Brunner was selected by the New York Giants in the sixth round of the 1980 NFL Draft. He replaced an injured Phil Simms during the 1981 season as the starting quarterback for the Giants. With Brunner leading them, the Giants beat the Philadelphia Eagles 20–10, but subsequently lost to the San Francisco 49ers 17–10. The Giants defeated the Los Angeles Rams 10–7 and the St. Louis Cardinals 20–10, setting up a season finale against the Dallas Cowboys, in which a win would clinch their first playoff berth since 1963. The Giants won the game 13–10 in overtime that gave the team their first playoff game in eighteen years. In the Wild Card game versus the Philadelphia Eagles that year, Brunner went 9-of-14 for 96 yards with three touchdowns and one interception while Rob Carpenter ran for a game-high 161 yards as the Giants forced two first quarter turnovers to build a 20-0 lead in an eventual 27-21 win over the Eagles, which was their first road postseason win in franchise history.[3] In the Divisional Round versus the San Francisco 49ers, Brunner went 16-of-37 for 290 yards to go with three touchdowns and two interceptions to go with two fumbles as the 49ers led for most of the game in a 38-24 result.[4]
The Giants were unable to build on their success in 1982, mainly due to the 1982 NFL Players strike that reduced the schedule to nine games. Ray Perkins left the Giants after the 1982 season and George Young's choice to replace Perkins was Bill Parcells, the Giants' defensive coordinator. Brunner was named the starter for the 1983 season opener against the Los Angeles Rams. Parcells chose Brunner over Simms, Jeff Rutledge and Mark Reed.
Brunner was traded to the Denver Broncos on April 27, 1984, in exchange for a fourth-round draft pick (used to select linebacker Gary Reasons) to serve as backup quarterback to John Elway.[5] Brunner was placed on injured reserve with a knee infection, however, on August 29, 1984.[6] He was traded to the Green Bay Packers on April 26, 1985, in exchange for a 1986 sixth round draft pick (used to select tight end Orson Mobley),[7] but was again traded, this time to the Cardinals on August 26, 1985, for another 1986 sixth round pick (used to select linebacker Burnell Dent).[8] After backing up Neil Lomax in 1985, Brunner was released by the Cardinals on August 27, 1986.[9] In his NFL career, he played in 72 games and threw for 29 touchdowns. He rushed for one touchdown and passed for 6,457 yards.
Personal
For 15 years, Brunner served as vice president for an institutional stock research and portfolio management firm on Wall Street, and he is currently the executive vice president of Net Worth Management Group.[10] He is a private quarterback coach and offensive coordinator of the TEST Football Academy in Martinsville, New Jersey. He tutored former Delaware quarterback Joe Flacco before the 2008 NFL Draft,[11] in which he was selected 18th overall by the Baltimore Ravens. Brunner had lived in Cranbury, New Jersey[12] and lives with his wife in Millburn, New Jersey.[13] He has three children.[12]
^Katz, Michael. "The Education Of Quarterback Brunner", The New York Times, September 20, 1982. Accessed February 19, 2020. "Scott, who was born in Sellersville, Pa., grew up in Middletown, N.Y.; West Chester, Pa., and Lawrenceville, N.J.... The family moved to Lawrenceville just before Scott's junior year in high school."
