John Brodie
Encyclopedia
John Riley Brodie is a former professional American football
quarterback
for the San Francisco 49ers
, and had a second career as a Senior PGA Tour
professional golfer
.
. He grew up in the Montclair district of Oakland
and attended Montclair Grammar (later Elementary) School and Oakland Technical High School
, where he was a standout athlete. Brodie went on to attend Stanford University
, where he was admitted to the Zeta Psi
fraternity. He was selected as a consensus All-America
in 1956, his senior year.
He was among the leading passers in the league throughout the 1960s. His best statistical year was 1965 when he led the League in passing yardage (3,112 yards) and passing touchdowns (30). He appeared in the Pro Bowl
in 1965 and 1970. Also, in 1970, he received the NFL's Most Valuable Player Award
. When Brodie retired from the NFL, he ranked third in career passing yards, behind only Johnny Unitas
and Fran Tarkenton
.
and competed as a professional golfer
on the Senior PGA Tour (now the Champions Tour
) from 1981 to 1998. He had one win and 12 top-10 finishes. He earned $735,000 on the seniors tour. He had the longest gap between appearances in the U.S. Open
— missing the cut in both 1959 and 1981.
In 2006, Brodie's number 12 jersey was brought out of retirement and worn by Trent Dilfer
, backup quarterback for the 49ers. Dilfer, a close personal friend of Brodie, hoped to bring attention to Brodie's bid for enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame
. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
in 1986. In 2010 he was inducted into the African-American Ethnic Sports Hall of Fame.
in 2003, while another daughter is married to former NFL quarterback Chris Chandler
.
For many years Brodie was affiliated with the Church of Scientology
and was one of their leading celebrity spokespersons. His experience with them soured during a Sea Org
power struggle in which several of Brodie's friends were expelled and/or harassed, and Brodie resigned in solidarity with them. Said Brodie, "There were many in the church I felt were treated unfairly". Prior to this, Brodie was one of the first 25 Scientologists to achieve the level of OTVII in the church.
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...
for the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
, and had a second career as a Senior PGA Tour
Champions Tour
The Champions Tour, a golf tour run by the PGA Tour, hosts a series of events annually in the United States and the United Kingdom for golfers 50 years of age and older. Many of the PGA Tour's most successful golfers have gone on to play on the Champions Tour.The Senior PGA Championship, founded in...
professional golfer
Professional golfer
In golf the distinction between amateurs and professionals is rigorously maintained. An amateur who breaches the rules of amateur status may lose his or her amateur status. A golfer who has lost his or her amateur status may not play in amateur competitions until amateur status has been reinstated;...
.
Early years and education
Brodie was born in San Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
. He grew up in the Montclair district of Oakland
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
and attended Montclair Grammar (later Elementary) School and Oakland Technical High School
Oakland Technical High School
Oakland Technical High School, known locally as Oakland Tech, or just simply "Tech", is a public high school in Oakland, California, and is operated under the jurisdiction of the Oakland Unified School District.-Background:...
, where he was a standout athlete. Brodie went on to attend Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, where he was admitted to the Zeta Psi
Zeta Psi
The Zeta Psi Fraternity of North America was founded June 1, 1847 as a social college fraternity. The organization now comprises about fifty active chapters and twenty-five inactive chapters, encompassing roughly fifty thousand brothers, and is a founding member of the North-American...
fraternity. He was selected as a consensus All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
in 1956, his senior year.
Professional football career
Brodie first appeared with the 49ers as a rookie in 1957, seeing limited action. He got more playing time in 1958 through 1960, sharing time with Y.A. Tittle; he became the starter in 1961 (Tittle was traded to the New York Giants), and continued in that role through 1973.He was among the leading passers in the league throughout the 1960s. His best statistical year was 1965 when he led the League in passing yardage (3,112 yards) and passing touchdowns (30). He appeared in 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 1965 and 1970. Also, in 1970, he received the NFL's Most Valuable Player Award
NFL Most Valuable Player Award
The National Football League Most Valuable Player Award is given by various entities, most notably the Associated Press , to the player who is considered most valuable in the league. When the award is referred to without mentioning the organization, it generally means the AP award. The AP NFL MVP...
. When Brodie retired from the NFL, he ranked third in career passing yards, behind only Johnny Unitas
Johnny Unitas
John Constantine Unitas , known as Johnny Unitas or "Johnny U", and nicknamed "The Golden Arm", was a professional American football player in the 1950s through the 1970s, spending the majority of his career with the Baltimore Colts. He was a record-setting quarterback, and the National Football...
and Fran Tarkenton
Fran Tarkenton
Francis Asbury "Fran" Tarkenton is a former professional football player, TV personality, and computer software executive....
.
Career after football
After he retired from football, Brodie served as an NFL football and golf analyst for NBC SportsNBC Sports
NBC Sports is the sports division of the NBC television network. Formerly "a service of NBC News," it broadcasts a diverse array of programs, including the Olympic Games, the NFL, the NHL, MLS, Notre Dame football, the PGA Tour, the Triple Crown, and the French Open, among others...
and competed as a professional golfer
Professional golfer
In golf the distinction between amateurs and professionals is rigorously maintained. An amateur who breaches the rules of amateur status may lose his or her amateur status. A golfer who has lost his or her amateur status may not play in amateur competitions until amateur status has been reinstated;...
on the Senior PGA Tour (now the Champions Tour
Champions Tour
The Champions Tour, a golf tour run by the PGA Tour, hosts a series of events annually in the United States and the United Kingdom for golfers 50 years of age and older. Many of the PGA Tour's most successful golfers have gone on to play on the Champions Tour.The Senior PGA Championship, founded in...
) from 1981 to 1998. He had one win and 12 top-10 finishes. He earned $735,000 on the seniors tour. He had the longest gap between appearances in the U.S. Open
U.S. Open (golf)
The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
— missing the cut in both 1959 and 1981.
In 2006, Brodie's number 12 jersey was brought out of retirement and worn by Trent Dilfer
Trent Dilfer
Trent Farris Dilfer is a former football quarterback in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers sixth overall in the 1994 NFL Draft and went on to play for the Baltimore Ravens, Seattle Seahawks, Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers. He played college football...
, backup quarterback for the 49ers. Dilfer, a close personal friend of Brodie, hoped to bring attention to Brodie's bid for enshrinement in the 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...
. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
in 1986. In 2010 he was inducted into the African-American Ethnic Sports Hall of Fame.
Personal life
One of his daughters is Erin Brodie, who found some fame on televisionTelevision
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
in 2003, while another daughter is married to former NFL quarterback Chris Chandler
Chris Chandler
Christopher Mark Chandler is a retired American football player, who played as a quarterback in the National Football League for 17 seasons. He is known for leading the Atlanta Falcons to a 14-2 season in 1998, followed up with an appearance in Super Bowl XXXIII.-Early years:Chris Chandler was...
.
For many years Brodie was affiliated with the Church of Scientology
Church of Scientology
The Church of Scientology is an organization devoted to the practice and the promotion of the Scientology belief system. The Church of Scientology International is the Church of Scientology's parent organization, and is responsible for the overall ecclesiastical management, dissemination and...
and was one of their leading celebrity spokespersons. His experience with them soured during a Sea Org
Sea Org
The Sea Organization or Sea Org is an association of Scientologists established in 1968 by L. Ron Hubbard, the science fiction writer and founder of Scientology. Its members are found in the central management organizations of the Church of Scientology as well as in individual churches...
power struggle in which several of Brodie's friends were expelled and/or harassed, and Brodie resigned in solidarity with them. Said Brodie, "There were many in the church I felt were treated unfairly". Prior to this, Brodie was one of the first 25 Scientologists to achieve the level of OTVII in the church.
External links
- "The Prime Of Mr. John Brodie", Sports IllustratedSports IllustratedSports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
, September 20, 1971 - Gallery of John Brodie football cards