In Fran Tarkenton's first NFL game (also the first NFL game for the Vikings) he came off the bench to throw four touchdown passes to beat the Chicago Bears. Tarkenton eventually became the all-time career leader in passing yards and touchdowns but never threw more than four TD passes in a game.
the thing I remember about him was his speed. He could run around all day it seemed and not get caught and could throw the ball. I think he was really great.
A bartender I used to know, Bill Saul (RIP), played LB for the Colts and Saints and lions in the early 60s. He said Fran Tarkenton was without a doubt the most elusive QB he ever faced. "He was a slippery son of a bitch," he said.
Boston Patriots - Babe Parilli New york Titans - maybe Lee Grosscup Buffalo Bills - no idea - i think Jack Kemp was still backup in San Diego that year Houston Oilers - George Blanda Dallas Texans - Cotton Davidson or Cotton Fitzsimmons Denver Broncos - Fran Tripucka Oakland Raiders - Tom Flores (or was Cotton Davidson with them that year) San Diego Chargers - Tobin Rote
@@howlinhonky I looked it up on Pro Football Reference. Al Darrow started all season for the Titans while Tom Flores was the starter in Oakland. Jack Kemp had taken over in San Diego. Richie Lucas got the opening day call for Buffalo but the Bills used four QBs that year. Cotton Davidson was the primary starter in Dallas (12 games). Babe Parilli missed almost half the season for Boston while both Frank Tripuka in Denver and league MVP George Baganda in Houston missed some starts as well.
@@mdoerty13 There were a lot of former and future Canadian Football League QBs (a few of them CFLers only in pre-season) in the AFL in 1961: Butch Songin (Hamilton); Babe Parilli (Ottawa); Al Dorow (Saskatchewan/B.C./Toronto); Warren Rabb; (Montreal); Jack Kemp (Calgary); Cotton Davidson (Calgary); Randy Duncan (B.C.); Frank Tripucka (Saskatchewan/Ottawa); George Herring (B.C.); Tom Flores (Calgary); M.C. Reynolds (Edmonton); Don Allard (Saskatchewan/Montreal). In the NFL there were Etcheverry (Montreal); Eddie LeBaron (Calgary); Lamar McHan (Toronto); and Lee Grosscup (Saskatchewan).
I distinctly remember seeing this photo in 1961 when I was 10 (we were Life magazine subscribers). I recognized everyone but Ninowski and Etcheverry so I guess my memory's not totally shot.
As a 12 year old kid watching football on tv in Minnesota (my favorite broadcaster was Ray Scott - - "Starr, Dowler, touchdown!"), the quarterbacks I loved to watch were Bart Starr, Johnny Unitas, and Fran Tarkenton - - especially Unitas since I watched him in the late '50's before the Vikings existed.
oh my god, the great ray scott, he used to do rams games sometimes, just fantastic. interesting to see that the great Unitas threw so many INT's. I thought that was fran tarkenton, but I though how could that be so early 61? then he went to the giants, then back to the vikings, went to 4 super bowls only to loose them all. they were the hated team for me back then as they always seemed to beat the rams in the playoffs, but the LA rams finally got a super bowl win! the vikes have not
@@fredgarv79 It no longer bothers me to have someone mention that the Vikings have been in 4 Super Bowls and lost all 4. But I have to defend the great Fran Tarkenton. He didn't lose all 4. Joe Kapp was the Vikings quarterback in the first one (1970) Tarkenton only lost the last 3 of them. That sounds a lot better, doesn't it? But I'm glad we have a mutual appreciation for Ray Scott.
@@danielhurley2894 your right, I remember that game with joe kapp, I liked them then. do you remember hank stram in that game? "matriculate the ball down the field" I still believe in this. so many times you see teams throw the ball deep on a 3rd and 2, or 3rd and 4 type thing instead of just trying to get the first down, then on from there. another great was lindsy nelson along with ray scott. I remember his last broadcast of a college game a few years ago. I didn't like tarkenton because he seemed kind of obnoxious, his personality but have great respect for him of course.
@@fredgarv79 I enjoyed watching the Vikings GET TO 4 Super Bowls in 8 years from 1969 to 1976 because the Vikes WON 1 NFL CHAMPIONSHIP and 3 NFC CHAMPIONSHIPS to do that, and in 3 of those 4 years, my Vikings knocked the Ewes from the playoffs. Between 1967 and 1978, while my Vikings were winning those playoffs and championship games, the Ewes were winning 0 championships, and instead were shivering and losing in the December cold of Green Bay and Bloomington, MInn, and in the rain and mud in LA to boot! I also enjoyed the Vikings dominance over the Ewes from 1969 to 1977>>8-2-1 from when I was 9 to age 18! Boooyaaa!!
@@kbrewski1 good for you my friend, you are a true fan. I did not know the vikings won an NFL championship, looked it up and ok, they won the very l last nfl championship game, but it was a prelude to the super bowl, which they then lost so what in the hell does that count for? nothing. I liked Joe kapp and had a vikings helmet that I played in with local kids playing football in a park with helmets and shoulder pads and pants with the plastic protectors on the knees. Of course when you are a kid, you pick a team (if you don't have one in your city, which Seattle did not have one) by either the closest team and/or because you love the colors and the helmets. I liked both the rams helmets and the vikings ones. I was a rams fan first though because even though they were not the closest city, they were good and san fran was not and I always had a love for sunny LA and the beaches and the girls, hollywood, etc even when I was 8 years old and dreamed of moving there one day. Plus you like the names, I thought Joe Kapp was a great name and Roman Gabriel? what a cool name right? When the vikings had to play at the U of Minn those few years, I desperately wanted a snow game, but never got it. only very cold and sunny. not the same. I would look at the forecast to see if there was any chance of snow. But your city did not come through for any game those years. personally I think roofs, even see through ones like the rams and the vikings have now, retractable roofs etc should be banned. football was meant to be played in the elements. I often thought that if the rams had beaten the vikings in those championship games in the 70's they would have just lost the super bowl just like the vikings did every time. had it been a sunny day in LA that mud bowl game, they would have won for sure, but then most likely would have lost the next game, or the super bowl anyway. The goal is to win the super bowl, not to get there and the rams have now won 2 super bowls and a real NFL championship back in 51, plus an NFL championship in 45 as the cleveland rams. Plus they most likely would have won a 3rd super bowl if not for Bill Bellicheck cheating and they played the vaunted pittsburg steelers and terry bradshaw the best of any teams that played pitts in the super bowl. they were ahead 19-17 going into the 4th quarter. what did the vikings do against pitts? one lone td on a blocked punt, held to 17 yards rushing, and this was without jack lambert playing. Got destroyed by the raiders and the dolphins. It's a funny thing, I didn't care much when the rams won the super bowl in St Louis because they were not the LA rams even though they wore the exact same uniform and had some players on the team that were on the LA team. I was happy but not that pumped up about it. In 1980 when they lost that close game to the steelers I thought ok, they are good, they could get back again. they got dickerson and got back the championship game in 85, but had no quarterback at all so lost to the great 85 Bears team that were unstoppable. then in 89 got back but ran into the great montana 49's team that nobody were going to stop. So, when they finally won a super bowl as the LA rams last year, it was a fantastic feeling, like decades of misery was suddenly lifted. I hope you get to feel that feeling someday. I am totally satisfied now as an LA rams fan since 68, they finally got one and anything else is just gravy. they will not do it again I fear, certainly not this year. but maybe in the next 2 or 3 years possible. Just like the rams, I wish the vikings had the thicker wider horns on their helmets. I do not like the new rams helmets at all, it's like they are going all oregon ducks with the chrome and shiny helmets and the two bananas. you don't mess with this type of thing. the vikings havn't changed really, the chiefs, the raiders, dallas green bay, you don't see them going all chrome bright paint and changing their helmets
If I remember correctly, the Vikings were originally going to be an AFL team, but they were offered a spot as an NFL expansion team along with the Cowboys.
Statistically, Sonny Jurgenson was the most efficient passer of his generation. In an era where most QB's routinely threw more interceptions than TD's, he finished with 255 Td's passing and only 189 interceptions. Plus he led the NFL in passing yardage 5 times...back when 3000+ yards was rare. His 82.6 career rating is the HIGHEST of all QB's who played in the so called deadball era. He was considered a gunslinger and routinely threw the ball 80 yards in the air. Vince Lombardi said "he was the best he'd ever seen." He was ahead of his time. He would have flourished in the modern game, perhaps more than when he actually played.
These great men of the NFL paved the way to some of the greatest players in the league and should be proud of what they have accomplished let football carry on like baseball.
I remember that photo. In fact I still had a copy of that Life magazine issue, up until 2012 when it was lost in the floods of hurricane Sandy. I was living in Bensonhurst, B'klyn at the time. So this pic brings both good and sad memories.
Christian Adolph Jurgensen (Sonny) #9 front row, went on to play for the Washington Redskins and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 1983.....
Outstanding! I’m in Canada and I was born in December of 1961 so it’s interesting to see who the QB’s we’re back as well as their stats. RIP to those who are no longer with us.
My Dad remembers watching the championship game between the Giants and Colts. He was 11 and his older sister was rooting for the Giants since she was in college and NY represented the polished East while he rooted for the underdog Colts. Unitas played an outstanding game and at this time the QB was also the play caller. It was also the era of merciless late hits on QB's and pretty much anyone where a cheap shot could be done while the refs weren't looking. Even if caught the refs would simply warn them 'Don't do that again'. It was grinding elemental football at it's best.
The thing is no one was overly huge then, or extremely fast, so those late hits didn't do much damage, Night Train Lane of the Rams and Lions being an exception, perhaps.
Back row (left to right): Milt Plum (Browns), Bobby Layne (Steelers), Sam Etcheverry (Cardinals), Bill Wade (Bears), Bart Starr (Packers), Johnny Unitas (Colts), Norm Snead (Redskins), Zeke Bratkowski (Rams). Front row: Jim Ninowski (Lions), Fran Tarkenton (Vikings), Don Meredith (Cowboys), John Brodie (49ers), Sonny Jurgensen (Eagles), Y.A. Tittle (Giants). Photo by Ralph Morse. First published in Life magazine, November 17, 1961.
@@ccdogpark Etcheverry is one of the greatest players in Canadian Football League history. He only played 2 years for the Cardinals, before that, Etcheverry was a super star in the CFL for 9 years. He was like the Dan Marino of his time in Canada, lots of records but no Grey Cup championship.
Thank you for the above video with NFL quarterbacks photographed for the November 17, 1961 issue of LIFE Magazine. Of those '61 season QB's, I remember Johnny Unitas, Bart Starr, Zeke Bratkowski, Don Meredith, Milt Plum, Norm Snead, Sonny Jurgensen, John Brodie, Y.A. Tittle, Jim Ninowski, and Fran Tarkenton. Sam Etcheverry, Bobby Layne, and Billy Wade I don't remember, and Layne played mostly before my time. The others I recall from the same or different teams. I was very young when this photo came out, so I don't remember it from that time. However, I saw the photo a few years later when I was a little older, and thought it was impressive. From a time when the NFL was emerging as a spectator and television sport. Thanks again for this gem.
Wade I do remember quite well as the Bears QB in the early and mid 60s, though by '65 he had given up the starting job to Rudy Bukich. He played one more year but only saw limited action, and in fact played in a few series when replacing Bukich in the second to last game against the 49ers in San Francisco. That was his last game I believe that he played in, and retired after that season. Bukich was only a year younger, so for several seasons, the Bears had QBs in their early to mid-30s, who started their careers in 1953 and 1954.
Layne: I remember that the 49ers had an away game against the Steelers in 1961. It was telecast on KPIX in San Francisco (I grew up in Santa Clara/ San Jose), as all 49er away games were back then. My dad pointed out Bobby Layne to me because he didn't wear a face mask. Another player on the Steelers was Big Daddy Lipscomb. That game was at Forbes Field, by the way, the Pirates' home, not Pitt Stadium. The Steelers won the game, and it was an upset, because the 49ers had a very good team and had the shotgun working for them. Then they petered out in the second half of the season.
I had long since forgotten this Life picture until now. What great memories it brings back of my childhood so long ago. I'm amazed how many of their names I recall. I wonder how many takes it took for the final picture? Thanks for posting.
I remember Sonny Jurgensen with the Eagles. They traded him to the Redskins for Norm Snead shortly after this season. Snead was kindly called the "Best quarterback between the 20-yard lines in the NFL". A left-handed compliment from the Philadelphia media. Tommy McDonald and Pete Retzlaff were terrific receivers. I loved those guys.
I grew up with the Eagles of this generation. Loved Sonny, Tommy, Pete, Bobby Walston, Tom Brookshirer, Don "The Blade" Burroughs, Chuck Bednarik and the rest. A crime making that awful trade for Snead.
Sonny had a special touch at times the ball had that famous wabble and it would float in the air. He had one heck of a Beer belly towards the end of his career.
This is a great video. Interesting about the stats for each. Imagine not even throwing for 2,000 yards in the season. The game was so different back then. Today, qb's have 2,000 yards by Halloween! My first pro game was in '61. I saw the Giants at Yankee Stadium, I believe agains the Vikings. Incredible to see these guys, most at a young age an look at their careers took different paths. My first real recollection of pro football was 1956, when I was 9 years old and the Giants won the World Championship. Unreal that Bart Starr threw as many intereceptions as touchdowns and only 16 of each!!! As with all sports, the game was so different back then. Two things immediately come to mind, Jim Brown led the league in rushing in the era, 8 out of the 9 years he played before retiring at age 30. An incredible stat. In 1967 Joe Willie Namath was the first qb to throw for over 4,000 yards. Of course, a stat that was not recognized for some time because it happened in the AFL!
a lot harder to find receivers in those days! unless the ball was coming to him, you could knock a receiver down 30 yards down the field! plus most stadiums were baseball stadiums a LOT of walls were close to the back of the end zone and many times parts of a field were frozen, if it didn't get direct sunlight. today's receivers are much faster, but with only a few exceptions the physicality of 60's football would kill the modern-day receiver. how many of today's receivers could stand up to Dick "nighttrain" Lane hitting them with a clothesline as they ran their patterns? in those days, receivers needed to keep their heads on a swivel to survive!
It was a 14-game regular season then. Jim Brown led the league in rushing with 1408 yards. It was a time of "four yards and a cloud of dust" rushing philosophy. Teams passed when they thought the run couldn't get it done. Unless, of course, if a team didn't have an effective run game. At least that was the philosophy. Usually it was more balanced. The league averaged 27 passes and 31 rushes per game.
This fun! Love the text being that team’s colors. Amazing how Y.A. Tittle looks like that at 35! I’m 55 and don’t look that road-weary! Also amazed at all the interceptions Bart Starr had, yet he led them to a title.
@@jeffreycamp1311 It does seem looking back nostalgically that those days seem slightly glamorous. In today’s NFL, RBs are washed up by age 27, and with the new non-contact rules, QBs can play forever. It was a lot more fun watching a 35 year old QB play who looked 55 years old because he is getting demolished after every pass!
@@dcinsc7 Yep. The D could do more things in yesteryear. Like head slap. Look a the field surface they played on then and they could smoke on the sideline
Something to consider as far as them looking older...These guys held regular jobs after the season ended. Chuck Bednarik comes to mind as he was a cement salesman in the off-season. He wasn't called "Concrete Charlie" just because of his toughness.
That was a surprising number for Starr, who a few years later would throw 294 passes spanning two seasons without an int. Unitas was even worse than Starr, 16 TDs and 24 INTs. Y. A. did take few beatings!
Counting the six QB's in this picture, plus Len Dawson (Cleveland backup) and George Blanda who played for Houston of the AFL that year there were 8 HOF QB's active that season, a figure comparable to the early 90's, when there were 28 teams not 22 (14 NFL, 8 AFL). For a non HOF QB John Brodie had a great career, retiring in 1973 top 10 in yards, completions, and TD's. Sort of like Phillip Rivers, a guy that puts up great numbers, but never gets far in the playoffs.
That John Brodie/ Gene Washington combo was one of the best ever. The 1972 playoff matchup with the Cowboys was one of my all-time faves, not because of the game, but the matchup. My two favorite teams that year. Along with the Dolphins and the Raiders.
@@nobodyaskedbut Blanda was a Hall of Fame QB, as well as a kicker. He won the first two AFL titles for the Oilers and won several games for the Raiders when he was in his early 40s.
Jim Ninowski and Earl Morrall shared QB duties for the Lions in that particular year of 1961. Both were former Michigan State Spartans and native Michiganders. They had a solid corps of recievers at their disposal, including Gail Cogdill, Terry Barr, Pat Studstill, and TE Jim Gibbons. The Lions of the early 60’s had some solid, teams. However they had the misfortune of being contemporaries with the great Green Bay Packer teams and this landed them in the old PLAYOFF BOWL(the second place finishers game) on more than one occasion. In 1964, the Ford family bought out the other stockholders in the franchise, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Ninowski played at Michigan, not Michigan State. I the Summer of 1958,he and Bobby Mitchell helped the College All-stars beat the defending NFL champion Lions in the College All Star game.
I was 11 in 1961... a year I liked by the way, 'cause I could turn my homework paper upside down, write the year, and no one would know the difference. Along with that rebellious attitude, I was watching the Cleveland Browns with my late father every Sunday in Hamburg, New York, south of Buffalo. He was a die-hard Browns fan and that was the closest NFL city, so we would see all their games, televised home and away. Remember all these QBs. Also remember telling him that in a couple of years the one year old AFL Buffalo Bills would be better than most NFL teams. Still cherish Dad's look and remember his dismay... Jets vs Colts and Joe 'Willie' Namath guaranteeing victory and delivering in what would be called The Super Bowl. In 1963, Harry Jacobs, middle linebacker of the Bills, lived across the street from me... I babysat his kids, his wife would give me a ticket to the Bills game downtown in old War Memorial Stadium. As a 13 year kid, I'd bus there alone and take in the game. Great start to underage drinking. Fans would even throw unopened cans of Genesee beer at the field. I'd take Band Aids and mints to the games. Those beer can pull tabs back then would cut your fingers up nasty. Gracias por tu video. RT West sends.. envía... Colonia Centro Histórico, Puebla, México...
RT, you were fortunate to get home and road games. Hope it made up for wintertime weather. I grew up in Philly and lived and died with the Eagles. Due to the arcane blackout rules, we only got the road games on tv. Even the '60 title game was radio only, due to the fact that the Eastern rep (the Eagles) had the home game
@@danm3213 Went to Philly once. Flew from San Diego, CA where I lived in 1987. While there, I stayed at my sister's place in Elkins Park. She and her husband were/are both medical doctors. They left, after whatever they were doing there in internship years, to practice in southern California. Brother-in-law drove me down to central Philly on Broad Street. Then I truly understood why the Flyers were known as the 'Broad Street Bullies'. Had to be... to move through that neighborhood. Anyway, won my 1st and only lottery... Vietnam Draft Lottery in 1970. Said no to Army (could do that then... IF -->) and went immediately into the Navy. Warm, sunny, more southern addresses since then. Did root for and was glad to see win... the Eagles a few years back, take home the Super Bowl. All games more exciting in Spanish now. Take care, amigo. RT sends... Puebla, MX
@@marcschneider4845 No hay de que, Marc (think nothing of it... a modismo... no way it translates literally, but that's the saying and what it means). This may sound strange to you... but, I've had quite a ride so far in this life... just seems natural and well, nothing special. I give free American-English lessons here... to give me something to do, and, the people I am teaching always like it when I go off on a tangent and speak about some of my experiences... all part of Americana, I guess. Take care, RT sends... envía... Puebla, México...
Good video. Brings back a lot of memories. I identified them all except Ninowski, Bratkowski, and Etcheverry. My father had season tickets for the Giants games. I started going in 1953 when I was 10 years old, when the games were played at the Polo Grounds. In 1956 they switched to Yankee Stadium. That year the Giants beat the Bears 47-7. I remember FB Mel Triplett running over the referee on his way to the first TD of the game for the Giants and the route was on. Chuckin' Charley Conerly was the QB before Tittle was traded to the Giants. QB stats back then are not comparable to the stats of today, the way the game has changed. There were more deep balls making the percentages lower. There were fewer swing passes, and from memory they were mostly completed past the line of scrimmage. Today, many passes are completed behind the line of scrimmage and it's the running back's job to pick up the yardage. I was also at the 1958 Giants-Colts championship game, called the "greatest game ever played." That was true for many years, but no longer in my opinion. The last six games (4 divisional and 2 championship) the past two weeks were the greatest series of playoff games I have ever seen, and I think everyone would agree. Looking forward to the Super Bowl. I've seen everyone one of them on TV.
I also missed Etcheverry & Ninowski (thought it was Earl Morrall). I got Bratkowski. Wade & Bobby Lane were more or less "educated guesses", so I got a little lucky.
My first football memories were of listening to giants games on the radio with my father when Tarkenton was a Giant and hearing Marty Glickman go nuts. Three of these guys played for the Giants, Tittle, Tarkenton and Snead, who did have some good years and actually made the Pro Bowl 3 times.
As a guy older than dirt (71), I remember most of these guys although some of them with other teams (Plum, Snead, Bratkowski, Ninowski, Jurgensen). I draw a total blank on Etcheverry. My favorite all-time player was Jurgensen, but Jurgensen as a Redskin.
You're not older than dirt, Randall, just a pebble of sand. Don't feel bad, three years ago at the age of 52 with a predominantly black head of hair I was given a SENIOR DISCOUNT by a young cashier. I didn't know if I should feel grateful or insulted. #MiseryLovesCompany #55AndAlive
@@DireHammer I first became aware of Milt Plum as the man who split the Detroit QB duties with Earl Morrall in 1963, the year George Plimpton tried out with them.
Watching the 49ers as a kid in Kezar stadium, I remember seeing these great Quarterbacks-Unitas, Starr and Brodie. Niner fans are never happy with the quarterback that's starting if the team isn't winning. When Brodie was starting, I remember fans yelling that they wanted Mira (George Mira) or Spurrier even though Brodie took the team to the championship against the Cowboys twice in the early 70's. Joe Montana was so special, but nobody knew it in 1979-1980 when he was on the bench. Niner fans are still arguing which quarterback should start.
I watched Brodie split time with Mira in their upset of the Packers in '66 at Kezar. I didn't understand why Mira started but then why they pulled him for Brodie when Mira was having a good game. His scrambling caused the Packers problems. I think the Packers turned it over four times.
Thanks for that, Paul. Great stuff man, that was really cool (and man was I shocked to see all the way back in ‘61, Sonny Jorgenson is throwin for almost 4,000 yards! I knew he was good, but holy sheet, that’s borderline unbelievable. What a stud)!
That’s a good, informative overview. I grew up in Philadelphia, and did not realize that Sonny Jurgensen was among the top quarterbacks at the time. Of course, I was pretty young. It was a troubled franchise then, as now. Went from champions to doormats in a couple years. Football, and pro sports in general were very different in those days. The players were often found on the street with regular people and even at gatherings of no high society aspect. It was mostly a running game at the time. The rules for quarterback protection were essentially nonexistent. Accordingly, interception counts were high, and QB ratings were low.
@@JAWrightonline LMAO. Goodell didn't make these rules. And wtf makes the difference what the rules are. Was it ever ok to throw the ball to the other team? Fact is offensive players including QB's are infinitely more talented today than back then. Joe Namath wouldn't even be drafted if he played today. Absolute most undeserving player in any HOF out of any sport. 173 TD 220 INT 🤣🤣🤣
@@JW0143 Citing Namath stats and the HOF bit is such a TIRED take by fantasy sport bro's who never saw him play and have zero concept of impact or context. Cannon arm, quick release, popularized the back shoulder throw. Dude could run before all the Knee injuries too. Hung around too long? Yes. Too many picks? Yes. Big city distractions? Yes. You won't challenge your own assumptions but you might look up what Madden used to say about Joe. Bear Bryant apparently said Namath was the greatest athlete he ever coached. Should that get him in the HOF ? probably not, but that's not why he's in, is it? He changed the game and locked in his ticket with that Super Bowl. But hate on with your "absolute most undeserving player in any HOF out of any sport" overreach.
You could have made your post a lot shorter simply by saying you’re old as hell and I insulted your hero. Joe made 1 drunken prediction and it came true thanks to his defense holding the Colts to 7 pts and it made the AFL relevant. ONLY reason he’s in the HOF. Even in that SB he did nothing per usual
@@JW0143 Of course modern training and technology would make a difference, but many modern QBs would struggle if they played under the same rules these guys did. Everything changed in 1978(Mel Blount Rule).
Not that big a deal. Jurgensen finished with a winning record as a starter in just 2 seasons and never played in a post season game. He was known to lose games in the 4th qtr.
@@bonanzatime Allen never was a head coach of Jurgensen. Jurgensen was a loser (3-9/1-6) with an Eagles team which was 2 years removed from winning the NFL title. Thats' why he was traded and, of course it didn't get much better in Washington despite having 3 Receivers as good as Mitchell, C.Taylor & J.Smith. To put him in contemporary terms he was a better version of P. Rivers which is a statue who can't make a play on his own & usually a play away from losing a key game.
I turned 11 in the Fall of 1961. So, I remembered 11 of those men just by looking at the picture. Hall of Famers, journeymen and Canadians!! I grew up in Pittsburgh, so I loved Bobby Layne and his top receiver Buddy Dial. Thanks for the memories.
The main reason QBs threw more INTs in the 50s & 60s is because the secondaries were better able. At that time college football was single platoon which means players had to play both O & D. The DBs were all great offensive college players & could catch the ball as well as most receivers. There were many one handed INTs back then so when the QB was just a little off he could easily throw an INT. Also, the rules, of course, were not as pass friendly as they were later on, which allowed the DBs to be more physical in coverage. In addition, many of the LBs played FB in college which made them more capable to make INTs. The overall "ball skill" quality on D was far superior back then.
When I was a kid Sunday afternoons in the fall was Giants football in our house. Me, my father and 2 brothers. I remember Y.A. Tittle and Frank Gifford mostly. I also remember Johnny U., Bart Starr, Fran Tarkenton, some others. Those were good times in my house. ( no baseball for us!)
Kudos to the stadia groundskeepers. 9 of the 14 teams played in MLB parks, which still had 2 weeks of the baseball season after the NFL opening games. I remember from those days Cleveland Memorial Stadium, less than lovingly referred as "The Mistake by the Lake," as being quagmire for the 2nd half of the Browns home games.
Not sure, but I think they played either 12 or 14 games for the season. No wonder players now a days are breaking the old records. They play 17 games! It still took them a while to break Jim Brown's season record for rushing.
If I needed one series of downs in a do or die situation I would choose Fran Tarkenton. he was a magician and had eyes in the back of his head. He had to in order to survive the defences he faced when the vikings were less than spectacular on the offense line.
Bobby Layne (on his Lubbock, TX farm) talks about this commercial/Life Ad in a '77 CBS Sports Interview with Jack Whitaker/Brett Musberger (in studio)...on youTube. Never knew about it..
Jurgensen may have been the best of them in terms of making big plays, just played on some mediocre Washington teams in the 60's and had injury issues in the latter part of his career.
I liked Jurgenson a lot, but to me, Johnny U was the best. As a kid growing up in SF in the 50s and 60s, we went to Kezar Stadium often and I saw all of these starters plus many of their backups. My first heartbreak was when YAT was traded to the NY Giants for some young lineman, Cordileone, or something like that. The 49ers in the 50s had some incredible offensive teams. Unitas though, in his high-top shoes, was the prototypic first-step-to-the-future QB...everybody else, in my mind, follows ... the first to throw for over 3000 years and the first to throw for 30 or more TDs. I have often wondered what he could have done with today's conditioning technology and today's extraordinary protection of the QBs. Those guys were all war-horses in my mind. th-cam.com/video/9Tleop6m4E0/w-d-xo.html
Come on now, he's on the same list as Fran Tarkenton, Johnny Unitas, and Bart Starr. If you mean big play as in crazy play out of nowhere, Tarkenton was the king of that. If you mean making the play that needs to be made when it needs to be made, he's not in the same league as Unitas and Starr. Great QB, but on a level below those guys.
@@luberdoo1950 I wonder what many of these guys could do in today’s NFL with all the new rule changes and all As you know it’s a totally different game now This group is some of the greatest still to this day
@@dougburgers2019 Because the game has changed so much as the other sports have as well, I think that it is unfair to try and tag somebody with the 'G.O.A.T" label. Willie Mays was my hero of heroes as a kid, and I have often wondered how he may have benefitted from the advancements in conditioning/strength-building technology/nutrition/advancements in the science/technology of hitting, improved equipment, etc...I remember my dad and I arguing over who were the better ballplayers...those of his generation or mine...makes for exciting discussions!
Bobby Layne said he never lost a game, just time ran out on him. I was little when I sat with Bobby Layne and Ernie Stautner under a tree at their preseason training camp in western PA. Got their autographs.
Completely different defensive rules too. No 5 yard illegal contact rule. No defenseless receiver rule. Blocking rules for offensive lineman much tougher etc…
I don't think you can blame the quarterback for an interception. Obviously it's unintentional and the state of the game is quite different now than it was then. There was nothing unusual about an interception.
Defensive players could practically mug receivers the whole length of the field without penalty in that era accounting for the high interception totals.
At age 10 these guys were my hero. In 62 Milt Plum would be traded for Jim Ninowski. Also I was surprised at the big number of interceptions these QBs had. For instance Bart Starr w 16 and John Unitas with 24 especially when they played at a time when the game wasn’t all passing like the way the game is played today. For me I believe the sixties was my favorite era of football.❤
John Brodie threw 10 more interceptions than he did TD passes in a career that started in 1957 and ended in 1973: 224 to 214. It is a stat that could be keeping him from being in the Hall of Fame.
@@ldfreitas9437 Yes, it didn’t help. Look at Joe Namath’s stats more interceptions than TD passes but played a big role in the AFL which certainly helped his induction. But to me QB’s in those days throwing downfield threw a lot more picks than today. Defensive backs in those days had more liberties than those today, maybe one of the reasons. Thanks for responding and I appreciate your input.
I remember staying home sick in 1958 and watching a playoff game between the Montreal Allouetes and . . . some other team. Sam Etcheverry was playing for the Alloettes against a team they hadn't lost to in forever, according to my Dad, but they did that day to my great disappointment.
The playoff game was Montreal vs the Ottawa Rough Riders. I, too stayed away from school and watched the game with my father. The Ottawa QB was the 2nd string QB (season starter Tom Domitroff broke his leg) Russ Jackson , a Canadian who ended up having an amazing career. (I think Bud Grant said that Jackson would have been an amazing NFL QB had he chosen that route). Montreal had Hal Patterson (U of Kansas), Red O'Quinn, Pat Abruzzi, Tom Hugo, Joel Wells etc. and were heavy favourites. The game was played during the week in the daytime, why I don't know). I believe that Tom Domitroff's son(s) have been involved with the NFL. I heard rumours that Sam Etcheverry was involved with the Alouettes' owner's wife and so was banished to the NFL (St Louis Cardinals). I think the score was 26-14 Ottawa and probably could check all of this through the internet but that's no fun. I mentioned that Hal Patterson played at Kansas (he was a star in football, baseball and basketball in university) because a patron (Jay Roberts) of a tavern where I used to work said (jokingly) that he was the second best 3 sport athlete next to Patterson at Kansas. He also said that he was the 2nd best looking alumni (next to Craig Stevens) from U of Kansas. He also told the story of the coach at Kansas who would intentionally pick out a rookie, berate him and take away his football scholarship (as an example to the rest of the rookies). The rookie was supposed to come crying back to the coach. This happened to Jay and he did not go crying to the coach (who became quite purturbed when Jay did not come crying to him). Unbeknown to the coach, Jay was on an English scholarship and it was the coach who had to beg him it return. I hope you enjoyed my reminiscence.
@@davedewar749 Thank you for that wonderful reply. Yes, a day game. I started watching it in the morning, in British Columbia, so I guess it was in the afternoon back east. I kinda had a vague memory that the other team might have been Ottawa, but I wasn't confident so . . .. Lots of interesting information here, including Russ Jackson. Ten years later, I would end up in Ottawa, where Russ Jackson's career was continuing, while at the same time he also became the principal of a big Ottawa high school. At that time I only saw him as the QB of a team I didn't like, but I really admire him now. Thanks for fleshing these people out.
Sam Etcheverry had a great career with the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL but he hurt his arm permanently in the last game there. He would have been a great in the NFL as well.
This was a good guessing game, though the 60s were way before my time. Still, I got 5 out of 14 (Starr, Unitas, Brodie, Tittle and Tarkenton). I SHOULD HAVE got Dandy Don at the very least. I was trying to think of Bobby Layne for Detroit, but didn't realize he went on to play for the Steelers. Forgot all about Jurgenson (blonde hair should've been the clue!) and I feel like I should have remembered Billy Wade, since he won the NFL Championship and theoretically would have played the Chargers if there had been a Super Bowl in '63. Thanks for posting this, good algorithm pick!
Even though I was born in 59, I knew all these QBs except that Cardinals rookie and never knew much about the Lions Ninowski, although I remember the name. Got into FB big time circa 67-68. Knew Plum more as a Lions/Rams QB, knew Snead mostly as an Eagles QB and was terrible with the Vikes, didn't know Bobby Layne played into the 60s. Knew Bratkowski as the Packers backup QB to Starr. Starr and Unitas were obviously the best QBs of the 60s. Surprised Frank Ryan of the Browns wasn't a starter back then. I saw Tarkenton, Brodie, and possibly Milt Plum play in person from this group.
A Who's Who of Greatness in this photograph! So much fun seeing and naming these quarterbacks! I'm sure I'm not the only one who started to rattle off names and think , Geez, I remember watching these awesome players! Cheers From Ohio
Brodie (49ers) took something like $100K from Oilers owner Bud Adams to sign with Houston, then took the cash and flew home to Frisco...and signed with them.
When the merger was announced, all the future contracts NFL players signed with AFL teams were voided. If Brodie got to keep the bribe...I mean bonus...he got from Adams, all the power to him. I mean, $100K was a LOT of money back in the late 60s.
Thank's for your efforts! Seems like my perception of these players was that they were Greater than this especially throwing so many more interceptions than touchdowns !! I was 9 yrs at the time and lived football it was way more Brutal than today's NFL !✔️🤬
DBs could all but mug a WR back then. It was very common for a QB to throw near as much, more, or even double INTs to TDs. The rule changes starting in 1978 completely changed how INTs were viewed.
The 1960's was a Golden Age for quarterbacks for the NFL, and that same decade - the only one where the AFL existed - saw that league with several top quarterbacks as well. Also of note is that Bobby Layne is wearing 22, while the other quarterbacks in the picture have numbers that would be allowed for their position today.
It was a different game back then. DB'S could make contact with the receivers 20 yards down field with no penalty. Pass play were only on 3rd downs then.
Just looking at the photo, I know the names of six players. Bart Starr, Johnny Unitas, Fran Tarkenton, John Brodie, Sonny Jurgensen and Y.A Tittle. I was 4 years old in 1961. I do remember back to my first NFL game I attended, in 1963. 49ers vs Cowboys at Kezar Stadium. I remember the 49ers won the game and even then I knew it was a big deal to beat the Cowboys.
In Fran Tarkenton's first NFL game (also the first NFL game for the Vikings) he came off the bench to throw four touchdown passes to beat the Chicago Bears. Tarkenton eventually became the all-time career leader in passing yards and touchdowns but never threw more than four TD passes in a game.
the thing I remember about him was his speed. He could run around all day it seemed and not get caught and could throw the ball. I think he was really great.
Scrambling Fran!
But unfortunately, never won "the big one". He was also a great scrambler when in trouble in the pocket. He could run around all over the place.
A bartender I used to know, Bill Saul (RIP), played LB for the Colts and Saints and lions in the early 60s. He said Fran Tarkenton was without a doubt the most elusive QB he ever faced. "He was a slippery son of a bitch," he said.
@@seeker-br8lf Tarkenton had a below average arm . He would not make an NFL roster today .
It would be interesting to see something similar for the eight AFL QBs from that year.
Boston Patriots - Babe Parilli
New york Titans - maybe Lee Grosscup
Buffalo Bills - no idea - i think Jack Kemp was still backup in San Diego that year
Houston Oilers - George Blanda
Dallas Texans - Cotton Davidson or Cotton Fitzsimmons
Denver Broncos - Fran Tripucka
Oakland Raiders - Tom Flores (or was Cotton Davidson with them that year)
San Diego Chargers - Tobin Rote
@@howlinhonky I looked it up on Pro Football Reference. Al Darrow started all season for the Titans while Tom Flores was the starter in Oakland. Jack Kemp had taken over in San Diego. Richie Lucas got the opening day call for Buffalo but the Bills used four QBs that year. Cotton Davidson was the primary starter in Dallas (12 games). Babe Parilli missed almost half the season for Boston while both Frank Tripuka in Denver and league MVP George Baganda in Houston missed some starts as well.
@@mdoerty13 There were a lot of former and future Canadian Football League QBs (a few of them CFLers only in pre-season) in the AFL in 1961: Butch Songin (Hamilton); Babe Parilli (Ottawa); Al Dorow (Saskatchewan/B.C./Toronto); Warren Rabb; (Montreal); Jack Kemp (Calgary); Cotton Davidson (Calgary); Randy Duncan (B.C.); Frank Tripucka (Saskatchewan/Ottawa); George Herring (B.C.); Tom Flores (Calgary); M.C. Reynolds (Edmonton); Don Allard (Saskatchewan/Montreal). In the NFL there were Etcheverry (Montreal); Eddie LeBaron (Calgary); Lamar McHan (Toronto); and Lee Grosscup (Saskatchewan).
Cotton Fitzsimmons was head coach for the new Phoenix Suns basketball team in 1968.
@@orbyfan Thank you for the information...of that list, I was only aware of Etcheverry...
I distinctly remember seeing this photo in 1961 when I was 10 (we were Life magazine subscribers). I recognized everyone but Ninowski and Etcheverry so I guess my memory's not totally shot.
As a 12 year old kid watching football on tv in Minnesota (my favorite broadcaster was Ray Scott - - "Starr, Dowler, touchdown!"), the quarterbacks I loved to watch were Bart Starr, Johnny Unitas, and Fran Tarkenton - - especially Unitas since I watched him in the late '50's before the Vikings existed.
oh my god, the great ray scott, he used to do rams games sometimes, just fantastic. interesting to see that the great Unitas threw so many INT's. I thought that was fran tarkenton, but I though how could that be so early 61? then he went to the giants, then back to the vikings, went to 4 super bowls only to loose them all. they were the hated team for me back then as they always seemed to beat the rams in the playoffs, but the LA rams finally got a super bowl win! the vikes have not
@@fredgarv79 It no longer bothers me to have someone mention that the Vikings have been in 4 Super Bowls and lost all 4. But I have to defend the great Fran Tarkenton. He didn't lose all 4. Joe Kapp was the Vikings quarterback in the first one (1970) Tarkenton only lost the last 3 of them. That sounds a lot better, doesn't it? But I'm glad we have a mutual appreciation for Ray Scott.
@@danielhurley2894 your right, I remember that game with joe kapp, I liked them then. do you remember hank stram in that game? "matriculate the ball down the field" I still believe in this. so many times you see teams throw the ball deep on a 3rd and 2, or 3rd and 4 type thing instead of just trying to get the first down, then on from there. another great was lindsy nelson along with ray scott. I remember his last broadcast of a college game a few years ago. I didn't like tarkenton because he seemed kind of obnoxious, his personality but have great respect for him of course.
@@fredgarv79
I enjoyed watching the Vikings GET TO 4 Super Bowls in 8 years from 1969 to 1976 because the Vikes WON 1 NFL CHAMPIONSHIP and 3 NFC CHAMPIONSHIPS to do that, and in 3 of those 4 years, my Vikings knocked the Ewes from the playoffs. Between 1967 and 1978, while my Vikings were winning those playoffs and championship games, the Ewes were winning 0 championships, and instead were shivering and losing in the December cold of Green Bay and Bloomington, MInn, and in the rain and mud in LA to boot!
I also enjoyed the Vikings dominance over the Ewes from 1969 to 1977>>8-2-1 from when I was 9 to age 18! Boooyaaa!!
@@kbrewski1 good for you my friend, you are a true fan. I did not know the vikings won an NFL championship, looked it up and ok, they won the very l last nfl championship game, but it was a prelude to the super bowl, which they then lost so what in the hell does that count for? nothing. I liked Joe kapp and had a vikings helmet that I played in with local kids playing football in a park with helmets and shoulder pads and pants with the plastic protectors on the knees. Of course when you are a kid, you pick a team (if you don't have one in your city, which Seattle did not have one) by either the closest team and/or because you love the colors and the helmets. I liked both the rams helmets and the vikings ones. I was a rams fan first though because even though they were not the closest city, they were good and san fran was not and I always had a love for sunny LA and the beaches and the girls, hollywood, etc even when I was 8 years old and dreamed of moving there one day. Plus you like the names, I thought Joe Kapp was a great name and Roman Gabriel? what a cool name right?
When the vikings had to play at the U of Minn those few years, I desperately wanted a snow game, but never got it. only very cold and sunny. not the same. I would look at the forecast to see if there was any chance of snow. But your city did not come through for any game those years. personally I think roofs, even see through ones like the rams and the vikings have now, retractable roofs etc should be banned. football was meant to be played in the elements. I often thought that if the rams had beaten the vikings in those championship games in the 70's they would have just lost the super bowl just like the vikings did every time. had it been a sunny day in LA that mud bowl game, they would have won for sure, but then most likely would have lost the next game, or the super bowl anyway. The goal is to win the super bowl, not to get there and the rams have now won 2 super bowls and a real NFL championship back in 51, plus an NFL championship in 45 as the cleveland rams. Plus they most likely would have won a 3rd super bowl if not for Bill Bellicheck cheating and they played the vaunted pittsburg steelers and terry bradshaw the best of any teams that played pitts in the super bowl. they were ahead 19-17 going into the 4th quarter. what did the vikings do against pitts? one lone td on a blocked punt, held to 17 yards rushing, and this was without jack lambert playing. Got destroyed by the raiders and the dolphins.
It's a funny thing, I didn't care much when the rams won the super bowl in St Louis because they were not the LA rams even though they wore the exact same uniform and had some players on the team that were on the LA team. I was happy but not that pumped up about it. In 1980 when they lost that close game to the steelers I thought ok, they are good, they could get back again. they got dickerson and got back the championship game in 85, but had no quarterback at all so lost to the great 85 Bears team that were unstoppable. then in 89 got back but ran into the great montana 49's team that nobody were going to stop. So, when they finally won a super bowl as the LA rams last year, it was a fantastic feeling, like decades of misery was suddenly lifted. I hope you get to feel that feeling someday. I am totally satisfied now as an LA rams fan since 68, they finally got one and anything else is just gravy. they will not do it again I fear, certainly not this year. but maybe in the next 2 or 3 years possible. Just like the rams, I wish the vikings had the thicker wider horns on their helmets. I do not like the new rams helmets at all, it's like they are going all oregon ducks with the chrome and shiny helmets and the two bananas. you don't mess with this type of thing. the vikings havn't changed really, the chiefs, the raiders, dallas green bay, you don't see them going all chrome bright paint and changing their helmets
If I remember correctly, the Vikings were originally going to be an AFL team, but they were offered a spot as an NFL expansion team along with the Cowboys.
WOW! Sonny Jurgensen was putting up numbers most of todays QB's would love to have.
Sonny like to let it fly! And laid back.
Yeah Sonny was throwing for 3000 yards when that as unheard of, he was the Dan Fouts & Marino of his day
He was great
Probably wouldn't like those 24 picks.
And he was drunk and hung over most of the time.
Statistically, Sonny Jurgenson was the most efficient passer of his generation. In an era where most QB's routinely threw more interceptions than TD's, he finished with 255 Td's passing and only 189 interceptions. Plus he led the NFL in passing yardage 5 times...back when 3000+ yards was rare. His 82.6 career rating is the HIGHEST of all QB's who played in the so called deadball era. He was considered a gunslinger and routinely threw the ball 80 yards in the air. Vince Lombardi said "he was the best he'd ever seen." He was ahead of his time. He would have flourished in the modern game, perhaps more than when he actually played.
#17 Dandy Don, R.I.P. You are missed, we loved to watch you play Dallas & SMU 🙏🤠🙏
These great men of the NFL paved the way to some of the greatest players in the league and should be proud of what they have accomplished let football carry on like baseball.
If YA Tittle is 35 in that photo, I feel really good about how I've weathered to 41.
YA TITLE probably was bald and grizzled looking when he graduated from high school.
@@Don-n6o Same with Terry Bradshaw. I guess most players of that era looked 40. But I was younger then so everyone looked old.
He looks 75.
Johnny U had a mediocre season, 16 tds 16 ints . Would get you benched now
@@eddiekulp1241 he wouldn't have those numbers now. Probably 30 and 10.
Really enjoyed the video many of those guys were still playing when I was a young kid in the early 70's-love the old unis too.
Same here born in 65
Yes, they had sleeves.
I love the simple, classic uniforms of this era
I concur
A trip down memory lane for a 74 year old from Philadelphia. I have an autographed picture of Sonny.
Did you get his wife Cher to autograph it as well.
I remember that photo. In fact I still had a copy of that Life magazine issue, up until 2012 when it was lost in the floods of hurricane Sandy. I was living in Bensonhurst, B'klyn at the time. So this pic brings both good and sad memories.
Christian Adolph Jurgensen (Sonny) #9 front row, went on to play for the Washington Redskins and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 1983.....
Sonny became a beloved analyst in Washington for many years after his playing days here.
Yes, I remember Sonny with the Redskins.
This is really cool. Fran Tarkenton! Great picture here.
Outstanding! I’m in Canada and I was born in December of 1961 so it’s interesting to see who the QB’s we’re back as well as their stats. RIP to those who are no longer with us.
Watching Semi pro footballof the idea of what the NFL was like until the 1970s
My Dad remembers watching the championship game between the Giants and Colts. He was 11 and his older sister was rooting for the Giants since she was in college and NY represented the polished East while he rooted for the underdog Colts. Unitas played an outstanding game and at this time the QB was also the play caller. It was also the era of merciless late hits on QB's and pretty much anyone where a cheap shot could be done while the refs weren't looking. Even if caught the refs would simply warn them 'Don't do that again'. It was grinding elemental football at it's best.
Pass interference? What’s that?
The thing is no one was overly huge then, or extremely fast, so those late hits didn't do much damage, Night Train Lane of the Rams and Lions being an exception, perhaps.
Back row (left to right): Milt Plum (Browns), Bobby Layne (Steelers), Sam Etcheverry (Cardinals), Bill Wade (Bears), Bart Starr (Packers), Johnny Unitas (Colts), Norm Snead (Redskins), Zeke Bratkowski (Rams). Front row: Jim Ninowski (Lions), Fran Tarkenton (Vikings), Don Meredith (Cowboys), John Brodie (49ers), Sonny Jurgensen (Eagles), Y.A. Tittle (Giants). Photo by Ralph Morse. First published in Life magazine, November 17, 1961.
I have no memory of Sam Etcheverry. That must have been his only year starting.
@@ccdogpark Etcheverry is one of the greatest players in Canadian Football League history. He only played 2 years for the Cardinals, before that, Etcheverry was a super star in the CFL for 9 years. He was like the Dan Marino of his time in Canada, lots of records but no Grey Cup championship.
Thank you for the above video with NFL quarterbacks photographed for the November 17, 1961 issue of LIFE Magazine. Of those '61 season QB's, I remember Johnny Unitas, Bart Starr, Zeke Bratkowski, Don Meredith, Milt Plum, Norm Snead, Sonny Jurgensen, John Brodie, Y.A. Tittle, Jim Ninowski, and Fran Tarkenton. Sam Etcheverry, Bobby Layne, and Billy Wade I don't remember, and Layne played mostly before my time. The others I recall from the same or different teams. I was very young when this photo came out, so I don't remember it from that time. However, I saw the photo a few years later when I was a little older, and thought it was impressive. From a time when the NFL was emerging as a spectator and television sport. Thanks again for this gem.
Wade I do remember quite well as the Bears QB in the early and mid 60s, though by '65 he had given up the starting job to Rudy Bukich. He played one more year but only saw limited action, and in fact played in a few series when replacing Bukich in the second to last game against the 49ers in San Francisco. That was his last game I believe that he played in, and retired after that season. Bukich was only a year younger, so for several seasons, the Bears had QBs in their early to mid-30s, who started their careers in 1953 and 1954.
Layne: I remember that the 49ers had an away game against the Steelers in 1961. It was telecast on KPIX in San Francisco (I grew up in Santa Clara/ San Jose), as all 49er away games were back then. My dad pointed out Bobby Layne to me because he didn't wear a face mask. Another player on the Steelers was Big Daddy Lipscomb. That game was at Forbes Field, by the way, the Pirates' home, not Pitt Stadium. The Steelers won the game, and it was an upset, because the 49ers had a very good team and had the shotgun working for them. Then they petered out in the second half of the season.
I had long since forgotten this Life picture until now. What great memories it brings back of my childhood so long ago. I'm amazed how many of their names I recall. I wonder how many takes it took for the final picture? Thanks for posting.
I remember Sonny Jurgensen with the Eagles. They traded him to the Redskins for Norm Snead shortly after this season. Snead was kindly called the "Best quarterback between the 20-yard lines in the NFL". A left-handed compliment from the Philadelphia media. Tommy McDonald and Pete Retzlaff were terrific receivers. I loved those guys.
This was a trade that supported both teams. Sonny was the best QB at Washington in my life time. Charlie Taylor was his deep threat great combination.
I grew up with the Eagles of this generation. Loved Sonny, Tommy, Pete, Bobby Walston, Tom Brookshirer, Don "The Blade" Burroughs, Chuck Bednarik and the rest. A crime making that awful trade for Snead.
don't forget the great timmy brown in the backfield!
@@Don-n6o Bill Munson and George Plimpton
Sonny had a special touch at times the ball had that famous wabble and it would float in the air. He had one heck of a Beer belly towards the end of his career.
This is a great video. Interesting about the stats for each. Imagine not even throwing for 2,000 yards in the season. The game was so different back then. Today, qb's have 2,000 yards by Halloween! My first pro game was in '61. I saw the Giants at Yankee Stadium, I believe agains the Vikings. Incredible to see these guys, most at a young age an look at their careers took different paths. My first real recollection of pro football was 1956, when I was 9 years old and the Giants won the World Championship. Unreal that Bart Starr threw as many intereceptions as touchdowns and only 16 of each!!! As with all sports, the game was so different back then. Two things immediately come to mind, Jim Brown led the league in rushing in the era, 8 out of the 9 years he played before retiring at age 30. An incredible stat. In 1967 Joe Willie Namath was the first qb to throw for over 4,000 yards. Of course, a stat that was not recognized for some time because it happened in the AFL!
a lot harder to find receivers in those days! unless the ball was coming to him, you could knock a receiver down 30 yards down the field! plus most stadiums were baseball stadiums a LOT of walls were close to the back of the end zone and many times parts of a field were frozen, if it didn't get direct sunlight.
today's receivers are much faster, but with only a few exceptions the physicality of 60's football would kill the modern-day receiver. how many of today's receivers could stand up to Dick "nighttrain" Lane hitting them with a clothesline as they ran their patterns? in those days, receivers needed to keep their heads on a swivel to survive!
It was a 14-game regular season then. Jim Brown led the league in rushing with 1408 yards. It was a time of "four yards and a cloud of dust" rushing philosophy. Teams passed when they thought the run couldn't get it done. Unless, of course, if a team didn't have an effective run game. At least that was the philosophy. Usually it was more balanced. The league averaged 27 passes and 31 rushes per game.
This fun! Love the text being that team’s colors. Amazing how Y.A. Tittle looks like that at 35! I’m 55 and don’t look that road-weary! Also amazed at all the interceptions Bart Starr had, yet he led them to a title.
@@jeffreycamp1311 It does seem looking back nostalgically that those days seem slightly glamorous. In today’s NFL, RBs are washed up by age 27, and with the new non-contact rules, QBs can play forever. It was a lot more fun watching a 35 year old QB play who looked 55 years old because he is getting demolished after every pass!
@@dcinsc7 Yep. The D could do more things in yesteryear. Like head slap. Look a the field surface they played on then and they could smoke on the sideline
@@floatsting20 Stories of Ken Stabler smelling like a brewery in the huddle
Something to consider as far as them looking older...These guys held regular jobs after the season ended.
Chuck Bednarik comes to mind as he was a cement salesman in the off-season. He wasn't called "Concrete Charlie" just because of his toughness.
That was a surprising number for Starr, who a few years later would throw 294 passes spanning two seasons without an int.
Unitas was even worse than Starr, 16 TDs and 24 INTs.
Y. A. did take few beatings!
Great pic - great era - thank u
Counting the six QB's in this picture, plus Len Dawson (Cleveland backup) and George Blanda who played for Houston of the AFL that year there were 8 HOF QB's active that season, a figure comparable to the early 90's, when there were 28 teams not 22 (14 NFL, 8 AFL).
For a non HOF QB John Brodie had a great career, retiring in 1973 top 10 in yards, completions, and TD's. Sort of like Phillip Rivers, a guy that puts up great numbers, but never gets far in the playoffs.
That John Brodie/ Gene Washington combo was one of the best ever. The 1972 playoff matchup with the Cowboys was one of my all-time faves, not because of the game, but the matchup. My two favorite teams that year. Along with the Dolphins and the Raiders.
Don’t forget Oakland QB Tom Flores is also in the HoF as a coach.
@@markberryhill2715 Brodie is terribly underrated.
Blanda was not a HOF QB. He made the hall because he was a PK for 25 years.
@@nobodyaskedbut Blanda was a Hall of Fame QB, as well as a kicker. He won the first two AFL titles for the Oilers and won several games for the Raiders when he was in his early 40s.
I remember seeing this photo. What a group of quarterbacks
Jim Ninowski and Earl Morrall shared QB duties for the Lions in that particular year of 1961. Both were former Michigan State Spartans and native Michiganders. They had a solid corps of recievers at their disposal, including Gail Cogdill, Terry Barr, Pat Studstill, and TE Jim Gibbons. The Lions of the early 60’s had some solid, teams. However they had the misfortune of being contemporaries with the great Green Bay Packer teams and this landed them in the old PLAYOFF BOWL(the second place finishers game) on more than one occasion. In 1964, the Ford family bought out the other stockholders in the franchise, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Ninowski played at Michigan, not Michigan State. I the Summer of 1958,he and Bobby Mitchell helped the College All-stars beat the defending NFL champion Lions in the College All Star game.
@@kevinmadden1645 I just looked it up on Wikipedia. It says he played at Michigan State.
I was 11 in 1961... a year I liked by the way, 'cause I could turn my homework paper upside down, write the year, and no one would know the difference. Along with that rebellious attitude, I was watching the Cleveland Browns with my late father every Sunday in Hamburg, New York, south of Buffalo. He was a die-hard Browns fan and that was the closest NFL city, so we would see all their games, televised home and away. Remember all these QBs. Also remember telling him that in a couple of years the one year old AFL Buffalo Bills would be better than most NFL teams. Still cherish Dad's look and remember his dismay... Jets vs Colts and Joe 'Willie' Namath guaranteeing victory and delivering in what would be called The Super Bowl. In 1963, Harry Jacobs, middle linebacker of the Bills, lived across the street from me... I babysat his kids, his wife would give me a ticket to the Bills game downtown in old War Memorial Stadium. As a 13 year kid, I'd bus there alone and take in the game. Great start to underage drinking. Fans would even throw unopened cans of Genesee beer at the field. I'd take Band Aids and mints to the games. Those beer can pull tabs back then would cut your fingers up nasty. Gracias por tu video. RT West sends.. envía... Colonia Centro Histórico, Puebla, México...
RT, you were fortunate to get home and road games. Hope it made up for wintertime weather. I grew up in Philly and lived and died with the Eagles. Due to the arcane blackout rules, we only got the road games on tv. Even the '60 title game was radio only, due to the fact that the Eastern rep (the Eagles) had the home game
@@danm3213 Went to Philly once. Flew from San Diego, CA where I lived in 1987. While there, I stayed at my sister's place in Elkins Park. She and her husband were/are both medical doctors. They left, after whatever they were doing there in internship years, to practice in southern California. Brother-in-law drove me down to central Philly on Broad Street. Then I truly understood why the Flyers were known as the 'Broad Street Bullies'. Had to be... to move through that neighborhood. Anyway, won my 1st and only lottery... Vietnam Draft Lottery in 1970. Said no to Army (could do that then... IF -->) and went immediately into the Navy. Warm, sunny, more southern addresses since then. Did root for and was glad to see win... the Eagles a few years back, take home the Super Bowl. All games more exciting in Spanish now. Take care, amigo. RT sends... Puebla, MX
Those are great stories! Thanks.
@@marcschneider4845 No hay de que, Marc (think nothing of it... a modismo... no way it translates literally, but that's the saying and what it means). This may sound strange to you... but, I've had quite a ride so far in this life... just seems natural and well, nothing special. I give free American-English lessons here... to give me something to do, and, the people I am teaching always like it when I go off on a tangent and speak about some of my experiences... all part of Americana, I guess. Take care, RT sends... envía... Puebla, México...
Good video. Brings back a lot of memories. I identified them all except Ninowski, Bratkowski, and Etcheverry. My father had season tickets for the Giants games. I started going in 1953 when I was 10 years old, when the games were played at the Polo Grounds. In 1956 they switched to Yankee Stadium. That year the Giants beat the Bears 47-7. I remember FB Mel Triplett running over the referee on his way to the first TD of the game for the Giants and the route was on. Chuckin' Charley Conerly was the QB before Tittle was traded to the Giants. QB stats back then are not comparable to the stats of today, the way the game has changed. There were more deep balls making the percentages lower. There were fewer swing passes, and from memory they were mostly completed past the line of scrimmage. Today, many passes are completed behind the line of scrimmage and it's the running back's job to pick up the yardage. I was also at the 1958 Giants-Colts championship game, called the "greatest game ever played." That was true for many years, but no longer in my opinion. The last six games (4 divisional and 2 championship) the past two weeks were the greatest series of playoff games I have ever seen, and I think everyone would agree. Looking forward to the Super Bowl. I've seen everyone one of them on TV.
Me too. Except I missed Billy Wade also.
Yes, the so-called West Coast offense really changed the game; that and the rule changes.
I also missed Etcheverry & Ninowski (thought it was Earl Morrall). I got Bratkowski. Wade & Bobby Lane were more or less "educated guesses", so I got a little lucky.
My first football memories were of listening to giants games on the radio with my father when Tarkenton was a Giant and hearing Marty Glickman go nuts.
Three of these guys played for the Giants, Tittle, Tarkenton and Snead, who did have some good years and actually made the Pro Bowl 3 times.
As a guy older than dirt (71), I remember most of these guys although some of them with other teams (Plum, Snead, Bratkowski, Ninowski, Jurgensen). I draw a total blank on Etcheverry. My favorite all-time player was Jurgensen, but Jurgensen as a Redskin.
You're not older than dirt, Randall, just a pebble of sand.
Don't feel bad, three years ago at the age of 52 with a predominantly black head of hair I was given a SENIOR DISCOUNT by a young cashier. I didn't know if I should feel grateful or insulted. #MiseryLovesCompany #55AndAlive
@@mauriceanderson5780 It's all just a part of living past 40...
@@mauriceanderson5780 Back at ya!
Nice walk through memory lane.
Sonny could throw a pass behind his back better than most of these guys could throw one overhand!
Great image that brings back a lot of memories. I started collecting football cards way back in 1968 and some of these guys were still playing.
I started collecting in 1957...oh, how I wish that I still had them!
@@luberdoo1950 Oh, yeah. 57 was a great year for rookies. Starr and Unitas from this video plus many others.
Was able to ID all but three: Etcheverry, Bratkowsky and Ninoski, couldn't do that with today's QB's.
Yeah, I missed those three also, plus Milt Plum. I was three years old in 1961, so I learned about these players only many years later.
Canadian fans of a certain age would have no trouble identifying Etcheverry; he even wore the same colours in St. Louis that he did in Montreal.
Same, but I think I probably only knew Milt Plum because he had the record for highest qb rating in a season before Montana broke it.
@@DireHammer I first became aware of Milt Plum as the man who split the Detroit QB duties with Earl Morrall in 1963, the year George Plimpton tried out with them.
Beautiful photograph. Looks like it was shot yesterday. Go John Brodie and the 49er's.
Its colorized. The original was black and white.
Yesterday was alot better
Watching the 49ers as a kid in Kezar stadium, I remember seeing these great Quarterbacks-Unitas, Starr and Brodie. Niner fans are never happy with the quarterback that's starting if the team isn't winning. When Brodie was starting, I remember fans yelling that they wanted Mira (George Mira) or Spurrier even though Brodie took the team to the championship against the Cowboys twice in the early 70's. Joe Montana was so special, but nobody knew it in 1979-1980 when he was on the bench. Niner fans are still arguing which quarterback should start.
I watched Brodie split time with Mira in their upset of the Packers in '66 at Kezar. I didn't understand why Mira started but then why they pulled him for Brodie when Mira was having a good game. His scrambling caused the Packers problems. I think the Packers turned it over four times.
What about Billy Kilmer
He was a running back quarterback for the 49ers
@@thomasdombroski1982 Jeez what team didn't Billy play for? Similar to Norm Sneed who played for a bunch of teams or Earl Morrall.
@@thomasdombroski1982 Bobby Douglas
@@j.w.matney8390 Steve Deberg and Flutie
Thanks for that, Paul. Great stuff man, that was really cool (and man was I shocked to see all the way back in ‘61, Sonny Jorgenson is throwin for almost 4,000 yards! I knew he was good, but holy sheet, that’s borderline unbelievable. What a stud)!
That’s a good, informative overview. I grew up in Philadelphia, and did not realize that Sonny Jurgensen was among the top quarterbacks at the time. Of course, I was pretty young. It was a troubled franchise then, as now. Went from champions to doormats in a couple years. Football, and pro sports in general were very different in those days. The players were often found on the street with regular people and even at gatherings of no high society aspect. It was mostly a running game at the time. The rules for quarterback protection were essentially nonexistent. Accordingly, interception counts were high, and QB ratings were low.
The uniforms are much better. No BS.
Thanks for sharing !
I remember watching a lot of these quarterbacks as a kid!
Really enjoyed the video. Thanks.
Goodness, those interception totals!
Wow, those guys threw a lot of interceptions! Those low TD to interception ratios are amazing even for the Hall of Famers.
Its not an indictment on the QBs of that era. The difference is, the defenses were playing without the Goodell handcuffs.
@@JAWrightonline LMAO. Goodell didn't make these rules. And wtf makes the difference what the rules are. Was it ever ok to throw the ball to the other team? Fact is offensive players including QB's are infinitely more talented today than back then. Joe Namath wouldn't even be drafted if he played today. Absolute most undeserving player in any HOF out of any sport. 173 TD 220 INT 🤣🤣🤣
@@JW0143 Citing Namath stats and the HOF bit is such a TIRED take by fantasy sport bro's who never saw him play and have zero concept of impact or context. Cannon arm, quick release, popularized the back shoulder throw. Dude could run before all the Knee injuries too. Hung around too long? Yes. Too many picks? Yes. Big city distractions? Yes. You won't challenge your own assumptions but you might look up what Madden used to say about Joe. Bear Bryant apparently said Namath was the greatest athlete he ever coached. Should that get him in the HOF ? probably not, but that's not why he's in, is it? He changed the game and locked in his ticket with that Super Bowl. But hate on with your "absolute most undeserving player in any HOF out of any sport" overreach.
You could have made your post a lot shorter simply by saying you’re old as hell and I insulted your hero. Joe made 1 drunken prediction and it came true thanks to his defense holding the Colts to 7 pts and it made the AFL relevant. ONLY reason he’s in the HOF. Even in that SB he did nothing per usual
@@JW0143 Of course modern training and technology would make a difference, but many modern QBs would struggle if they played under the same rules these guys did. Everything changed in 1978(Mel Blount Rule).
Brings back plenty of memories of players from my younger days. Some of my early heroes. I am 71 years old. Thanks
OUTSTANDING ..........WISH I STILL HAD A FEW OF THESE CARDS .......THANKS PAUL ........NICE JOB ...
I have seen this picture before! Thanks for posting this is excellent!
Still cannot believe The Eagles traded Jurgensen for Snead. Worst trade ever!!!
And Now Jurgensen Will Forever Be Enshrined As A REDSKIN!
Not that big a deal. Jurgensen finished with a winning record as a starter in just 2 seasons and never played in a post season game. He was known to lose games in the 4th qtr.
@@nobodyaskedbut All that was George Allen's fault. imo. And in the opinion of 'most' Redskins fans.
Great comment. Sonny could pinpoint a pass better than any QB in the league. Sonny for Norm = bad trade
@@bonanzatime Allen never was a head coach of Jurgensen. Jurgensen was a loser (3-9/1-6) with an Eagles team which was 2 years removed from winning the NFL title. Thats' why he was traded and, of course it didn't get much better in Washington despite having 3 Receivers as good as Mitchell, C.Taylor & J.Smith. To put him in contemporary terms he was a better version of P. Rivers which is a statue who can't make a play on his own & usually a play away from losing a key game.
I turned 11 in the Fall of 1961. So, I remembered 11 of those men just by looking at the picture. Hall of Famers, journeymen and Canadians!! I grew up in Pittsburgh, so I loved Bobby Layne and his top receiver Buddy Dial. Thanks for the memories.
Wasn't Layne one of the last QBs to play without a facemask?
1st row , 2nd from left , Francis Tarkington , great quarterback just starting out
He was my favorite as a kid loved his scrambling and all All time leader when he retired in 78
The main reason QBs threw more INTs in the 50s & 60s is because the secondaries were better able. At that time college football was single platoon which means players had to play both O & D. The DBs were all great offensive college players & could catch the ball as well as most receivers. There were many one handed INTs back then so when the QB was just a little off he could easily throw an INT. Also, the rules, of course, were not as pass friendly as they were later on, which allowed the DBs to be more physical in coverage. In addition, many of the LBs played FB in college which made them more capable to make INTs. The overall "ball skill" quality on D was far superior back then.
Great picture! I could have sworn more of these made it into the Hall. Thanks for sharing.
When I was a kid Sunday afternoons in the fall was Giants football in our house. Me, my father and 2 brothers. I remember Y.A. Tittle and Frank Gifford mostly. I also remember Johnny U., Bart Starr, Fran Tarkenton, some others. Those were good times in my house. ( no baseball for us!)
Well done Paul. You have my boyhood sports hero in this group, Johnny U, THE GOAT of his day!!!!
and today
Thank you for your shout out to Len Dawson, backup quarterback of the Browns at that time. Since he was AFL, I liked how you worked that in.
I feel so old. I have been a Packers fan since the 69s and I watched many of these guys play.
Kudos to the stadia groundskeepers. 9 of the 14 teams played in MLB parks, which still had 2 weeks of the baseball season after the NFL opening games. I remember from those days Cleveland Memorial Stadium, less than lovingly referred as "The Mistake by the Lake," as being quagmire for the 2nd half of the Browns home games.
Not sure, but I think they played either 12 or 14 games for the season. No wonder players now a days are breaking the old records. They play 17 games! It still took them a while to break Jim Brown's season record for rushing.
Excellent, thanks for the memories. I played in high school with one of Sam Etcheverry's sons. Cheers
If I needed one series of downs in a do or die situation I would choose Fran Tarkenton. he was a magician and had eyes in the back of his head. He had to in order to survive the defences he faced when the vikings were less than spectacular on the offense line.
Tarkenton drove Willie Davis and Ray Nitchske of the Packers and Dick Butkus of the Bears nuts. Amazing what he did for a QB less than 6 feet.
Bobby Layne (on his Lubbock, TX farm) talks about this commercial/Life Ad in a '77 CBS Sports Interview with Jack Whitaker/Brett Musberger (in studio)...on youTube. Never knew about it..
It was like 3 decades before the passing game as we know it today even evolved
It's funny that Norm Snead would be most remembered as QB for the Eagles and Jurgensen as QB for the Redskins.
Bart Star qb for the Green Bay packers one of my favorites. Won the first 2 Super Bowls.
Thanks for the breaking news update!
Wish we could have these guys today….miss this era.
Jurgensen may have been the best of them in terms of making big plays, just played on some mediocre Washington teams in the 60's and had injury issues in the latter part of his career.
I liked Jurgenson a lot, but to me, Johnny U was the best. As a kid growing up in SF in the 50s and 60s, we went to Kezar Stadium often and I saw all of these starters plus many of their backups. My first heartbreak was when YAT was traded to the NY Giants for some young lineman, Cordileone, or something like that. The 49ers in the 50s had some incredible offensive teams. Unitas though, in his high-top shoes, was the prototypic first-step-to-the-future QB...everybody else, in my mind, follows ... the first to throw for over 3000 years and the first to throw for 30 or more TDs. I have often wondered what he could have done with today's conditioning technology and today's extraordinary protection of the QBs. Those guys were all war-horses in my mind. th-cam.com/video/9Tleop6m4E0/w-d-xo.html
Come on now, he's on the same list as Fran Tarkenton, Johnny Unitas, and Bart Starr. If you mean big play as in crazy play out of nowhere, Tarkenton was the king of that. If you mean making the play that needs to be made when it needs to be made, he's not in the same league as Unitas and Starr. Great QB, but on a level below those guys.
Lombardi once said if he had Jurgensen for all those years in Green Bay, he may have never lost a game.
@@luberdoo1950 I wonder what many of these guys could do in today’s NFL with all the new rule changes and all As you know it’s a totally different game now This group is some of the greatest still to this day
@@dougburgers2019 Because the game has changed so much as the other sports have as well, I think that it is unfair to try and tag somebody with the 'G.O.A.T" label. Willie Mays was my hero of heroes as a kid, and I have often wondered how he may have benefitted from the advancements in conditioning/strength-building technology/nutrition/advancements in the science/technology of hitting, improved equipment, etc...I remember my dad and I arguing over who were the better ballplayers...those of his generation or mine...makes for exciting discussions!
Amazing about this picture was that they were all to get these guys in the same room at the same time...I can't imagine that happening today
Bobby Layne said he never lost a game, just time ran out on him. I was little when I sat with Bobby Layne and Ernie Stautner under a tree at their preseason training camp in western PA. Got their autographs.
What a different era - all these dudes were interception machines. Even Johnny U. had eight more INT's than TD's and he's one of the greatest ever.
Completely different defensive rules too. No 5 yard illegal contact rule. No defenseless receiver rule. Blocking rules for offensive lineman much tougher etc…
I don't think you can blame the quarterback for an interception. Obviously it's unintentional and the state of the game is quite different now than it was then. There was nothing unusual about an interception.
@@mikemonahan1211 Don't forget bump-and-run was legal, too.
Defensive players could practically mug receivers the whole length of the field without penalty in that era accounting for the high interception totals.
Bump and run? They used to clothesline the poor receivers after they caught the ball. There were notorious head hunters at the safety position.
At age 10 these guys were my hero. In 62 Milt Plum would be traded for Jim Ninowski. Also I was surprised at the big number of interceptions these QBs had. For instance Bart Starr w 16 and John Unitas with 24 especially when they played at a time when the game wasn’t all passing like the way the game is played today. For me I believe the sixties was my favorite era of football.❤
John Brodie threw 10 more interceptions than he did TD passes in a career that started in 1957 and ended in 1973: 224 to 214. It is a stat that could be keeping him from being in the Hall of Fame.
@@ldfreitas9437 Yes, it didn’t help. Look at Joe Namath’s stats more interceptions than TD passes but played a big role in the AFL which certainly helped his induction. But to me QB’s in those days throwing downfield threw a lot more picks than today. Defensive backs in those days had more liberties than those today, maybe one of the reasons. Thanks for responding and I appreciate your input.
I remember staying home sick in 1958 and watching a playoff game between the Montreal Allouetes and . . . some other team. Sam Etcheverry was playing for the Alloettes against a team they hadn't lost to in forever, according to my Dad, but they did that day to my great disappointment.
The playoff game was Montreal vs the Ottawa Rough Riders. I, too stayed away from school and watched the game with my father. The Ottawa QB was the 2nd string QB (season starter Tom Domitroff broke his leg) Russ Jackson , a Canadian who ended up having an amazing career. (I think Bud Grant said that Jackson would have been an amazing NFL QB had he chosen that route). Montreal had Hal Patterson (U of Kansas), Red O'Quinn, Pat Abruzzi, Tom Hugo, Joel Wells etc. and were heavy favourites. The game was played during the week in the daytime, why I don't know). I believe that Tom Domitroff's son(s) have been involved with the NFL. I heard rumours that Sam Etcheverry was involved with the Alouettes' owner's wife and so was banished to the NFL (St Louis Cardinals). I think the score was 26-14 Ottawa and probably could check all of this through the internet but that's no fun. I mentioned that Hal Patterson played at Kansas (he was a star in football, baseball and basketball in university) because a patron (Jay Roberts) of a tavern where I used to work said (jokingly) that he was the second best 3 sport athlete next to Patterson at Kansas. He also said that he was the 2nd best looking alumni (next to Craig Stevens) from U of Kansas. He also told the story of the coach at Kansas who would intentionally pick out a rookie, berate him and take away his football scholarship (as an example to the rest of the rookies). The rookie was supposed to come crying back to the coach. This happened to Jay and he did not go crying to the coach (who became quite purturbed when Jay did not come crying to him). Unbeknown to the coach, Jay was on an English scholarship and it was the coach who had to beg him it return. I hope you enjoyed my reminiscence.
@@davedewar749 Thank you for that wonderful reply. Yes, a day game. I started watching it in the morning, in British Columbia, so I guess it was in the afternoon back east. I kinda had a vague memory that the other team might have been Ottawa, but I wasn't confident so . . ..
Lots of interesting information here, including Russ Jackson. Ten years later, I would end up in Ottawa, where Russ Jackson's career was continuing, while at the same time he also became the principal of a big Ottawa high school. At that time I only saw him as the QB of a team I didn't like, but I really admire him now.
Thanks for fleshing these people out.
LOVED THIS, I was 6 but recall almost all of them and have their fball cards still
I have to admit, at first I thought this was a "History of BYU QBs" photo and video.....
Different game today QBs called most plays different passing rules to create more offense
You're "I'm not making any money off this" signoff was superb. I hope you do more of these including other sports.
I was born in 1961.
So I actually remember 1970.
Sonny • redskins
John Brodie
Bart Starr
John U.
Fran Tarkentin
Don Meredith • MNF
Sam Etcheverry had a great career with the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL but he hurt his arm permanently in the last game there. He would have been a great in the NFL as well.
This was a good guessing game, though the 60s were way before my time. Still, I got 5 out of 14 (Starr, Unitas, Brodie, Tittle and Tarkenton). I SHOULD HAVE got Dandy Don at the very least. I was trying to think of Bobby Layne for Detroit, but didn't realize he went on to play for the Steelers. Forgot all about Jurgenson (blonde hair should've been the clue!) and I feel like I should have remembered Billy Wade, since he won the NFL Championship and theoretically would have played the Chargers if there had been a Super Bowl in '63. Thanks for posting this, good algorithm pick!
Even though I was born in 59, I knew all these QBs except that Cardinals rookie and never knew much about the Lions Ninowski, although I remember the name. Got into FB big time circa 67-68. Knew Plum more as a Lions/Rams QB, knew Snead mostly as an Eagles QB and was terrible with the Vikes, didn't know Bobby Layne played into the 60s. Knew Bratkowski as the Packers backup QB to Starr. Starr and Unitas were obviously the best QBs of the 60s. Surprised Frank Ryan of the Browns wasn't a starter back then.
I saw Tarkenton, Brodie, and possibly Milt Plum play in person from this group.
Calling Etcheverry a rookie is a bit of a stretch.
@@Rockhound6165
"1961 was his ROOKIE YEAR IN THE NFL"......
RIF🙄
shows how the game has changed - good job
I remember this picture! Love it, great memories
Bart Starr and Johnny Unitas by themselves account for most of the greatness in that picture.
And Fran Tarkington. He was Marino before Marino. Held a lot of records before the rule changes.
Don't discount Tittle and Jurgensen
Great to see Norm Snead in this photo - from Dear Old Wake Forest!
A Who's Who of Greatness in this photograph! So much fun seeing and naming these quarterbacks! I'm sure I'm not the only one who started to rattle off names and think , Geez, I remember watching these awesome players! Cheers From Ohio
Great colorization job! The original magazine picture was in black and white.
This really illustrates how the game has changed in 60 years. Some of these guys were regarded as passing gods.
Brodie should be in the Hall of Fame as well
Nahh. Hall of the Very Good.
Brodie (49ers) took something like $100K from Oilers owner Bud Adams to sign with Houston, then took the cash and flew home to Frisco...and signed with them.
When the merger was announced, all the future contracts NFL players signed with AFL teams were voided. If Brodie got to keep the bribe...I mean bonus...he got from Adams, all the power to him. I mean, $100K was a LOT of money back in the late 60s.
Thank's for your efforts! Seems like my perception of these players was that they were Greater than this especially throwing so many more interceptions than touchdowns !! I was 9 yrs at the time and lived football it was way more Brutal than today's NFL !✔️🤬
DBs could all but mug a WR back then. It was very common for a QB to throw near as much, more, or even double INTs to TDs. The rule changes starting in 1978 completely changed how INTs were viewed.
The history brings back childhood memories.
The 1960's was a Golden Age for quarterbacks for the NFL, and that same decade - the only one where the AFL existed - saw that league with several top quarterbacks as well. Also of note is that Bobby Layne is wearing 22, while the other quarterbacks in the picture have numbers that would be allowed for their position today.
John Hadl of the Chargers wore #21 even after the merger. He kept it after he was traded to the Packers and Rams.
Wow.....what a collection of Qb's ! And only 14 teams back then. I remember it well. I was 9.
plus 8 teams in the AFL
Brings back some memories. 🏈
A childhood memory was Y. A. Tittle on his knees with his head bleeding in Yankee Stadium-in B&W in Daily News.
It was a different game back then. DB'S could make contact with the receivers 20 yards down field with no penalty. Pass play were only on 3rd downs then.
Just looking at the photo, I know the names of six players. Bart Starr, Johnny Unitas, Fran Tarkenton, John Brodie, Sonny Jurgensen and Y.A Tittle. I was 4 years old in 1961. I do remember back to my first NFL game I attended, in 1963. 49ers vs Cowboys at Kezar Stadium. I remember the 49ers won the game and even then I knew it was a big deal to beat the Cowboys.
Cool! I was 14 at the time and watched all of these quarterbackc. Lived SoCal and a Packer backer.
Thank you. Great idea for a video. Well done.
3 of the cities represented here - Dallas, St. Louis and Minnesota - got teams at this point because of the AFL.
Very interesting, I was able to identify seven.
From what I've read, Eddie LeBaron probably deserved a medal for bravery quarterbacking these early Cowboys. I don't think it was an enviable job!!