Boskeri and Lafia to Gombe State at Yolde,
 * the Bambuka-Lafia Rd east from Taraba State near Sarkin Baka and northeast via Lamurde,
 * the Visik-Marraraba-Sangere-Manga Rd north from Marraraba to Borno State at Hildi Hills,
 * northeast from A13 at Jiberu via Yolde to Belel,
 * the Mubi-Maiha-Bungel Rd north from Belel to A13 at Mubi,
 * the Ngurore-Ganye Rd south from Wuro Yanka to Mayo Belwa, and
 * the Zaridi-Mayo Belwa Rd west to Taraba State at Bisa [Google Maps].

Five roads to Cameroon:
 * south from Mayo Belwa via Jada and Tungo at Kontcha,
 * at Kojoli to Poli via Tchamba,
 * east from Jimeta at Touruoa to Ngong,
 * east from Belel via Demsa to Gaschiga on P1 north of Garoua, and
 * from Mubi to Boukoula [Google Maps].

Airports:

Yola International near Jimeta.

Religion
Adamawa is a Muslim majority state in Nigeria, with a substantial Christian population. Historically, Adamawa is home to the major happenings of the Islamic Jihad, led by the Sokoto Caliphate in the early 1800s. Adamawa is also home to the headquarters of two indigenous churches, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria (EYN Church) with its headquarters in Mubi in the northern zone of the state, and the Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria (LCCN Church) with headquarters in Numan in the southern zone of the state. The Church of the Brethren in Nigeria (EYN church) was founded in Garkida Gombi Local Government of the state in March 1923 by American missionaries. The Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria (LCCN Church) was founded in Numan by Dutch missionaries in 1913. 4.5% Catholic with 192,767 followers (2020) in the Diocese of Yola (1950) with 39 parishes under Bishop Stephen Dami Mamza (2011) [https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dyola.html Yola (Diocese) Catholic-Hierarchy. The Anglican Diocese of Yola (1990) with 39 parishes is led by Bishop Markus Ibrahim (2020), also the Archbishop of the Province of Jos Anglican Diocese of Yola.

History
Before it became a state in Nigeria, Adamawa was a subordinate kingdom of the Sultanate of Sokoto, which also included much of northern Cameroon. The rulers bear the title of emir ("lamido" in the local language, Fulfulde).

The name "Adamawa" came from the founder of the kingdom, Modibo Adama, a regional leader of the Fulani Jihad organized by Usman dan Fodio of Sokoto in 1804. Modibo Adama came from the region of Gurin (now just a small village) and in 1806, received a green flag for leading the jihad in his native country. In the following years, Adama conquered many lands and tribes. In 1838, he moved his capital to Ribadu, and in 1839, to Joboliwo. In 1841, he founded Yola, where he died in 1848. After the European colonization (first by Germany and then by Britain), the rulers remained as emirs and the line of succession has continued to the present day.

A measles outbreak was reported in an internally displaced persons camp, in January 2015.

Lamibe of Adamawa
Lamibe (Emirs) of Adamawa have included:

Boko Haram insurgency
Adamawa State has been badly impacted by the Boko Haram insurgency. In January 2012, Boko Haram attacked Gombi, Mubi and Yola. By 2014, the state became home to camps housing an estimated 35,000 internally displaced people, fleeing violence from Boko Haram in locations including Mubi, Madagali, Askira Uba, Bama and Gwoza in the states of Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe. In 2014, an estimate placed the number of IDPs around Yola at 400,000. An attack occurred in Chakawa in 2014. A suicide bombing in Yola in 2015 killed over 30 people. A double suicide bombing in Madagali in 2016 killed over 50 people. Mubi is the worst affected place in Adamawa State, suffering major attacks in 2012, 2014, 2017 and 2018.

Organizations serving the community include the Adamawa Peace Initiative (API) - a group of business, religious, and community leaders - and the Adamawa Muslim Council. The United States Agency for International Development has pledged to provide continuing humanitarian assistance.

On 21–22 February 2020, Boko Haram terrorists launched an attack on homes and churches in Garkida, killing three soldiers and wounding civilians.

Education
Tertiary institutions in Adamawa state include:
 * Adamawa State Polytechnic, Yola
 * Adamawa State University
 * American University of Nigeria, Yola
 * Federal College of Education, Yola
 * Federal Polytechnic, Mubi
 * Modibbo Adama University, Yola

Healthcare
Adamawa state has many healthcare sectors that are of different levels, these levels are federal, state and local(grassroot) levels, these include:

Primary Healthcares

 * Basha Health clinic
 * Dowaya Health Post
 * Gweda Malam Primary Health care center
 * Numan maternal and child primary health care
 * Sabon fegi primary health care center
 * Wayam primary health clinic
 * Gbalapun primary health clinic
 * Vulpi primary health care center
 * Wisdom Primary Health Care
 * Bakta primary health Care Center

State Healthcares

 * General Hospital Numan

Sites of interest

 * Sukur World Heritage Site in Madagali
 * Mandara Mountains at Nigeria-Cameroon border in Maiha
 * Kiri Dam in Shelleng
 * Ruwan Zafi Spring in Lamurde
 * Lamido Muhammadu Barkindo's Palace in Yola
 * Mambilla Plateau at the Adamawa-Taraba border in Toungo
 * Gashaka Gumti National Park in Toungo
 * Shebshi Mountains and Mount Dimlang at the Adamawa-Taraba border in Ganye
 * Kamale Mountain Peak in Michika
 * Three Sisters Rock in Song
 * Sassa Waterfalls in Sassa Village, Toungo
 * Yadim Waterfalls in Yadim Village, Fufore
 * Fombina Palace Museum in Yola
 * The confluence of Rivers Benue and Gongola in Numan Uba under Mubi (Valanyi)

Local Government Areas
Adamawa State consists of twenty-one Local Government Areas (LGAs):

 * Demsa
 * Fufore
 * Ganye
 * Girei
 * Gombi
 * Guyuk
 * Hong
 * Jada
 * Lamurde
 * Madagali
 * Maiha
 * Mayo-Belwa
 * Michika
 * Mubi North
 * Mubi South
 * Numan
 * Shelleng
 * Song
 * Toungo
 * Yola North (State capital)
 * Yola South

Languages
Adamawa state is home to many languages due to the state's ethnic diversity. Inter-ethnic communication is mostly done using Fulfulde, Hausa or English. Many of the state's languages are at danger of extinction due to economic, social, political, religious, and contextual factors. Fewer and fewer people are using their ethnic languages in homes.

Languages of Adamawa State listed by LGA:

Politics
The Governor of Adamawa State which acts as the Executive, the State Legislature, and the Adamawa State House of Assembly are located in Yola, the state capital.

Electoral system
The electoral system of each state is selected using a modified two-round system. To be elected in the first round, a candidate must receive the plurality of the vote and over 25% of the vote in at least two -third of the State local government Areas. If no candidate passes threshold, a second round will be held between the top candidate and the next candidate to have received a plurality of votes in the highest number of local government areas.

Notable people

 * Atiku Abubakar (born 26 November 1946) a Nigerian politician and Businessman who served as the Vice President of Nigeria from 1999 to 2007.
 * Iya Abubakar
 * Jibril Aminu
 * Alex Badeh
 * Mohammed Barkindo
 * Mohammed Bello
 * Aisha Buhari
 * Done P. Dabale
 * Aisha Dahiru Binani
 * Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri
 * Binta Masi Garba
 * Boni Haruna
 * Bindow Jibrilla
 * Muhammadu Gambo Jimeta
 * Ahmed Joda
 * Aliyu Kama
 * Ibrahim Lamorde
 * Babachir Lawal
 * Aliyu Mai-Bornu
 * Tahir Mamman
 * Buba Marwa
 * Abubakar Saleh Michika
 * Boss Mustapha
 * Murtala Nyako
 * Muhammadu Ribadu
 * Nuhu Ribadu
 * Bamanga Tukur
 * Mahmud Tukur
 * Mahmud Modibbo Tukur

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Adamawa State


text:
Mercury Monarch

The Mercury Monarch is a compact  automobile that was marketed by the Mercury division of Ford from the 1975 to 1980 model years. Designed as the original successor for the Mercury Comet, the Monarch was marketed as a luxury compact vehicle; alongside its Ford Granada counterpart, the Monarch expanded the segment in the United States as automakers responded to the 1973 fuel crisis.

Taking its name from a former marque of Ford Canada, the Mercury Monarch was slotted between the compact Comet and the Montego in the Mercury model line (later, the Zephyr and Cougar). Sharing many of its chassis underpinnings with the Comet, the Monarch marked the final evolution of the 1960-1965 Ford Falcon chassis architecture. The Monarch was also the counterpart of the 1977-1980 Lincoln Versailles sedan.

In total, 575,567 Monarchs were produced. Ford assembled the model line alongside the Granada at Mahwah Assembly (Mahwah, New Jersey) and Wayne Stamping & Assembly (Wayne, Michigan). For 1981, the Monarch was discontinued after a single generation, with the Mercury counterpart of the Granada taking on the Cougar (and ultimately, Marquis) nameplate.

Development
The Mercury Monarch was developed as external circumstances outside of Ford Motor Company's control forced major changes in consumer buying habits. The 1973 fuel crisis and new engine power sapping emissions standards would lead to buyers valuing luxury over performance, with fuel economy becoming a key attribute. Originally developed as an extensively updated Mercury Comet for the 1975 model year, the more upscale redesign was instead renamed Mercury Monarch. The Ford division also introduced its own redesigned Maverick, the Granada. As Ford Motor Company predicted the compact segment would grow in sales, the existing Comet/Maverick would remain in production. To differentiate Granada/Monarch from the Maverick/Comet, Ford offered the new-generation compact-segment vehicles with a higher than usual level of equipment, comfort and convenience features.

Although General Motors had earlier introduced the Buick Apollo (later Skylark) and Oldsmobile Omega in 1973, the Granada/Monarch became one of the few vehicles that would break a long-standing tradition within American auto manufacturers of associating size with luxury.

Chassis
As with the Ford Granada, the Mercury Monarch shared its unibody chassis with its Ford Maverick/Mercury Comet predecessors. Based heavily on the first-generation Ford Falcon from 1960, the design utilized coil spring front suspension with a leaf-sprung live rear axle; due to its Falcon origins, the Monarch was also loosely mechanically related to the first-generation Ford Mustang and Mercury Cougar.

The base engine was a 200 cuin inline six-cylinder engine, with a 250 cuin inline six optional. V8 power came from one of two options: the 302 cuin or 351 cuin Windsor engines.

Body
Although originally developed to become a new Mercury Comet, the Mercury Monarch was differentiated from the Comet produced alongside it in a number of ways. Using the Mercedes-Benz 280 as a benchmark for its styling and interior packaging, the Monarch abandoned the Coke bottle styling of the Comet for straighter-edged body panels. In the front, the Monarch adapted much of the styling of Mercury's large full size Marquis (with the exception of single exposed headlights). While the roofline of the four-door model was heavily influenced by Mercedes-Benz, the two-door was given its own roofline with vertical opera windows. The rear featured horizontal wrap-around taillamps with amber reflectors and a color-keyed decorative trim panel with a fuel filler door.

In 1978, the Monarch underwent an exterior facelift; the headlamps were converted from round to rectangular, with the turn signals moved under the headlamps. The taillamps were revised to all red lenses and the center rear trim panel was changed to a new design with an argent finish on base models or a matching red reflector on top trim levels.

On the inside, in contrast from other Lincoln-Mercury cars, the Monarch was equipped with front bucket seats. While a feature associated with sporty cars at the time, the individual seats (from the European Ford Granada) were chosen for their support and range of adjustment. Unlike its fully instrumented European competitors, the wood-trimmed dashboard of the Monarch was only equipped with three instruments – a speedometer, fuel gauge, and a clock – along with a suite of warning lights.

Trim
At its launch, the Monarch was available in two trim levels: base and Ghia. For 1977, the two-door coupe was produced in an S (Sports Coupe) trim. For 1978 and 1979, the ESS (European Sports Sedan) trim was available, distinguished by blacked-out exterior trim.

Grand Monarch Ghia
The Mercury Grand Monarch Ghia was offered from 1975 to 1976, marketed as the highest-trim version of the Monarch. Adopting many features shared with the larger Marquis and Grand Marquis, the Grand Monarch Ghia offered a sophisticated central hydraulic power system and four-wheel disc brakes not used on the standard Monarch or Granada. According to the May 1976 edition of Car and Driver, three out of five of Ford top executives, including Henry Ford II, used the Mercury Grand Monarch Ghia as their personal car.

Other standard Grand Monarch Ghia features included:

 * Leather trim
 * Vinyl roof
 * LCD clock
 * Leather-wrapped steering wheel
 * Power steering
 * Dual map lights
 * Illuminated visor vanity mirror (passenger side)
 * 14-inch cast-aluminum spoke wheels
 * Solid-state ignition
 * Whitewall steel-belted radial tires
 * Reclining bucket seats with matching map pockets
 * Plusher carpeting and soundproofing

For 1977, the Grand Monarch Ghia was withdrawn and repackaged as the Lincoln Versailles. Intended as a response to the Cadillac Seville, the Versailles adopted much of the content of the Grand Monarch Ghia with a slightly restyled exterior. Among the most controversial examples of badge engineering in the American automotive industry, the Lincoln Versailles was withdrawn during the 1980 model year.

title: Mercury Monarch


text:
Gul (name)

Gul  is a common name in Persian (گل ), Pashto (ګل Gwal) andTurkish (Gül) languages, meaning rose. Gul is used as a family name in Europe, Central and South Asia.

It is also a Nordic given name, used in Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian languages as a short form of Guðólfr (Godwulf).

The name is also an abbreviation used in the medieval and early modern periods for William (derived from French Guillaume), for example in the signature "Gul: Ebor" for William Dawes, Archbishop of York.

Males

 * Gul Bakhsh, Bengali poet
 * Gul Hameed Bhatti, Pakistani journalist
 * Gul Chaman, Afghan prisoner of the United States at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
 * Gul Haider, Afghan politician
 * Gul Mohammed Jangvi, Afghan Taliban field commander
 * Haji Alam Gul Kuchi, Afghan politician
 * Gul Mohammad, Indian/Pakistani cricketer
 * Gul Mohammed, Guinness world record holder as the shortest human being
 * Gul Mudin (1994–2010), Afghan child premeditatedly murdered by United States troops
 * Gul Rahman, Afghan torture victim
 * Gul Hameed Khan Rokhri, Pakistani politician
 * Gul Agha Sherzai, Afghan politician
 * Gul Mohamad Zhowandai, Afghan poet
 * Gul Rahman Qazi, Pashtun Afghan scholar, peace activist and politician

Females

 * Gül Gölge (born 1981), Turkish model and actress
 * Gul Panag (born 1979), Indian Bollywood actress
 * Gul Panra (born 1989), Pakistani Pashto singer
 * Gul Rukhsar, Pakistani Pashto Singer
 * Gulalai Wazir, Pashtun Politician
 * Gulalai Ismael, Human Rights Activist
 * Gul Wareenah, a common pashtun girl name

Surname
Notable people with the surname Gul or Gül include:
 * Abdullah Gül (born 1950), Turkish politician and 11th President of Turkey
 * Aftab Gul, Pakistani cricketer
 * Ajab Gul, Pakistani actor-turned-director
 * Amir Gul, Pakistani footballer
 * Awal Gul, Afghan prisoner of the United States at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
 * Dawd Gul, Afghan prisoner of the United States at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
 * Faruk Gül, Turkish American economist
 * Gerardus Gul, Dutch bishop of the Old Catholic Church of the Netherlands
 * Hamid Gul, former Director General of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence
 * Khi Ali Gul, Afghan prisoner of the United States at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
 * Meirchion Gul, 5th-century king of Rheged (modern-day northern England)
 * Mohammad Gul, Afghan prisoner of the United States at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
 * Roman Gul, Russian émigré writer
 * Sahar Gul, Afghan child bride tortured by her husband's family
 * Sajjad Gul, Pakistani CEO
 * Shabnum Gul (born 1963), Pakistani writer
 * Umar Gul, Pakistani cricketer
 * Yekta Yılmaz Gül (born 1978), Turkish Greco-Roman wrestler

title: Gul (name)


text: Template:Aircraft by decade

title: Template:Aircraft by decade