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SIOUX FALLS — Former Sioux Falls Roosevelt and South Dakota State University quarterback Taryn Christion announced his decision to retire from professional football via Instagram on Friday.
The 25-year-old played all four years of college football with the Jackrabbits, setting seven school records while amassing a 33-11 record as SDSU’s starting quarterback.
Christion, who finished his career with the Canadian Football League's Ottawa Redblacks in 2021, owned an impressive resume out of high school, which landed the multi-sport standout in Brookings. The all-stater accounted for 3,537 yards of total offense and 43 touchdowns during his junior year at Roosevelt and averaged 392 yards of total offense per game before an injury cut his senior season short.
As a true freshman at SDSU, Christion was named to the Missouri Valley Football Conference All-Newcomer Team after posting a 3-1 record with 1,286 yards passing and 347 yards rushing in four starts. Over the next three years, Christion set seven career records — including pass completions (814), passing yards (11,535) and passing touchdowns (104) — along with six single-season records and four single-game records.
Out of college, Christion was not an NFL Draft selection but signed with the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent following the 2019 draft. Christion also had stops with the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers during the 2019 NFL season before moving on to the CFL.
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In January 2020, Christion signed with the Ottawa Redblacks, the team for which he'd appear in four games in 2021.
“This was one of the hardest decisions I have ever made, and I will miss it so much,” Christion’s Instagram post read. “But I will forever be grateful for the experiences and people that this game has given me. Thank you to all my coaches and all of my teammates who I have had the pleasure of playing with. Thank you to my family for the continuous support over the years. And lastly, thank you football.”
