Joseph Heath Shuler is an American businessman, former NFL quarterback and former U.S. Representative for North Carolina's 11th congressional district from 2007 to 2013. He was a member of the Democratic Party and the Blue Dog Coalition. During his years in Congress, Shuler made a name for himself by challenging the leadership of his party, which he believed moved too far to the left. In 2010 he ran against Nancy Pelosi for the post of minority leader. He knew he would lose, but also knew he would gain prominence as a leader of conservative and moderate Democrats. He was one of the leaders of the Blue Dog Democrats, whose numbers severely diminished in the 2010 election, and had a lower profile in the national media than he had previously enjoyed. Shuler's congressional district covered the Blue Ridge Mountains in western North Carolina; the largest city in the district is Asheville. On February 2, 2012, after a new district map removed half of Asheville from the district, making it considerably more Republican, Shuler announced his retirement from the House, and did not seek re-election to a fourth term. 

December 31st, 1971 in Bryson City (Age 52)