The Record-Setting Day that Put Doug Pederson on His Path

PHILADELPHIA - Days after Jim Schwartz explained how a "silly game show" like Jeopardy! had a lasting impact on his professional life, Doug Pederson reminisced about the "Butterfly Effect" of a 619-yard passing performance at Northeast Louisiana over three decades ago.

It was 31 years ago to the day when Pederson set the Division I-AA passing record at Northeast Louisiana while completing 46-of-71 passes during a Nov. 11, 1989 game against Stephen F. Austin.

"I had no idea that this was the day," Pederson joked when reminded by SI.com's EaglesMaven.

The coach's eyes lit up, however, and he smiled: "If you guys will learn from these types of questions, these are the questions I love to answer. So, in the future, ask more of these types of questions."

The game was a shootout and SFA signal-caller Todd Hammel, who would later go on to become a 12th-round draft choice by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1991, rung up 571 passing yards on the other side to lift the Lumberjacks to a 66-45 win.

The combined total of 1,190 passing yards was the I-AA standard and helped put Pederson on the NFL's radar.

"I’ll tell you it was a great day," Pederson said. "Obviously, when you're in the moment like that you're just trying to execute your offense. I didn't even know that I had thrown for that many yards in that particular game really until afterward."

According to Pederson, local reporter Jean Pawnee informed him of the history made that day in what turned out to be a launching point for his playing career which went from 1991 to 2004, not bad for an undrafted free agent.

"He said I just set an NCAA record for most passing yards in the game, at the time," said Pederson. "I think it's been broken several times since, but that was just a great day and it was a lot of fun and got all of all the offensive guys involved in that day."

By 1991, Pederson was in Miami with Don Shula and Dan Marino before transitioning to Mike Holmgren, Andy Reid, and Brett Favre in Green Bay.

Reid first took Pederson to the Eagles as a player in 1999 before bringing him back as an assistant coach a decade later in 2009. The finishing touches were put on Pederson as a coach by Big Red in Kansas City and when 2016 rolled around Pederson had the big chair in Philadelphia and was two years from delivering the Eagles their first Super Bowl championship.

Much has changed over those years. Division I-AA football is now FCS and Northeast Louisiana is now Louisiana-Monroe.

Pederson's record only stood for a little more than two years as offensive football flourished but it still remains the sixth-best number in FCS history.

And in the end, Pederson's most lasting memory is losing, perhaps a nod to the competitiveness that has fueled his professional success.

"Of course, we lost the game which probably sticks in my memory bank more than anything," the coach said. "... I just wish we would have pulled out the victory. It would have made it that much sweeter."

John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's EagleMaven and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John every Tuesday and Thursday on "The Middle" with Eytan Shander, Harry Mayes, and Barrett Brooks on SportsMap Radio and PhillyVoice.com. He’s also the host of Extending the Play on AM1490 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen

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