Quarterback U
Encyclopedia
Quarterback U is a nickname used by sportswriters to refer to colleges that have trained a series of notable football quarterback
s (QBs). It is a literary device invoked in the individual discretion of sportswriters and does not represent any formal decision-making process or organized sportswriters' poll. Generally speaking, the term implies that many of the school's former quarterbacks later had successful careers in professional football, particularly in the National Football League
(NFL). This appellation has been applied to several different colleges, as schools that best fit the definition have changed with time.
and Bob Griese
started five Super Bowl
s, winning three, and Purdue also produced NFL starting QBs in Mike Phipps
, Gary Danielson
, Jim Everett
and Mark Hermann. The tradition has continued through to this day with Drew Brees
' MVP-winning performance in Super Bowl 2010. 15 Purdue QBs went on to the NFL and Purdue is tied for first with Alabama in producing SuperBowl winning quarterbacks. According to ESPN.com, Purdue QBs also started more NFL games than any other school and threw for the most yards and touchdowns in the NFL.
, which had produced such players as John Brodie
, Jim Plunkett
, Don Bunce
, and Mike Boryla
. By 1989, the San Jose Mercury News
surmised that Stanford's "once bright legacy" as Quarterback U appeared "to be flickering out".
, which produced several NFL-caliber quarterbacks during the tenures of head coach Bobby Ross
and offensive coordinator Joe Krivak. These Maryland quarterbacks included Boomer Esiason
, Frank Reich
, Neil O'Donnell
, Scott Zolak
, and Stan Gelbaugh
. In 2005, The Washington Post
reapplied the label to the Terrapins under head coach Ralph Friedgen
and offensive coordinator Charlie Taaffe
, after Sam Hollenbach
became the Atlantic Coast Conference
's leading passer. That coaching staff also groomed Shaun Hill
and Scott McBrien
.
. In 2003, Tracy Gale, a sport publicist working for the University of Miami, named Fran Curci
, who was Miami's quarterback in 1959, as the start of what he called "Miami's Quarterback U tradition." Jim Kelly
, Bernie Kosar
, Vinny Testaverde
, Steve Walsh, Ken Dorsey
, Craig Erickson
, and Gino Torretta
are some Hurricanes quarterbacks that influenced his use of the term. The term is still often applied, although Miami currently has fewer quarterbacks starting in the NFL than it has in the past. In 2008, all three Miami quarterbacks entered the season with no game experience, and pundits charged head coach Randy Shannon
with rebuilding the program's reputation of producing high-quality signalcallers.
, Steve Young, Robbie Bosco
and Ty Detmer
. The Deseret News wrote that the last great BYU signal caller was 2001 Heisman Trophy
runner-up Brandon Doman
, who now serves as the Cougars' offensive coordinator
. It also asserted that, upon Doman's graduation, head coach Gary Crowton
rotated quarterbacks so frequently that it adversely affected their performance.
article cited that, since 1988, Michigan
sent as many starting quarterbacks to the NFL as the University of Miami. It argued that "three yards and a cloud of dust" is no longer the offensive philosophy at Michigan. A year later, Rivals.com
proclaimed that Michigan was "the new Quarterback U." Elvis Grbac
, Tom Brady
, Jim Harbaugh
, Brian Griese
and Chad Henne
are some of the Wolverine quarterbacks that have gone on to start in the NFL.
After the 2008 season, The Los Angeles Times claimed that USC, more traditionally known as "Tailback U", was the school most deserving of the designation. In 2005, a Sporting News writer described Texas Tech
as Quarterback U in an article that bestowed several positional "U" monikers with the criteria being college performance since 2000. Its author cited head coach Mike Leach's numerous 4,000-yard-plus passers.
In August 2009, an Altoona Mirror
writer sought to name "Quarterback U" by player achievements, such as NFL starts, Pro Bowl appearances, and Heisman Trophies won. He noted that, in the Super Bowl era, USC (15), Notre Dame
(13), Washington
(12), Miami
(10), Stanford
(10), and UCLA
(10) produced at least ten starting NFL quarterbacks, while Purdue
recorded the most combined NFL career starts (704). The University of Washington
had 16 of its last 18 starting quarterbacks make the NFL. The article concluded that no single program deserved the title significantly more than others.
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...
s (QBs). It is a literary device invoked in the individual discretion of sportswriters and does not represent any formal decision-making process or organized sportswriters' poll. Generally speaking, the term implies that many of the school's former quarterbacks later had successful careers in professional football, particularly 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...
(NFL). This appellation has been applied to several different colleges, as schools that best fit the definition have changed with time.
Purdue University
In the 1960s, Purdue became known as 'Quarterback U' and 'Cradle of Quarterbacks' by media and rivals such as Ohio State and Notre Dame due to its prominent QBs. Between 1967-1974, Purdue QBs Len DawsonLen Dawson
Leonard Ray "Len" "Lenny" Dawson is a former American collegiate and Professional Football quarterback who attended Purdue University and went on to play for three professional teams, most notably the Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs...
and Bob Griese
Bob Griese
Robert Allen "Bob" Griese is a former American collegiate and Professional Football quarterback who earned All-American honors with the Purdue Boilermakers before being drafted in 1967 by the American Football League's Miami Dolphins...
started five Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
s, winning three, and Purdue also produced NFL starting QBs in Mike Phipps
Mike Phipps
Michael Elston Phipps is a former professional American football quarterback who played collegiately for the Purdue University Boilermakers , and professionally for both the Cleveland Browns and Chicago Bears .-College career:After playing high school for Columbus High School in Columbus,...
, Gary Danielson
Gary Danielson
Gary Danielson is a former professional football player, a quarterback in the National Football League . He played for the Detroit Lions from 1976 to 1984 and for the Cleveland Browns in 1985, 1987, and 1988...
, Jim Everett
Jim Everett
James Samuel Everett III is a retired professional American football quarterback who played for twelve seasons in the National Football League ....
and Mark Hermann. The tradition has continued through to this day with Drew Brees
Drew Brees
Drew Christopher Brees is a quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Purdue....
' MVP-winning performance in Super Bowl 2010. 15 Purdue QBs went on to the NFL and Purdue is tied for first with Alabama in producing SuperBowl winning quarterbacks. According to ESPN.com, Purdue QBs also started more NFL games than any other school and threw for the most yards and touchdowns in the NFL.
Stanford University
As early as 1975, the term Quarterback U had been applied to Stanford UniversityStanford Cardinal football
The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...
, which had produced such players as John Brodie
John Brodie
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.-Early years and education:...
, Jim Plunkett
Jim Plunkett
James William "Jim" Plunkett is a former American football quarterback who played college football for Stanford University, where he won the Heisman Trophy, and professionally for three National Football League teams: the New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers and Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders. ...
, Don Bunce
Don Bunce
Don Bunce was an American football quarterback and orthopedic surgeon.-Collegiate career:Bunce was a graduate of Woodside High School, then attended Stanford University, where he played behind Jim Plunkett...
, and Mike Boryla
Mike Boryla
Michael Jay Boryla was an American football quarterback in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 1970s. He played college football at Stanford University, where he was the team's MVP during his senior season...
. By 1989, the San Jose Mercury News
San Jose Mercury News
The San Jose Mercury News is a daily newspaper in San Jose, California. On its web site, however, it calls itself Silicon Valley Mercury News. The paper is owned by MediaNews Group...
surmised that Stanford's "once bright legacy" as Quarterback U appeared "to be flickering out".
University of Maryland
During the 1980s, the term was also applied to MarylandMaryland Terrapins football
The Maryland Terrapins football team represents the University of Maryland in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision competition. The Terrapins compete within the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
, which produced several NFL-caliber quarterbacks during the tenures of head coach Bobby Ross
Bobby Ross
Robert Joseph Ross is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at The Citadel , the University of Maryland, College Park , the Georgia Institute of Technology , and the United States Military Academy , compiling a career college football record of 103–101–2...
and offensive coordinator Joe Krivak. These Maryland quarterbacks included Boomer Esiason
Boomer Esiason
Norman Julius "Boomer" Esiason is a former American football quarterback and current network color commentator. He played for the National Football League's Cincinnati Bengals, New York Jets, and Arizona Cardinals before working as an analyst for ABC and HBO...
, Frank Reich
Frank Reich
Frank Michael Reich, Jr. is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League for the Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, New York Jets, and the Detroit Lions. For a time, he had the distinction of having led his team to the biggest comeback victory ever in both the collegiate...
, Neil O'Donnell
Neil O'Donnell
Neil Kennedy O'Donnell is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League for 14 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Jets, Cincinnati Bengals, and Tennessee Titans...
, Scott Zolak
Scott Zolak
Scott David Zolak is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League for nine seasons...
, and Stan Gelbaugh
Stan Gelbaugh
Stanley Morris Gelbaugh is a former professional American football quarterback. Although he played several seasons in the National Football League, he attained his greatest success in the World League of American Football with the London Monarchs, where he was the league's Offensive Most Valuable...
. In 2005, The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
reapplied the label to the Terrapins under head coach Ralph Friedgen
Ralph Friedgen
Ralph Harry Friedgen is an American football coach. He was the head coach at the University of Maryland from 2001 to 2010. Friedgen was previously an offensive coordinator at Maryland, Georgia Tech, and in the National Football League with the San Diego Chargers...
and offensive coordinator Charlie Taaffe
Charlie Taaffe
Charlie Taaffe is an American football coach. He currently serves as offensive coordinator for the UCF Knights. Taaffe's coaching career stretches back to 1973, when he was an offensive coach for the University at Albany...
, after Sam Hollenbach
Sam Hollenbach
Samuel Hollenbach is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Washington Redskins as an undrafted free agent in 2007...
became the Atlantic Coast Conference
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
's leading passer. That coaching staff also groomed Shaun Hill
Shaun Hill
Shaun Hill is an American football quarterback for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League. He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2002...
and Scott McBrien
Scott McBrien
Scott McBrien is a former American football quarterback. He played football for several professional and college teams, most notably, the Green Bay Packers in the NFL, and the Maryland Terrapins at the University of Maryland.-Early years:McBrien was born in Rockville, Maryland to Ernie and...
.
University of Miami
In the 1980s, the term was often applied to the University of MiamiMiami Hurricanes football
The Miami Hurricanes football program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference of the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the University of Miami. The program began in 1926 and has won five AP national championships...
. In 2003, Tracy Gale, a sport publicist working for the University of Miami, named Fran Curci
Fran Curci
Fran Curci is a former American football player and coach. He was an All-American quarterback at the University of Miami in 1959...
, who was Miami's quarterback in 1959, as the start of what he called "Miami's Quarterback U tradition." Jim Kelly
Jim Kelly
James Edward Kelly is a former American football quarterback in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills and the USFL's Houston Gamblers....
, Bernie Kosar
Bernie Kosar
Bernard Joseph "Bernie" Kosar, Jr. is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League. Kosar played for the Cleveland Browns from 1985 to 1993 and then finished his career with the Dallas Cowboys and the Miami Dolphins.-Early life and high school career:A Hungarian-American...
, Vinny Testaverde
Vinny Testaverde
Vincent Frank Testaverde is a former NFL quarterback. Testaverde last played for the Carolina Panthers and had previously played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots. Testaverde holds the NFL record for having...
, Steve Walsh, Ken Dorsey
Ken Dorsey
Kenneth Simon "Ken" Dorsey is a former football quarterback. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the seventh round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Miami. A two-time Heisman Trophy finalist at Miami, Dorsey played for the Cleveland Browns from 2006–2008...
, Craig Erickson
Craig Erickson
Craig Neil Erickson is a former professional quarterback who was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 5th round of the 1991 NFL Draft and also by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 4th round of the 1992 NFL Draft. He is one of the few NFL players to be drafted twice, most famously Bo...
, and Gino Torretta
Gino Torretta
Gino Louis Torretta is a Heisman Trophy winner who played quarterback for several teams in the National Football League from 1993 to 1997....
are some Hurricanes quarterbacks that influenced his use of the term. The term is still often applied, although Miami currently has fewer quarterbacks starting in the NFL than it has in the past. In 2008, all three Miami quarterbacks entered the season with no game experience, and pundits charged head coach Randy Shannon
Randy Shannon
Randy Lennard Shannon is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Miami from 2007 to 2010. Shannon played football at Miami and then with the Dallas Cowboys of the NFL....
with rebuilding the program's reputation of producing high-quality signalcallers.
BYU
Sports writers dubbed the BYU as a Quarterback U from the mid-1980s through the 1990s, during which time it produced Jim McMahonJim McMahon
James Robert "Jim" McMahon, Jr. is a former American football player. He played college football at Brigham Young University, where he was a two-time All-American and later in the professional ranks with the Chicago Bears, San Diego Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, Arizona...
, Steve Young, Robbie Bosco
Robbie Bosco
Robbie Bosco is most widely known as an American football quarterback at Brigham Young University. Bosco is a native of Roseville, California....
and Ty Detmer
Ty Detmer
Ty Hubert Detmer is a former National Football League and NCAA quarterback. He starred at Brigham Young University, where he set many records and won the Heisman Trophy in 1990...
. The Deseret News wrote that the last great BYU signal caller was 2001 Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
runner-up Brandon Doman
Brandon Doman
Brandon Doman is an American football coach and is currently the offensive coordinator for the Brigham Young Cougars. Doman played quarterback for BYU in 2000-2001 and was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2002 NFL Draft....
, who now serves as the Cougars' offensive coordinator
Offensive coordinator
An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of a gridiron football team who is in charge of the offense. Generally, along with his defensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
. It also asserted that, upon Doman's graduation, head coach Gary Crowton
Gary Crowton
-External links:* *...
rotated quarterbacks so frequently that it adversely affected their performance.
Recent "Quarterback U"s
In recent years, sportswriters have mentioned several schools as being appropriate for the designation. A 2005 ESPNESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
article cited that, since 1988, Michigan
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
sent as many starting quarterbacks to the NFL as the University of Miami. It argued that "three yards and a cloud of dust" is no longer the offensive philosophy at Michigan. A year later, Rivals.com
Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting. The network was started in 1996 and currently employs more than 300 personnel.-Schools:The individual collegiate sites can be found...
proclaimed that Michigan was "the new Quarterback U." Elvis Grbac
Elvis Grbac
Elvis M. Grbac is a retired American football quarterback who played in the NFL. During his career he was a starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, the Kansas City Chiefs, and Baltimore Ravens...
, Tom Brady
Tom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick "Tom" Brady, Jr. is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . After playing college football at Michigan, Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.He has played in four Super Bowls,...
, Jim Harbaugh
Jim Harbaugh
James Joseph "Jim" Harbaugh is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. Harbaugh agreed to a five-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers on January 7, 2011. Previously, he was the head coach at...
, Brian Griese
Brian Griese
Brian David Griese is a former American football quarterback. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the third round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He played high school football at Christopher Columbus High School and later college football at Michigan....
and Chad Henne
Chad Henne
Chad Steven Henne is an American football quarterback for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League.He graduated from Wilson Senior High School and attended the University of Michigan...
are some of the Wolverine quarterbacks that have gone on to start in the NFL.
After the 2008 season, The Los Angeles Times claimed that USC, more traditionally known as "Tailback U", was the school most deserving of the designation. In 2005, a Sporting News writer described Texas Tech
Texas Tech Red Raiders football
Texas Tech Red Raiders football program is a college football team that represents Texas Tech University . The team competes, as a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
as Quarterback U in an article that bestowed several positional "U" monikers with the criteria being college performance since 2000. Its author cited head coach Mike Leach's numerous 4,000-yard-plus passers.
In August 2009, an Altoona Mirror
Altoona Mirror
The Altoona Mirror is a daily newspaper located in Altoona, Pennsylvania in the United States. It is the hometown newspaper for the Altoona area.- External links :*...
writer sought to name "Quarterback U" by player achievements, such as NFL starts, Pro Bowl appearances, and Heisman Trophies won. He noted that, in the Super Bowl era, USC (15), Notre Dame
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the football team of the University of Notre Dame. The team is currently coached by Brian Kelly.Notre Dame competes as an Independent at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level, and is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series coalition. It is an...
(13), Washington
Washington Huskies football
College football has a long history at the University of Washington. The Washington Huskies have won 15 Pacific-10 Conference championships, seven Rose Bowl titles, and three national championships. Washington's all-time record of 653-398-50 ranks 20th by all-time winning percentage and 21st by...
(12), Miami
Miami Hurricanes football
The Miami Hurricanes football program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference of the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the University of Miami. The program began in 1926 and has won five AP national championships...
(10), Stanford
Stanford Cardinal football
The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...
(10), and UCLA
UCLA Bruins Football
The UCLA Bruins football program represents the University of California, Los Angeles in college football as members of the Pacific-12 Conference at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The Bruins have enjoyed several periods of success in their history, having been ranked in the top ten of the AP Poll...
(10) produced at least ten starting NFL quarterbacks, while Purdue
Purdue Boilermakers football
The Purdue Boilermakers football team is the intercollegiate football program of the Purdue University Boilermakers. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I Bowl Subdivision, and the team competes in the Big Ten Conference. The Boilermakers have an all-time record of...
recorded the most combined NFL career starts (704). The University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
had 16 of its last 18 starting quarterbacks make the NFL. The article concluded that no single program deserved the title significantly more than others.