Dan Persa

Persa was born on November 20, 1988, to parents Dan Sr. and Jane Persa in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.{{cite web |title=Dan Persa |url=https://nusports.com/sports/football/roster/dan-persa/3087 |website=nusports.com |accessdate=August 20, 2020}} His mother and sister both graduated from Pennsylvania State University, resulting in Persa wishing to play for the Nittany Lions as a child.{{cite news |last1=Wogenrich |first1=Mark |title=Purple brigade to follow Persa in return to Pa. |url=https://www.mcall.com/sports/penn-state/mc-xpm-2010-11-02-mc-northwestern-persa-20101102-story.html |accessdate=August 20, 2020 |publisher=The Morning Call |date=November 2, 2010}}

While attending Liberty High School, Persa played football for three years and competed on their track and field team as a sprinter. As a football player, Persa became the first Pennsylvania high school student to throw over 2,000 yards and rush over 1,000.{{cite web |last1=Chapman |first1=Tim |title=Cat-ching up with Dan Persa |url=https://northwestern.rivals.com/news/cat-ching-up-with-dan-persa |website=northwestern.rivals.com |accessdate=August 20, 2020 |date=May 7, 2018}} Off the field, Persa maintained a 4.3 GPA and volunteered with the Special Olympics and local youth programs.{{cite web |title=Dan Persa |url=https://www.maxwellfootballclub.org/dan-persa/ |website=maxwellfootballclub.org |accessdate=August 20, 2020}}

In his senior year of high school, Persa committed to Northwestern University on June 23, 2006.{{cite news |title=FLASHBACK: In 1976, Allen grad Stan Dziedzic earned Olympic berth |url=https://www.mcall.com/sports/penn-state/mc-xpm-2011-06-19-mc-flashback-0619-20110619-story.html |accessdate=August 20, 2020 |publisher=The Morning Call |date=June 19, 2011}} He chose to attend Northwestern over football scholarships from the University of Akron, the University of Connecticut, Temple University, and the West Virginia University. Upon graduating, he was ranked 93rd nationally by ESPN/Scouts, Inc. and received 2006 Pennsylvania 4A A.P. Player of the Year. In 2017, he was inducted into the National Football Foundation Lehigh Valley Chapter Hall of Fame.{{cite news |last1=Groller |first1=Keith |title=Jim Morgans, Dan Persa among new class of inductees into the LV Chapter of the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame |url=https://www.mcall.com/sports/mc-jim-morgans-dan-persa-among-new-class-of-inductees-in-the-lv-chapter-of-the-national-football-founda-20170418-story.html |accessdate=August 20, 2020 |publisher=The Morning Call |date=April 18, 2017}}

{{College Athlete Recruit Start|40=yes|collapse=no|year=2007}}

{{College Athlete Recruit Entry

| recruit = Dan Persa

| position = QB

| hometown = Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

| highschool = Liberty High School

| feet = 6

| inches = 2

| weight = 201

| 40 = 4.58

| commitdate = June 23, 2006

| scout stars = 2

| rivals stars = 3

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{{College Athlete Recruit End

| 40 = yes

| year = 2006

| rivals ref title = 2006 Northwestern Football Commitment List (20)

| scout ref title = Northwestern College Football Recruiting Commits

| scouts =

| scout overall = 71 (QB)

| rivals overall = 22 (QB), 33 (PA)

| accessdate = 2011-10-07

}}

File:Dan Persa ruptured his Achilles' tendon.jpg

Persa became Northwestern's starting quarterback in 2010 following Mike Kafka's graduation. In the season-opener against Vanderbilt, Persa went 19-for-21 and passed for three touchdowns. In week 2 against the Illinois State Redbirds, Persa went 19-for-23 and passed for 240 yards and two touchdowns.{{cite news |author=Hine, Chris |title=Persa excellent again in NU's 37-3 victory |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2010/09/11/persa-excellent-again-in-nus-37-3-victory/ |work=Chicago Tribune |date=September 11, 2010 |access-date=2010-10-09}}

On November 13 against the Iowa Hawkeyes, Persa went 32-for-43 for 318 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. After throwing a 20-yard touchdown pass to Demetrius Fields to win the game in the fourth quarter, Persa suffered an Achilles tendon rupture that required season-ending surgery to repair the injury. Evan Watkins replaced him at quarterback for the remainder of the season.{{cite news |author=Rittenberg, Adam |title=QB Dan Persa done for season |url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/news/story?id=5800676 |publisher=ESPN.com |date=November 13, 2010 |access-date=2010-11-14}} Persa finished the season with 2,581 passing yards and 15 touchdowns.{{cite news |author=Powers, Scott |title=Persa gains mental toughness from injury |url=https://www.espn.com/blog/chicago/colleges/post/_/id/3292/nus-persa-gains-mental-toughness-from-injury |work=ESPN.com |date=July 29, 2011 |access-date=2011-08-03}}

In the 2010 season Persa set the Big Ten single-season record for completion percentage at 73.5%.{{cite web |title=#7 Dan Persa |url=http://nusports.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/persa_dan00.html |work=Northwestern University Athletics |date=August 26, 2011 |accessdate=2011-08-26}}

Northwestern started a campaign for Persa for the Heisman Trophy before the 2011 season by promoting the slogan "Persa Strong" on billboards in Bristol, Connecticut, and Chicago. Bruce Feldman of ESPN.com had called Persa the strongest quarterback in the country.{{cite news |author=Greenstein, Teddy |title='Persa Strong' billboards in Chicago, Bristol for NU QB |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2011/07/30/persa-strong-billboards-in-chicago-bristol-for-nu-qb/ |work=Chicago Tribune |date=July 30, 2011 |access-date=2011-07-31}} Persa bench pressed {{convert|365|lb|kg}}, squatted {{convert|520|lb|kg}}, and hang cleaned {{convert|315|lb|kg}}.{{cite news |author=Rittenberg, Adam |title=Dan Persa is Northwestern's iron man |url=https://www.espn.com/blog/ncfnation/post/_/id/45092/dan-persa-is-northwesterns-iron-man |work=ESPN.com |date=August 23, 2011 |access-date=2011-08-26}}

He sat out the 2011 season-opener against Boston College on September 3, with Kain Colter starting in his place.{{cite news |author=Rittenberg, Adam |title=Dan Persa to sit against BC |url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/6925040/northwestern-wildcats-dan-persa-vs-boston-college-eagles |work=ESPN.com |date=September 3, 2011 |access-date=2011-09-03}} Northwestern took Persa's Heisman billboards down on September 9; the University said that the billboard campaign was scheduled to end after one month and it had nothing to do with his injury.{{cite news |title=NU replaces Persa's Heisman billboard |url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-09-09/site/ct-spt-0910-northwestern-football--20110910_1_persa-s-heisman-dan-persa-nu |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120203161106/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-09-09/site/ct-spt-0910-northwestern-football--20110910_1_persa-s-heisman-dan-persa-nu |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 3, 2012 |work=Chicago Tribune |date=September 9, 2011 |accessdate=2011-09-15}} He missed the next two games of the season, and, as a result of the injury, stayed in the passing pocket more than he did in 2010.{{cite news |author=Wogenrich, Mark |title=Another injury, another surgery and another comeback for Persa |url=https://www.mcall.com/2012/06/02/another-injury-another-surgery-and-another-comeback-for-persa-2/ |publisher=mcall.com |date=June 2, 2012 |access-date=2012-07-14}} Following the season he participated in the 2012 East–West Shrine Game on January 21, 2012.

{{NFL predraft

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| weight = 210

| dash = 4.57

| ten split = 1.59

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| cone drill = 7.11

| vertical = 32

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| bench =

| wonderlic =

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| note = All values from Northwestern Pro Day on March 8, 2012.{{cite web |title=Dan Persa, DS #30 QB, Northwestern |url=http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dsprofile.php?pyid=71320&draftyear=2012&genpos=qb |publisher=nfldraftscout.com |accessdate=2012-07-14}}

}}

After going undrafted in the 2012 NFL draft, Persa received a tryout with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the team's rookie mini-camp in May 2012. He injured his ankle during a practice, and the Indianapolis Colts medical team that examined him also diagnosed him with a second Achilles tear that required surgery. The surgery prevented him from playing in 2012.

After failing to enter the NFL, Persa began working as an intern for Duke Realty Corporation under former NU quarterback Steve Schnur and in sales at IT firm Computer Aid Inc. He was hired by real estate company CBRE Group in 2014.{{cite news |title=CBRE hires former Northwestern QB |url=https://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20140128/CRED03/140129771/cbre-hires-former-northwestern-qb-persa |accessdate=August 20, 2020 |publisher=Chicago Business |date=January 28, 2014}} He was also hired to do color commentary for one Northwestern spring football game on April 5, 2014.{{cite news |title=Liberty graduate Dan Persa to do commentary for Northwestern's spring football game today |url=https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/sports/2014/04/liberty_graduate_dan_persa_to.html |accessdate=August 20, 2020 |publisher=The Express-Times}}

{{Reflist|2}}

{{Commons}}

• [http://nusports.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/persa_dan00.html Northwestern Wildcats football bio]
• [https://archive.today/20130120033532/http://nusports.cstv.com/persastrong/persa-off-the-field.html PersaStrong]

{{Northwestern Wildcats quarterback navbox}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Persa, Dan}}

Category:1988 births

Category:Living people

Category:Liberty High School (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania) alumni

Category:Players of American football from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Category:American football quarterbacks

Category:Northwestern Wildcats football players