John Brodie facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
John Brodie

Brodie, circa 1966
No. 12
Position:	Quarterback
Personal information
Born:	(1935-08-14) August 14, 1935 (age 89) Menlo Park, California, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:	198 lb (90 kg)
Career information
High school:	Oakland Tech (Oakland, California)
College:	Stanford
NFL Draft:	1957 / Round: 1 / Pick: 3
Career history
San Francisco 49ers (1957–1973)
Career highlights and awards
NFL Most Valuable Player (1970) NFL Comeback Player of the Year (1965) First-team All-Pro (1970) Second-team All-Pro (1965) 2× Pro Bowl (1965, 1970) 2× NFL passing touchdowns leader (1965, 1970) 3× NFL passing yards leader (1965, 1968, 1970) NFL passer rating leader (1970) 2× NFL completion percentage leader (1958, 1965) San Francisco 49ers Hall of Fame San Francisco 49ers No. 12 retired Consensus All-American (1956) 2× First-team All-PCC (1955, 1956)
Career NFL statistics
Games played: 201 Starts: 158 Passing: 2,469 for 4,491 Completion percentage: 55.0% TD–INT: 214–224 Passing yards: 31,548 Passer rating: 72.3 John Brodie Personal information Full name John Riley Brodie Nationality  United States Spouse Sue Brodie ​ (m. 1957)​ Children 5 Career College Stanford Status Professional Former tour(s) Senior PGA Tour Professional wins 1 Number of wins by tour Champions Tour 1 Best results in Major Championships The Masters Tournament DNP U.S. Open CUT: 1959, 1981 The Open Championship DNP PGA Championship DNP
Player stats at PFR
College Football Hall of Fame

John Riley Brodie (born August 14, 1935) is a former American football player. He was a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. After his football career, he became a professional golfer on the Senior PGA Tour. He also worked as a television announcer for both sports.

John Brodie was a top player in the NFL. He led the league in passing yards and touchdowns in certain seasons. He also had very few sacks and interceptions. When he retired, he was one of the best passers in NFL history. He was named the league's Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 1970. He also played in the Pro Bowl twice.

Early Life and School

John Brodie was born in Menlo Park, California. He grew up in Oakland, California. He went to Montclair Grammar School and then Oakland Technical High School. He was a great athlete and graduated in 1953.

College Sports Career

Brodie played college football at Stanford University. In his final year, 1956, he was chosen as an All-American player. He also played on Stanford's golf team. This meant he sometimes missed football practices in the spring.

Brodie almost chose golf as his main sport. He even played in some professional golf tournaments. He later said that playing professional golf was very stressful. He realized he couldn't be a top pro in two sports at once.

Professional Football Career

John Brodie in 1961.

The San Francisco 49ers picked John Brodie third overall in the 1957 NFL draft. He played a little in his first year. From 1958 to 1960, he shared playing time with another quarterback, Y. A. Tittle. In 1961, Brodie became the main starting quarterback. He kept this role until he retired in 1973.

Brodie was one of the best passers in the NFL during the 1960s. His best year was 1965. He led the league with 3,112 passing yards and 30 touchdowns. This led to his first Pro Bowl appearance.

After his great 1965 season, other teams wanted Brodie. The Houston Oilers from the rival American Football League (AFL) offered him a lot of money. This competition for players helped lead to the NFL and AFL merging in 1966. Brodie decided to stay with the 49ers. He signed a new contract that paid him $900,000 over several years.

The 1970 season was amazing for Brodie. He led the NFL in many ways. He had 24 touchdown passes, 223 completions, and 2,941 yards. His passer rating was 93.8, and he was sacked only eight times all season. Very few of his passes were intercepted, only 2.6%. For his outstanding play, Brodie won the 1970 NFL Most Valuable Player Award. The 49ers also had a great offense and won their first playoff game ever.

Brodie later in his career with the 49ers around 1972–73.

When Brodie retired from the NFL after the 1973 season, he was third all-time in career passing yards. Only Johnny Unitas and Fran Tarkenton had more. He was also eighth in career touchdown passes.

Life After Football

After retiring from football, John Brodie became a sports announcer for NBC Sports. He worked as a football and golf analyst. He even called Super Bowl XIII in 1979. He also announced other famous NFL games.

Brodie then played professional golf on the Senior PGA Tour. This tour is now called the Champions Tour. He played from 1985 to 1998. He won one tournament and finished in the top ten twelve times. He earned over $735,000 in golf. He holds a record for the longest time between playing in the U.S. Open golf tournament. He played in 1959 and then again in 1981.

In 2000, Brodie had a stroke, which made it hard for him to speak.

In 2006, the 49ers brought Brodie's retired number 12 jersey back. Backup quarterback Trent Dilfer wore it. Dilfer was a friend of Brodie's and wanted to help bring attention to Brodie's chance for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Brodie was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1986. In 2010, he was also inducted into the African-American Ethnic Sports Hall of Fame.

Personal Life

John Brodie married Sue in 1957. They have five children: four daughters and one son. They also have 12 grandchildren. One of his daughters, Erin, was on a TV reality show called For Love or Money in 2003. Another daughter, Diane, was married to former NFL quarterback Chris Chandler.

During the 1969 football season, Brodie had pain in his throwing arm. He tried different treatments. He was introduced to the Church of Scientology. He said their methods helped his arm get better. For many years, Brodie was a well-known supporter of the Church of Scientology. However, he later ended his public role with the church. He felt some of his friends were treated unfairly by the church's leaders.

Professional Golf Wins (1)

Senior PGA Tour Wins (1)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runners-up
1	Oct 27, 1991	Security Pacific Senior Classic	−13 (66-66-68=200)	Playoff	George Archer, Chi-Chi Rodríguez

Senior PGA Tour Playoff Record (1–0)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponents	Result
1	1991	Security Pacific Senior Classic	George Archer, Chi-Chi Rodríguez	Won with birdie on first extra hole

Results in Major Golf Championships

     Did not play CUT = missed the halfway cut
Note: Brodie only played in the U.S. Open.

Images for kids

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  A football signed by Brodie, given to President Gerald Ford.