NORFOLK, Va. – Former Old Dominion quarterback and the 2012 Walter Payton Award winner Taylor Heinicke will have his jersey retired by Old Dominion University during halftime of the Thursday night game on October 15 against Georgia Southern, Old Dominion Athletics Director Dr. Wood Selig announced on Saturday.
“I can think of no other athlete in the history of ODU football more deserving than Taylor Heinicke to be recognized by having his jersey retired. Taylor routinely electrified sold out home crowds during his ultra successful career at ODU,” Selig said. “Taylor's #14 is a number all ODU fans will always associate with Taylor Heinicke. It is fitting that Taylor will be our first ODU football student-athlete to be recognized with the highest honor any athlete can receive from their school. I know ODU fans will pack S.B. Ballard stadium Thursday, October 15 in front of a national audience to shower Taylor and his family with their collective thanks and appreciation for such a distinguished ODU career.”
From 2011 to 2014, Heinicke helped lead ODU Football’s transition from FCS to FBS while setting 33 program records, including 132 career touchdowns and 14,959 passing yards. The quarterback from Atlanta, Georgia threw 25 touchdowns against just one interception to lead the Monarchs to a 10-3 record as a freshman in 2011. He then won the prestigious Walter Payton Award (Best player in FCS) and earned First Team All-America honors after leading the nation in nearly every major passing category in 2012. That season, he threw for 5,076 yards –breaking Steve McNair’s 18-year-old record – and set a Division I single-game record with 730 passing yards in a thrilling 64-61 victory over New Hampshire. By 2013, Heinicke continued his record-breaking trajectory by becoming only the 18th quarterback in Division I history to eclipse both 10,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in a career.
Heinicke ranks ninth in Division I history in passing yards and is eighth in touchdown passes. He began his ODU career by taking over for an injured Thomas DeMarco at halftime against UMass as a true freshman in 2011. He completed 8-of-11 passes for 119 yards and two touchdowns leading ODU to a 48-33 victory and the program’s first win as a member of the CAA. The following week at Rhode Island, Heinicke made his first career start and passed for 205 yards and two touchdowns while running for another score. Heinicke went onto lead the Monarchs to their first FCS Playoff victory, 35-18 over Norfolk State to advance to the second round.
In 2012, Heinicke became the face of FCS college football. He led the country in passing yards, passing yards per game, completions, passing touchdowns, total touchdowns, points responsible for and total offense, passing for a then record 5,076 yards and still a record, 398 completions. He passed for 300 or more yards nine times and tossed three or more touchdown passes nine times. He threw for 400 or more yards in a game five times.
In the 64-61 win over New Hampshire, he threw for an FCS record 730 yards and an FCS record 791 yards of total offense and set records for passing yards in a quarter and half, and total offense in a half.
Heinicke became just the second sophomore to win the Walter Payton Award, winning in a landslide, nearly doubling the points of the player that finished in second place.
In 2013, ODU’s transition season to FBS, Heinicke passed 4,022 yards and 33 touchdowns. During that season he helped lead the Monarchs to a 59-38 win at Idaho, ODU’s first win over an FBS opponent. In the win over the Vandals, he completed 40-of-56 passes for 533 yards and four touchdowns and ran for a touchdown.
In 2014, ODU’s first as a member of Conference USA, he completed 289-of-457 passes for 3,476 yards and 30 touchdowns. In ODU’s first Conference USA game, he led the Monarchs to a win at the defending conference champions, Rice, passing for 430 yards and five touchdowns and leading the Monarchs down the field for the final game-winning field goal.
He finished his career as a three-time winner of the Touchdown Club of Virginia Back of the year and won the Dudley Award in 2012 as the best Division I player in Virginia.
In 2015 following his ODU career, he signed as an undrafted free agent with the Minnesota Vikings. He never played in a game for the Vikings but earned his first NFL regular season action in 2017 with the Houston Texans. He received his first NFL start in 2018 with the Carolina Panthers. He signed with the Washington Football Team in 2020 and started a playoff game against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, going toe-to-toe with Brady before falling to the eventual Super Bowl Champions.
In 2021, Heinicke started all but one game for Washington, passing for 3,419 yards and 20 touchdowns.
In 2023, Heinicke signed with his hometown Atlanta Falcons, starting four games before playing his final season in 2024 with the LA Chargers.
Later this month, Heinicke will be inducted into the ODU Jeff & Billye Chernitzer Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday, Sept. 25.