# Heath Shuler
**Heath Shuler** (Joseph Heath Shuler) is an American former professional football quarterback and former Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives, who represented [North Carolina's 11th congressional district](https://www.edgepedia.org/north-carolinas-11th-congressional-district) for three terms, from January 3, 2007, to January 3, 2013.[1](https://history.house.gov/People/Listing/S/SHULER%2C-Heath-%28S001171%29/) Before entering politics he was an All-American quarterback at the [University of Tennessee](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-tennessee), the runner-up for the 1993 [Heisman Trophy](https://www.edgepedia.org/heisman-trophy), and the third overall pick of the 1994 NFL Draft.[2](https://utsports.com/news/2018/12/13/football-heath-shuler-announced-as-ncaa-silver-anniversary-award-recipient-for-2019) • [3](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/S/ShulHe00.htm)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1971 in Swain County (Bryson City), North Carolina; graduated Swain County High School, 1991[1](https://history.house.gov/People/Listing/S/SHULER%2C-Heath-%28S001171%29/) |
| College career | Tennessee quarterback 1991–93; 4,088 career passing yards, 36 touchdown passes, 11 rushing touchdowns in 1992; 1993 Heisman runner-up and SEC Player of the Year[2](https://utsports.com/news/2018/12/13/football-heath-shuler-announced-as-ncaa-silver-anniversary-award-recipient-for-2019) |
| NFL career | Drafted third overall by the Washington Redskins in 1994; played for Washington (1994–96) and New Orleans (1997); 29 games, 3,691 passing yards, 15 touchdowns, 33 interceptions[3](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/S/ShulHe00.htm) • [4](https://www.nfl.com/players/heath-shuler/stats/career) |
| House service | Democrat, North Carolina's 11th district, 110th–112th Congresses (2007–2013); not a candidate for reelection in 2012[1](https://history.house.gov/People/Listing/S/SHULER%2C-Heath-%28S001171%29/) |
| Committee and caucus roles | Budget Committee and Transportation and Infrastructure Committee; administrative co-chair of the Blue Dog Coalition[5](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CDIR-2011-12-01/pdf/CDIR-2011-12-01.pdf) |
| Post-Congress career | Senior vice president of federal affairs at Duke Energy from January 4, 2013; strategic advisor to Faraday Future from 2025[6](https://news.duke-energy.com/releases/duke-energy-names-heath-shuler-to-lead-federal-government-affairs) • [7](https://www.nasdaq.com/press-release/faraday-future-engages-heath-shuler-former-us-representative-north-carolinas-11th) |
## Football career
**High school and Tennessee.** Shuler started his football career in Bryson City, North Carolina, where he became a standout quarterback, led his team to two state championships, and was named North Carolina High School Player of the Year.[8](https://tshf.net/halloffame/heath-shuler/) At the University of Tennessee he started at quarterback in the 1992 and 1993 seasons, leading the Volunteers to an 18–5–1 record over that span.[9](https://utsports.com/news/2020/2/28/football-vols-gridiron-great-shuler-selected-for-tennessee-sports-hall-of-fame) In 1992 he scored a school-record 11 rushing touchdowns by a quarterback, a mark that stood until Josh Dobbs rushed for 12 in 2016.[2](https://utsports.com/news/2018/12/13/football-heath-shuler-announced-as-ncaa-silver-anniversary-award-recipient-for-2019) In 1993 he passed for an SEC-best 2,354 yards and 25 touchdowns, led Tennessee to a 10–2 record and a [Citrus Bowl](https://www.edgepedia.org/citrus-bowl) appearance, was named SEC Player of the Year, earned first-team All-SEC honors, and finished as the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy.[2](https://utsports.com/news/2018/12/13/football-heath-shuler-announced-as-ncaa-silver-anniversary-award-recipient-for-2019) He left school after his junior season with one year of eligibility remaining, ranking fifth in Tennessee history with 36 touchdown passes and tenth with 4,088 passing yards.[2](https://utsports.com/news/2018/12/13/football-heath-shuler-announced-as-ncaa-silver-anniversary-award-recipient-for-2019)
**NFL.** The Washington Redskins selected Shuler with the third overall pick of the 1994 NFL Draft.[3](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/S/ShulHe00.htm) After a long training camp holdout his rookie season, he was beaten out for the starting job by seventh-round pick Gus Frerotte and was let go after three seasons, described by The Washington Post as one of the biggest draft disasters in team history.[10](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/2005/10/08/seeking-a-2nd-term-in-washington/af0de3a1-b1a2-4726-88ce-3997882803fe/) He played for Washington from 1994 to 1996 and for the [New Orleans Saints](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-orleans-saints) in 1997, appearing in 29 games with 22 starts, completing 49.2 percent of his passes for 3,691 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 33 interceptions.[4](https://www.nfl.com/players/heath-shuler/stats/career) Injuries, including a foot injury, forced his retirement.[11](https://utsports.com/news/2002/5/6/Shuler_Inducted_Into_Western_North_Carolina_Sports_Hall)
## Business career
After retiring from the NFL, Shuler returned to Tennessee to complete his degree in psychology and went on to a real estate career in Knoxville.[2](https://utsports.com/news/2018/12/13/football-heath-shuler-announced-as-ncaa-silver-anniversary-award-recipient-for-2019) He founded a real estate company in eastern Tennessee that grew into one of the largest in the region.[6](https://news.duke-energy.com/releases/duke-energy-names-heath-shuler-to-lead-federal-government-affairs) He completed his B.A. at the University of Tennessee in 2001.[1](https://history.house.gov/People/Listing/S/SHULER%2C-Heath-%28S001171%29/)
## Congressional career
**Elections.** Shuler launched his first political campaign in the 2006 House elections, winning the Democratic primary for the 11th district with 29,921 votes statewide against Michael Morgan's 10,180.[12](https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/ENRS/2006_05_02/results_statewide_20060502.pdf) In 2010 he won a third term with 131,225 votes (54.34 percent) against Republican Jeff Miller's 110,246 (45.66 percent).[13](https://www.fec.gov/documents/1674/federalelections2010.pdf)
**Service and retirement.** Shuler served on the Budget Committee and the Committee on Transportation and [Infrastructure](https://www.edgepedia.org/infrastructure), and was administrative co-chair of the [Blue Dog Coalition](https://www.edgepedia.org/blue-dog-coalition), the caucus of conservative-to-moderate House Democrats; he also co-chaired the Professional Sports Caucus and the International Religious Freedom Caucus.[5](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CDIR-2011-12-01/pdf/CDIR-2011-12-01.pdf) He was appointed as a conferee to the 2008 Farm Bill and to the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial reform legislation conference committees.[14](https://alumni.utk.edu/hon-heath-shuler-01/) In 2011, redrawing of his district swapped much of the Democratic backing he drew from Asheville for a number of Republican counties, and in February 2012 Shuler declared that he would not run for a fourth term.[15](https://abcnews.com/blogs/politics/2012/02/shuler-announces-he-wont-seek-4th-term) [His House](https://www.edgepedia.org/his-house) service ended on January 3, 2013.[1](https://history.house.gov/People/Listing/S/SHULER%2C-Heath-%28S001171%29/)
## Later career
[Duke Energy](https://www.edgepedia.org/duke-energy) named Shuler senior vice president of federal affairs effective January 4, 2013; under House ethics rules he did not vote on any matters affecting Duke Energy for the remainder of the 112th Congress.[6](https://news.duke-energy.com/releases/duke-energy-names-heath-shuler-to-lead-federal-government-affairs) In November 2025, Faraday Future Intelligent Electric Inc. engaged him as a strategic advisor focused on government affairs and policy.[7](https://www.nasdaq.com/press-release/faraday-future-engages-heath-shuler-former-us-representative-north-carolinas-11th)
## Recognition and family
Shuler was inducted into the Western North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 2002[11](https://utsports.com/news/2002/5/6/Shuler_Inducted_Into_Western_North_Carolina_Sports_Hall), named an SEC Legend in 2009, received the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award in 2019, and was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 2020.[14](https://alumni.utk.edu/hon-heath-shuler-01/) He and his wife Nikol have two children, Navy and Island.[5](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CDIR-2011-12-01/pdf/CDIR-2011-12-01.pdf) Their son Navy Heath Shuler, born in 2001, joined the Tennessee football program as a walk-on quarterback in 2022 after beginning his college career at Appalachian State.[16](https://utsports.com/sports/football/roster/shuler-navy/20123)
## References
1. [SHULER, Heath, U.S. House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives](https://history.house.gov/People/Listing/S/SHULER%2C-Heath-%28S001171%29/)
2. [Heath Shuler Announced as NCAA Silver Anniversary Award Recipient for 2019, University of Tennessee Athletics](https://utsports.com/news/2018/12/13/football-heath-shuler-announced-as-ncaa-silver-anniversary-award-recipient-for-2019)
3. [Heath Shuler, Pro-Football-Reference.com](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/S/ShulHe00.htm)
4. [Heath Shuler Career Stats, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/players/heath-shuler/stats/career)
5. [North Carolina, 112th Congress, Congressional Directory (govinfo)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CDIR-2011-12-01/pdf/CDIR-2011-12-01.pdf)
6. [Duke Energy names Heath Shuler to lead Federal Government Affairs](https://news.duke-energy.com/releases/duke-energy-names-heath-shuler-to-lead-federal-government-affairs)
7. [Faraday Future Engages Heath Shuler as a Strategic Advisor, Nasdaq](https://www.nasdaq.com/press-release/faraday-future-engages-heath-shuler-former-us-representative-north-carolinas-11th)
8. [Shuler, Heath, Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame](https://tshf.net/halloffame/heath-shuler/)
9. [Vols Gridiron Great Shuler Selected for Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame, University of Tennessee Athletics](https://utsports.com/news/2020/2/28/football-vols-gridiron-great-shuler-selected-for-tennessee-sports-hall-of-fame)
10. [Seeking a 2nd Term in Washington, The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/2005/10/08/seeking-a-2nd-term-in-washington/af0de3a1-b1a2-4726-88ce-3997882803fe/)
11. [Shuler Inducted Into Western North Carolina Sports Hall, University of Tennessee Athletics](https://utsports.com/news/2002/5/6/Shuler_Inducted_Into_Western_North_Carolina_Sports_Hall)
12. [2006 Primary Election Results, North Carolina State Board of Elections](https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/ENRS/2006_05_02/results_statewide_20060502.pdf)
13. [2010 U.S. House of Representatives Results, Federal Election Commission](https://www.fec.gov/documents/1674/federalelections2010.pdf)
14. [Hon. Heath Shuler ('01), UT Knoxville Alumni](https://alumni.utk.edu/hon-heath-shuler-01/)
15. [Heath Shuler, Moderate Democrat from North Carolina, Announces He Won't Seek 4th Term, ABC News](https://abcnews.com/blogs/politics/2012/02/shuler-announces-he-wont-seek-4th-term)
16. [Navy Shuler, Football Roster, University of Tennessee Athletics](https://utsports.com/sports/football/roster/shuler-navy/20123)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Politics and government › Government and public administration › Politicians and government officeholders (biographies) › US House members › Southern state representatives › Surnames S to Y*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 29, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 29, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license