Drew Brees was first drafted by the Rebels in the 2011 Yuma Scorpions Draft at 12th Overall. In that first season with the team, Brees passed for 5,476 Passing Yards and 46 Touchdowns as he helped lead the Rebels to their second division title and the second seed in the 2011 Yuma Scorpion Playoffs with an 8-5 Record. While Brees was the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year in 2011, along with being Rebels Season MVP, the California Rebels were bounced in the first round of the playoffs by eventual Yuma Bowl Champion GMEN.
Brees’ first year with the Rebels was magical, but many, including Owner Hunter Schaal felt the 2011 team left something on the field in what looked like a championship caliber roster. As the 2012 and 2013 seasons came and went, the franchise was still looking for its first Yuma Bowl Title, as was Quarterback Drew Brees.
Second-Year General Manager Dan Thompson selected Drew Brees in the second round of the 2014 Yuma Scorpions Draft with the intention and hope that Brees would help get the Rebels over the hump and finally win a championship. Midway through the 2014 Season, Brees and his NFL team, the Saints, were struggling, forcing Coach Matthew Nevers to consider a quarterback change in favor of Chicago Bears QB Jay Cutler. Cutler started a few games for the Rebels in 2014, but not enough to overtake the starting position as the Rebels entered the 2014 Postseason.
Drew Brees was the Rebels guy during the 2014 Postseason and they absolutely needed him to deliver during a semifinals matchup against the Iowa Rebel Killers. “The game came down to Monday Night. We had Drew Brees and the Killers had TE Jimmy Graham. If Drew was going to have a great game, odds were that Graham was also going to have a great game. We were pushed into a corner; leaving me with only one option.” Owner Hunter Schaal recalls the 2014 Semifinal Matchup. “I tweeted at Drew Brees and told him to have the game of his life, but to not throw the ball to Jimmy Graham. It was not a great option, but like I said, we were pushed into a corner.”
While it may have been a weak effort by Owner Hunter Schaal, Quarterback Drew Brees appeared to have read Schaal’s message as he ended up throwing 2 Touchdowns to back-up TE Josh Hill, over starter and All-Pro TE Jimmy Graham. The Rebels narrowly defeated the Iowa Rebel Killers to advance to Yuma Bowl VI against the Carson City Razorbacks and Quarterback Drew Brees instantly became a Rebel Legend.
Brees delivered the Rebels to the promise land in 2014 and did it again in 2015 after a midseason trade with the Oregon Express. In his three seasons with the Rebels, Drew Brees passed for 15,298 Passing Yards and 111 Touchdowns, became a 2x Yuma Bowl Champion, an NFL Offensive Player of the Year winner, and a Rebels Season MVP. You cannot tell the history of the NFL nor the history of the California Rebels without mentioning Quarterback Drew Brees. While he may have led other NAFC Teams to Yuma Bowl Titles (Seattle in 2018), Quarterback Drew Brees will always be remembered as being part of the California Rebels Organization.
Drew Brees will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2026 and the Rebels Ring of Honor in 2021.
