Bob Berry (football player)
Encyclopedia
Robert Chadwick "Bob" Berry (born March 10, 1942 in San Jose, California
) is a former American football
quarterback
who played in the National Football League
for twelve seasons. He was selected to one Pro Bowl
in 1969
as a member of the Atlanta Falcons
. Berry played in Super Bowls VIII
, IX
and XI
as a member of the Minnesota Vikings
. He was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles
in the eleventh round of the 1964 NFL Draft
and by the Denver Broncos
in the twenty-sixth round of the 1964 AFL Draft, but never played for either team. He played college football
at Oregon
.
at Oregon
, where he was a three-year letter winner under coach Len Casanova
. At Oregon, Berry teamed with future Pro Football Hall of Fame
rs Mel Renfro
and Dave Wilcox
. Berry led the Ducks to three consecutive winning seasons and the 1963 Sun Bowl
, at which Oregon beat Southern Methodist 21-14.
Berry was named a first-team All-American after his senior season, despite being edged out as All-Pacific-8 quarterback by Craig Morton
of California
. Berry's teammates named him the team's outstanding player at the end of his senior season in 1964. He played in the East-West Shrine Game
and the Hula Bowl
. In 1985, Berry received the university's distinguished alumnus award.
in the eleventh round of the 1964 NFL Draft
and by the Denver Broncos
in the twenty-sixth round of the 1964 AFL Draft, Berry signed with the Minnesota Vikings
in 1965. He played with the Vikings for three seasons. In 1966, Berry started in his first game, a loss to the Atlanta Falcons
on December 4, 1966.
to 1972
. He started in 51 games for the Falcons, throwing for 8,489 yards and 57 touchdowns, with a passer rating
of 79.2. He was selected to the Pro Bowl
in 1969
.
again for four seasons, from 1973
to 1976
. He was the backup to Fran Tarkenton
, and retired from football on July 28, 1977.
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
) is a former American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
who played in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
for twelve seasons. He was selected to one Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
in 1969
1970 Pro Bowl
The 1970 East–West Pro Bowl was played on January 24, 1970 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. The final score was West 16, East 13. Gayle Sayers of the Chicago Bears was the game's offensive MVP, rushing for 75 yards on 9 carries and George Andrie of the Dallas Cowboys was...
as a member of the Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Berry played in Super Bowls VIII
Super Bowl VIII
Super Bowl VIII was a professional American football game played on January 13, 1974 at Rice Stadium. in Houston, Texas to decide the National Football League champion following the 1973 regular season. The American Football Conference champion Miami Dolphins defeated the National Football...
, IX
Super Bowl IX
Super Bowl IX was an American football game played on January 12, 1975 at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1974 regular season. It would be the last pro game at legendary Tulane Stadium...
and XI
Super Bowl XI
Super Bowl XI was a football game played on January 9, 1977 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 1976 regular season...
as a member of the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
. He was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the eleventh round of the 1964 NFL Draft
1964 NFL Draft
The 1964 National Football League Draft took place on December 2, 1963.-Player selections:-Round one:* HOF Member of the Professional Football Hall of Fame-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:...
and by the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the twenty-sixth round of the 1964 AFL Draft, but never played for either team. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Oregon
Oregon Ducks football
The Oregon Ducks football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the University of Oregon located in the U.S. state of Oregon. The team competes at the NCAA Division I level in the Football Bowl Subdivision and is a member of the Pacific-12 Conference. Known as the Ducks, the...
.
College career
Berry played college footballCollege football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Oregon
Oregon Ducks football
The Oregon Ducks football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the University of Oregon located in the U.S. state of Oregon. The team competes at the NCAA Division I level in the Football Bowl Subdivision and is a member of the Pacific-12 Conference. Known as the Ducks, the...
, where he was a three-year letter winner under coach Len Casanova
Len Casanova
Leonard Joseph "Len" Casanova was an American football, basketball, and baseball player, coach, and college athletics administrator...
. At Oregon, Berry teamed with future Pro Football Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
rs Mel Renfro
Mel Renfro
Melvin Lacy "Mel" Renfro is a former American football defensive back in the National Football League who spent his entire fourteen-year career with the Dallas Cowboys.-High school:...
and Dave Wilcox
Dave Wilcox
David Wilcox is a former American football linebacker for the National Football League's San Francisco 49ers between 1964 and 1974. Wilcox was selected to play for seven Pro Bowls and was named All-NFL five times during his career...
. Berry led the Ducks to three consecutive winning seasons and the 1963 Sun Bowl
Sun Bowl
The Sun Bowl is an annual U.S. college football bowl game that is usually played at the end of December in El Paso, Texas. The Sun Bowl, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Orange Bowl are the second-oldest bowl games in the country, behind the Rose Bowl...
, at which Oregon beat Southern Methodist 21-14.
Berry was named a first-team All-American after his senior season, despite being edged out as All-Pacific-8 quarterback by Craig Morton
Craig Morton
Larry Craig Morton is a former professional football player. He played quarterback in the National Football League for 18 seasons, 1965-82...
of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Berry's teammates named him the team's outstanding player at the end of his senior season in 1964. He played in the East-West Shrine Game
East-West Shrine Game
The East–West Shrine Game is an annual post-season college football all-star game played each January since 1925. The game is sponsored by the fraternal group Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, and the net proceeds are earmarked to some of the Shrine's charitable works, most notably the Shriners...
and the Hula Bowl
Hula Bowl
The Hula Bowl was an independently administered post-season invitational college football game held each year in Hawaii from 1947 to 2008. The game was last played at Aloha Stadium in the Hālawa district of Honolulu, Hawaii. At one point the longest-running sporting event in Hawaii, it had been...
. In 1985, Berry received the university's distinguished alumnus award.
First stint with Vikings
After being drafted by the Philadelphia EaglesPhiladelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the eleventh round of the 1964 NFL Draft
1964 NFL Draft
The 1964 National Football League Draft took place on December 2, 1963.-Player selections:-Round one:* HOF Member of the Professional Football Hall of Fame-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:...
and by the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the twenty-sixth round of the 1964 AFL Draft, Berry signed with the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
in 1965. He played with the Vikings for three seasons. In 1966, Berry started in his first game, a loss to the Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
on December 4, 1966.
Atlanta Falcons
Berry played for the Atlanta Falcons for five seasons, from 19681968 NFL season
The 1968 NFL season was the 49th regular season of the National Football League. As per the agreement made during the 1967 realignment, the New Orleans Saints and the New York Giants switched divisions; the Saints joined the Century Division while the Giants became part of the Capitol Division.The...
to 1972
1972 NFL season
The 1972 NFL season was the 53rd regular season of the National Football League. The Miami Dolphins became the first NFL team to finish a championship season undefeated and untied when they beat the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl VII.-Major rule changes:...
. He started in 51 games for the Falcons, throwing for 8,489 yards and 57 touchdowns, with a passer rating
Passer rating
Passer rating is a measure of the performance of quarterbacks or any other passers in American football and Canadian football. There are at least two formulae currently in use: one officially used by the National Football League and the Canadian Football League, and one used in college football...
of 79.2. He was selected to the Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
in 1969
1970 Pro Bowl
The 1970 East–West Pro Bowl was played on January 24, 1970 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. The final score was West 16, East 13. Gayle Sayers of the Chicago Bears was the game's offensive MVP, rushing for 75 yards on 9 carries and George Andrie of the Dallas Cowboys was...
.
Second stint with Vikings
Berry played for the Minnesota VikingsMinnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
again for four seasons, from 1973
1973 NFL season
The 1973 NFL season was the 54th regular season of the National Football League. The season featured O.J. Simpson becoming the first man to rush for 2,000 yards in one season...
to 1976
1976 NFL season
The 1976 NFL season was the 57th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded to 28 teams with the addition of the Seattle Seahawks and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers...
. He was the backup to Fran Tarkenton
Fran Tarkenton
Francis Asbury "Fran" Tarkenton is a former professional football player, TV personality, and computer software executive....
, and retired from football on July 28, 1977.