Casey Weldon isn't the first name that comes to mind when someone asks who the best quarterback in Florida State University history. Heisman Trophy winners Jameis Winston and Charlie Ward belong at the forefront of that conversation.
But Seminoles fans should remember just how good Weldon was during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Weldon finished runner-up to Michigan's Desmond Howard in the Heisman voting his senior year in 1991, when he thew for 2,527 yards and 22 touchdowns and the 'Noles went 11-2.
Head coach Bobby Bowden's team that season featured two more impressive passers: Charlie Ward and future Super Bowl champion Brad Johnson.
The Philadelphia Eagles then selected the FSU product with their fourth-round pick in the 1992 NFL Draft. He played professionally for 10 seasons with the Eagles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Barcelona Dragons (WLAF), San Diego Chargers, Washington Redskins and Birmingham Thunderbolts (XFL).
Now, the 51-year-old owns his own business and enjoys watching his son play college football.
Casey Weldon Now
Former #FSU QB Casey Weldon (left) & son, #Canes QB commit Cade Weldon. FYI - Casey's wife was #Gators cheerleader pic.twitter.com/2V9xGZPkzD
— Keith Niebuhr (@KeithNiebuhr) March 22, 2016
With FSU's finest: Gene Deckerhoff, Casey Weldon, & Peter Tom Willis ? pic.twitter.com/kq3rqk4GPx
— DZ Sports (@dz_sports) May 20, 2015
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Weldon, who played his high school football at Tallahassee's North Florida Christian High School, briefly returned there as the school's head football coach in 2006. He then served as the offensive coordinator at Leon High School in 2008.
He then moved his family to Tampa and took over his father's business.
"I'm the VP of Allstate Construction — my dad's company — doing commercial work," Weldon told Tallahassee Magazine. "I also own Advanced Drying Systems. We dry out homes and businesses that flood and have water damage."
"I thought I'd play ball forever and do what I wanted, but it didn't quite work out. I'm in the business development side with Allstate now and I enjoy selling. My dad built a great company so it's an easy product to sell. Working with Dad and the water business kind of fell into my lap."
Football isn't quite out of Weldon's life, however. His son plays college football, and even briefly suited up for an ACC rival team.
Casey Weldon Wife & Kids
Miami announces Jefferson HS product Cade Weldon is leaving the program. The son of former #FSU QB Casey Weldon appeared in four games last year (and was also suspended for four).https://t.co/3qdkTZDNTu pic.twitter.com/cITiF89vSz
— Matt Baker (@MBakerTBTimes) March 18, 2019
Casey Weldon and his former wife, Lori Weldon, have four children: Kendal, Lexi, Logan and Cade. Kendal attended the University of Florida, Lexi played volleyball at Pepperdine and Logan played volleyball in high school.
Their son, Cade, turned out out to be an NCAA passer like his father.
Cade Weldon was a three-star quarterback recruit who joined Mark Richt's Miami Hurricanes in 2017. His father, of course, nearly won the Heisman when Richt served as offensive coordinator of the Seminoles in 1991.
The 6-foot-3 Cade transferred to Eastern Tennessee State University in 2019 and spent the season on the sidelines because of an injury. However, he's on the roster for the 2020-21 season and will hope to compete for the starting quarterback job.
"My son and I have a great relationship. I'm very hard on him because I see a lot of potential and I want him to be great and he knows that. Sometimes I need to ratchet it back, but he knows where the heart is," the elder Weldon told Tallahassee Magazine.
Cade Weldon may never beat Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl, win the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award or earn All-American honors by Walter Camp and Football News like Casey Weldon did with the Florida State Seminoles, and that's perfectly fine.
