WATCH: Miami Northwestern HC Teddy Bridgewater once broke down in tears after a comeback from a knee injury in 2017

When an athlete has been committed to a sport as long as Teddy Bridgewater has been to football, they must’ve experienced an array of emotions. Bridgewater has a relationship with the game of football going back to his high school days as a player. After years of going on to play in college and the NFL, he is back at his high school, this time as a coach.

In a 2017 video resurfaced online, Bridgewater was overcome with emotion following his return to action after a long injury absence. This happened when he was a quarterback for the NFL side, the Minnesota Vikings. Bridgewater injured his left leg in August 2016 during a practice. He tore his ACL and dislocated his knee joint, among other structural damage.

He was out of action for the entire 2016 season due to the injury. His next appearance for the Vikings, which was also his last, came against the Cincinnati Bengals during Week 15 of the 2017 season. He was brought in in relief of Case Keenum during the fourth quarter, walking into a standing ovation by the fans.

Exploring Teddy Bridgewater’s playing career from Miami Northwestern to NFL

Much like anybody else, Teddy Bridgewater must have joined his high school football team with hopes of making it to the NFL. But even on the Miami Northwestern football team, he had to wait. He started as a backup quarterback to Jacory Harris in his freshman year. However, he got his chance when Harris left for college, and he got the starting spot as a sophomore.

Bridgewater retained this role for three seasons. Although he did not lead the Bulls to a national championship like Harris did, he gave a good account of himself. He was rated a four-star prospect and hailed as one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks nationally. After initially committing to Miami, he flipped his commitment to Louisville.

He enrolled at Louisville in 2011 and became the Cardinals’ starting quarterback by Week 4 of his freshman season. In three seasons for the Cardinals, Teddy Bridgewater completed 781 passes for 9817 yards and 72 touchdowns. He entered the 2014 NFL draft and was picked in the first round by the Minnesota Vikings.

He spent four seasons with the Vikings, after which he had stints with the New York Jets, New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos. Teddy Bridgewater announced his retirement in 2023 after playing for the Miami Dolphins and Detroit Lions. He has since taken up the coaching role at his alma mater.