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Carson Palmer's Biography
Career
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
High School
Personal

CAREER:

2002: Senior quarterback Carson Palmer (288-of-458, 62.9%, 3,639 yds, 32 TD, 10 int in 2002, plus 45 tcb, -126 yds, -2.8 avg, 4 TD), the Pac-10's career passing and total offense leader, is among the leading 2002 Heisman Trophy contenders. He currently is sixth nationally in passing efficiency (148.3, second in Pac-10) and eighth in total offense (292.8, second in Pac-10). In his last 6 games, he has thrown for 2,006 yards and 23 TDs (and in his last 8 games, he has gone for 2,676 yards and 27 TDs). He has thrown a TD pass in every game in 2002, including at least 2 in the past 9 outings (he has thrown at least 4 TDs in 5 of the last 6 games). His 32 TD passes are currently the second most in the country. His 62.9% completion rate is tops in the Pac-10. In 2002, he set USC season records for passing yards (3,639), passing TDs (32), pass attempts (458), total offense (3,513) and TDs rushing and passing (36), and his 288 completions is second on the USC season list (behind Rob Johnson's 308 in 1993). He threw a USC record 147 consecutive passes without an interception in 2002. He is 1 of 5 semifinalists for the 2002 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, 1 of 10 finalists for the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award and 1 of 14 semifinalists for the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award. He was named Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Week 3 times in 2002. Now in his fourth year as a starter, he owns 7 Pac-10 career records and numerous USC career records, including: total offense (a Pac-10 record 11,314), plays (a Pac-10 record 1,788), passing yardage (a Pac-10 record 11,515), passing touchdowns (71, third on the Pac-10 ladder), completions (a Pac-10 record 906), attempts (a Pac-10 record 1,548) and interceptions (49). His 3 seasons with 2,500-plus yards of total offense ties a Pac-10 record. His 11,085 non-bowl career passing yards ranks eighth on the NCAA ladder and his 10,786 non-bowl career total offense yardage is 12th in the NCAA. In 2002, he has completed passes to 13 different receivers. With 44 career starts, he has cccompleted at least 60.0% of his passes 23 times (including 9 contests at 70.0%-plus), with 8 of those coming in 2002, and has thrown for 300-plus yards in a USC-record 10 games in his career (a USC record 6 in 2002, including 5 of the past 8), with a trio of 400-yard outings (a USC record). His 3 consecutive 300-yard outings (all this year) is a USC record and his 30 200-yard games is a Pac-10 mark (his 11 200-yard games in 2002 is a school record). He owns 3 USC game records: total offense (434), passing yards (448) and TD passes (5, shared with Rodney Peete), all set at Oregon in 2002. He is the first player to lead USC in passing for 4 years. Last fall, he was 221-of-377 (58.6%) for 2,717 yards with 13 TDs and 12 interceptions. His 58.6% completion rate in 2001 topped the Pac-10 and his 419 yards of total offense at Oregon was a since-broken USC game record (his 411 passing yards in that game were 4 shy of tying that school mark). He was invited to play in the 2003 East-West Shrine Game.

• He completed 23-of-32 passes (71.9%) for 302 yards with 1 TD and 2 interceptions against Auburn (he had 3 drops) and also scored the game-winning TD on a 1-yard sneak with 1:26 to play to earn Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Week honors. He was 11-of-13 in the second half and completed passes to 8 different receivers in the game.
• He hit 22-of-30 passes (73.3%) for 244 yards with 1 TD at Colorado and also scored a TD on a 1-yard sneak. He hit his first 6 passes in the game and then was 8-of-8 in the second half. His completions went to 7 different receivers.
• At Kansas State, he hit 18-of-46 passes (8 throws were dropped) for 186 yards and a TD while setting USC career records for plays, completions and passing yards.
• He completed 23-of-41 passes for 231 yards with 2 TDs against Oregon State while setting the USC career total offense mark.
• At Washington State, he hit 32-of-50 passes (both career highs and just 1 completion short of the USC game record) for 381 yards and 2 TDs (with an interception), plus he scrambled for a 3-yard score.
• He was 25-of-39 for 289 yards with 2 TDs and 2 interceptions against California.
• He hit 21-of-34 passes for 348 yards with 4 TDs (equaling a then-career best) against Washington.
• He had a record-setting performance at Oregon: he set USC single game marks for passing yardage (448) and total offense (434) while hitting 73.8% (31-of-42) of his throws (he had 1 interception) and his 5 TD tosses equaled a USC record. He was 14-of-18 for 216 yards in the first half and then 12-of-14 for 183 yards in the third quarter. For this, he was named National Player of the Week by CNNSI.com, USAToday.com and SportingNews.com, as well as Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Week.
• At Stanford, he threw 4 touchdowns while going 22-of-32 for 317 yards and no interceptions.
• He threw for 2 touchdowns (on 20-of-34 passing with no interceptions) and ran for another (2 yards) against Arizona State.
• At UCLA, he became the Pac-10's career leader in passing yards, completions and attempts as he was 19-of-32 for 254 yards and 4 TDs with no interceptions (he started off 7-of-7 for 128 yards with 2 scores) and he also had a 22-yard scramble where he somersaulted to the 1-yard line to set up a TD. He was named Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Week.
• Palmer was 32-of-46 passing (one completion shy of the USC game record) for 425 yards and 4 TDs against Notre Dame (in the national Top 10 in every defensive category), the most yards and TDs ever against the Irish. In the process, he became the Pac-10's career total offense leader and set a Pac-10 season record for passing yards, as well as USC season marks for TD passes and total offense. He also set a USC record with 147 consecutive passes without an interception before being picked off twice.

2001: Palmer had a solid year as a junior in 2001 in USC's revamped offense and, while starting for his third season, proved to be one of the nation's better quarterbacks. Overall in 2001 while starting all 12 games, he completed 221-of-377 passes (58.6%) for 2,717 yards with 13 TDs and 12 interceptions. He also ran for 34 yards on 88 carries (0.4 avg.) with 1 TD. He was on the "Watch List" for the 2001 Davey O'Brien Award, given to the top collegiate quarterback. His 58.6% completion rate in 2001 was tops among Pac-10 starting quarterbacks. His 221 completions in 2001 is fourth on the USC season chart and his 2,751 yards of total offense in 2001 is fifth on Troy's season list (23rd on the Pac-10 list). He had a span in 2001 where he threw 87 consecutive passes without an interception before getting picked off at Notre Dame.

He was 21-of-28 for 213 yards (with an interception) and hit his first 9 aerials in the San Jose State opener. Against Kansas State, he ran for a team-best and career-high 60 yards on 12 carries (the most rushing yards by a Trojan quarterback since Reggie Perry's 60 versus Memphis State in 1991) and hit 16-of-36 passes for 197 yards. He set the USC single game total offense record with 419 yards at Oregon and his career-high 411 passing yards were 4 yards shy of another school mark; he completed 25-of-40 aerials, including TDs of 93 and 75 yards (the 2 longest passes of his career), but he was intercepted 3 times and sacked 5 times. He was 22-of-42 for 240 yards against Stanford, but he threw 2 interceptions. He was 8-of-14 for 152 yards and 2 TDs at Washington, including a perfect 7-of-7 for 94 yards and a score in the first half; it was his fewest completions since the 1998 Washington State game and his fewest attempts since the 1999 Oregon game. Against Arizona State, he was 18-of-26 for 295 yards and 3 TDs (the second most of his career) and also ran for 28 yards on 8 tries. He was 19-of-30 for 230 yards with 2 TDs at Notre Dame, but was intercepted twice and sacked 5 times. He was 24-of-49 for 248 yards with 2 TDs at Arizona, but was intercepted twice. He scored the game-winning TD in overtime against Oregon State on a 4-yard naked bootleg run in which he broke one tackle and dove to the flag while getting slammed by another Beaver; passing, he was 21-of-28 for 171 yards and an interception (including 13-of-15 for 80 yards in the first half while connecting on his first 9 aerials) despite getting sacked 6 times. At California, he hit 18-of-35 passes for 230 yards and a TD (with no interceptions) and also ran for 45 yards (with a career-long 54-yard scramble) on 8 carries. He was 14-of-23 for 180 yards and a TD (with an interception) against UCLA. He hit 15-of-26 passes for 150 against Utah, but was sacked 4 times for -45 yards.

2000: Palmer returned as USC's starting quarterback as a sophomore in 2000 after an injury knocked him out of the lineup early in 1999. Although he struggled somewhat in 2000, he often exhibited his outstanding potential. He completed 228-of-415 passes (54.9%) for 2,914 yards and 16 TDs with 18 interceptions. His 228 completions in 2000 put him second on USC's season passing list and his 2,919 yards of total offense was second on the Trojan season total offense list. He ranked 24th nationally in total offense (243.3, second in Pac-10). His 18 interceptions in 2000 tied a USC season mark. His 2,914 yards and 16 TDs in 2000 were the most by a Trojan sophomore. His completions (228), attempts (415) and yardage (2,914) in 2000 were the second most in USC history. With 5 rushing yards on 63 carries (0.1 avg.) with 2 TDs, he was the first fulltime USC quarterback since Reggie Perry in 1991 to finish a season with positive rushing yards. His 5,159 career passing yards through the 2000 season were the most by a Trojan at the end of his sophomore year.

In his first game after an 11-month layoff, he was 10-of-20 passing for 87 yards (with an interception) against Penn State. He bounced back from that shaky debut by hitting 25-of-30 passes (83.3%) for 275 yards and a TD (3 of his passes were dropped) against Colorado (on USC's game-winning drive-a 9-play, 72-yard drive that began with 1:14 on the clock and culminated with a game-winning field goal with 13 seconds to play-he was 6-of-6 for 68 yards). Then, for the second game in a row (and the first time since Rodney Peete did it in 1987 against Arizona and UCLA), he led USC on another late game-winning scoring drive: this time against San Jose State, he brought Troy back from a 12-point deficit midway through the fourth quarter by guiding the Trojans to 22 unanswered points (overall, he hit 22-of-38 passes for a then-career-high 338 yards with 2 TDs, including 10-of-12 for 148 yards and a TD in the fourth quarter; he had 6 passes dropped. At Oregon State, he was 19-of-38 for 282 yards and 2 TDs, but threw a career-high 3 interceptions. He was 26-of-50 (a career-best in attempts) for 321 yards and a TD against Arizona, but for the second week in a row he threw a career-high 3 interceptions. He hit 15-of-35 passes for 194 yards with a TD and an interception against Oregon and also ran for 31 yards on 5 tries (with a then-career-long 28-yard scramble). At Stanford, he was 15-of-30 for 190 yards (with 2 interceptions) and also ran for a 1-yard TD. He was 19-of-39 for 202 yards and a TD against California, but threw 2 picks and was sacked 7 times. He was 22-of-37 for 279 yards with 2 TDs (and 2 picks) at Arizona State. Against Washington State, he was 12-of-26 for 145 yards and an interception in the first half and was replaced by Mike Van Raaphorst in the second half. He had career highs in passing yards (350) and TD passes (4) in the dramatic win at UCLA while completing 26-of-37 passes (he also gained 31 yards on 5 rushes, including key 35- and 16-yard scrambles, with the 35-yarder being a cer long); for his performance, he was named the Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Week and USC's Player of the Game versus UCLA. He was 17-of-35 for 251 yards with 2 TDs and 2 picks against Notre Dame and also led USC in rushing with 22 yards (with a TD) on 10 attempts (the first time a quarterback led Troy in rushing since Peete did so against Michigan State in the 1988 Rose Bowl).

1999: Palmer, coming off an eye-opening 1998 campaign, was off to an impressive beginning while starting USC's first 3 games (Hawaii, San Diego State and Oregon) of 1999 at quarterback as a sophomore. But he broke his right collarbone 2 plays before halftime (scrambling for a 3-yard gain) at Oregon and was sidelined the rest of the season (because of the early-season injury, he was allowed to redshirt). Overall in 1999, he completed 39-of-53 passes (73.6%) for 490 yards with 3 TDs and 3 interceptions. He also had 7 carries for 2 yards (0.3 avg.) with a TD.

He was a near-perfect 14-of-16 (87.5%) for 167 yards and a 32-yard TD pass at Hawaii (he was never sacked) and also ran 9 yards for a score on a bootleg in just over 2 quarters of action. He played the whole game against San Diego State, where he was 16-of-24 for 188 yards and 2 TDs, but threw a pair of interceptions. At Oregon, he completed 9-of-13 passes for 135 yards (with a pick) before getting injured.

1998: Just a first-year freshman, Palmer showed his precociousness with an impressive showing at quarterback. After sharing playing time with starter Mike Van Raaphorst in USC's first 8 games, Palmer took over the starting job against Washington to become only the second true freshman to start at quarterback for USC (along with Rob Johnson, who started once in 1991) and continued as the starter against Stanford, UCLA, Notre Dame and TCU in the Sun Bowl. Overall while appearing in all 13 games in 1998, Palmer was 130-of-235 (55.3%) for 1,755 yards and 7 TDs with 6 interceptions. His 130 completions ranks 17th on USC's season passing chart. He also carried the ball 47 times for -116 yards (-2.5 avg.) with a TD.

In the Purdue opener, he appeared on 3 series in the second half and led USC to 17 points while going 3-of-6 for 79 yards. The pattern held true against San Diego State, as he was 5-of-8 for 50 yards and 1 score (the first of his career) seeing action in 3 second-half series. Against Oregon State, he hit just 1-of-7 throws for 6 yards playing in 5 series in the second and third quarters. He struggled at Florida State (2-of-10 for 18 yards) while playing all but the first series of the second half. In the Arizona State game, he came off the bench late in the third quarter to guide Troy on a TD drive and spark USC's comeback (he was 4-of-7 for 69 yards and a TD overall in 3 series). He played just 2 series in the third quarter against California, hitting 1?of?2 passes for 9 yards. He was 8-of-16 for 143 yards and a TD while leading USC to 28 unanswered points at Washington State when he came in midway through the second quarter when Van Raaphorst became ill. At Oregon, he was 10-of-19 for 179 yards as he saw action in most of the second quarter, the end of the third quarter and all of the final quarter. He played the entire Washington game, hitting 18-of-31 passes for 279 yards (all then-career highs) and a TD to become only USC's second true freshman starting quarterback. At Stanford, he went 19-of-26 (a then-career-best for completions; 2 passes were dropped, including 1 in the end zone) for 203 yards and a TD while going the whole way. He was 28?of?43 (both career bests; he since upped his career high in attempts) for 252 yards and a TD (but he threw 2 interceptions) while going the whole way at UCLA. He was 14?of?32 for 188 yards against Notre Dame and he ran for his first career touchdown (a 2?yarder to put USC on the board and give Troy its decisive points) while playing the entire game. Against TCU in the Sun Bowl, he completed17-of-28 passes for a then-career-best 280 yards and 1 TD, but was sacked 6 times.

HIGH SCHOOL: He earned 1997 Super Prep National 50, The Sporting News Top 100, Super Prep All-American, Prep Star Dream Team, Prep Star All-American, USA Today All-USA honorable mention, Super Prep All-Farwest, Prep Star All-Western Region Super 30, Long Beach Press-Telegram Best in the West first team (unanimous), Cal-Hi Sports All-State first team, All-CIF Southern Section first team, All-CIF Division V Offensive Co-MVP, Los Angeles Times All-Orange County first team, Orange County Register All-Orange County first team and All-Seaview League Offensive MVP honors as a senior at Santa Margarita High in Rancho Santa Margarita (Calif.). In 1997, he completed 136-of-216 passes (63.0%) for 2,685 yards, 31 TDs and just 4 interceptions, plus ran for 290 yards and 3 scores. He did all this despite missing 2 earlier-season games with a foot injury. Santa Margarita went 14-0 in 1997 and won its second consecutive CIF Division V championship; in that title game, Palmer threw for a school-record 419 yards with 5 TDs and ran for another TD. Earlier in 1997, he threw for 356 yards in a game and had 5 TD tosses in less than 2 quarters of action in another contest.

As a junior in 1996, he made the Cal-Hi Sports Junior All-State second team, All-Seaview League first team and team Offensive MVP while completing 58.0% of his passes for 2,089 yards, 25 TDs and 5 interceptions. Santa Margarita went 13-1 in 1996 and was the 1996 CIF Division V champ. In his career, he set 23 school records while going 261-of-435 (60.0%) for 4,692 yards and 55 TDs with just 10 interceptions. He also ran for 565 yards (including 150 yards in a game) with 10 scores in his career.

Palmer also played basketball at Santa Margarita (he averaged 8.0 points and 8.0 rebounds as a 1998 senior) and was named to the 1998 Student Sports Grid-Hoops All-American second team. Santa Margarita went 32-2 in 1998 and won the 1998 CIF and State Division II titles.

PERSONAL: He's a public policy and management major at USC. As part of the "Read Across America" program, he read books to local elementary school classes in 1999, 2000 and 2001. His personal quarterback coach was Bob Johnson, the father of ex-USC (1991-94) and NFL signalcaller Rob Johnson. He was born in Fresno, Calif. He says the funniest thing that happened to him in a game was when he twice "lined up to take a snap from the left guard." His most thrilling moment in sports was winning the 1998 state high school basketball title. His brother, Jordan, is a freshman quarterback at UTEP.