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John Brodie facts for kids

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John Riley Brodie (August 14, 1935 – January 23, 2026) was an amazing American athlete. He was a professional football player, famous as a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers. He played for 17 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). After his football career, he became a professional Senior PGA Tour professional golfer. He also worked as a television announcer for both sports.

During his time in the NFL, Brodie was a top player. He led the league in passing yardage, completions, and passing touchdowns. He also had a very low rate of intercepted passes. In 1970, he was named the league's Most Valuable Player (MVP). He was also chosen for the Pro Bowl two times. When he retired, he was ranked third in NFL history for career passing yards.

Quick facts for kids
John Brodie
refer to caption
Brodie, circa 1966
No. 12
Position: Quarterback
Personal information
Born: (1935-08-14)August 14, 1935
Menlo Park, California, U.S.
Died: January 23, 2026(2026-01-23) (aged 90)
Solana Beach, 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 (1953–1956)
NFL Draft: 1957 / Round: 1 / Pick: 3
Career history
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
Passing attempts: 4,491
Passing completions: 2,469
Completion percentage: 55.0%
TD–INT: 214–224
Passing yards: 31,548
Passer rating: 72.3
Player stats at PFR
College Football Hall of Fame

John Brodie: A Two-Sport Star

Early Life and Athletic Beginnings

John Brodie was born in Menlo Park, California, on August 14, 1935. He grew up in the Montclair area of Oakland. From a young age, he showed great talent in sports. He was a standout athlete at Oakland Technical High School.

College Days at Stanford

Brodie continued his sports journey at Stanford University, just across the San Francisco Bay. He played college football for the Stanford team. In his final year, 1956, he was recognized as a top college player, earning a spot on the All-American team.

Choosing Between Football and Golf

Besides football, John Brodie was also a talented golfer. He played on Stanford's golf team. He even considered becoming a professional golfer right after college. He played in several tournaments on the PGA Tour. Brodie realized he had to pick one sport to focus on. He knew he couldn't be a professional in both and do his best in either.

Professional Football Career

Brodie's football journey began when he was picked third overall in the 1957 NFL draft. He joined the San Francisco 49ers.

Starting with the San Francisco 49ers

Brodie-John-1961
A young John Brodie before the 1961 season.

He played a bit in his first year, 1957. From 1958 to 1960, he shared playing time with another great quarterback, Y. A. Tittle. In 1961, Brodie became the main starting quarterback for the 49ers. He held this important role until 1973.

Throughout the 1960s, Brodie was one of the best passers in the league. His best year statistically was 1965. That season, he led the league in completions (242), passing yards (3,112), and passing touchdowns (30). These achievements earned him his first of two Pro Bowl selections.

In 1966, there was a big change in professional football. The NFL and the rival AFL decided to merge. This led to better contracts for many players, including Brodie. He signed a multi-year deal to stay with the 49ers.

Leading the League and MVP Season

The 1970 season was truly amazing for John Brodie. He led the entire NFL in several key areas. He had 24 touchdown passes, 223 completions, and 2,941 passing yards. His passer rating was an impressive 93.8. He was also very good at avoiding sacks, taking only eight all season. Brodie also had the lowest percentage of passes that were intercepted.

San Francisco 49ers at Denver Broncos 1985-11-11 (ticket) (crop)
John Brodie playing for the 49ers around 1972–73.

Because of his incredible performance, Brodie received the 1970 NFL Most Valuable Player Award. That year, the 49ers also had the best offense by points scored. They won their first-ever playoff game in team history.

When Brodie retired from the NFL after the 1973 season, he was among the top quarterbacks of all time. He ranked third in career passing yards. His No. 12 jersey was retired by the 49ers, a great honor. In 2006, his friend and backup quarterback, Trent Dilfer, wore the number 12. Dilfer did this to help bring attention to Brodie's chance for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Life After Playing: Broadcasting

After his football career, John Brodie didn't leave sports entirely. He became a television analyst for NBC Sports. He talked about NFL football and golf. He even called Super Bowl XIII in January 1979. He helped explain many exciting games to fans.

Professional Golf Career

John Brodie also had a successful career as a professional golfer. He played on the Senior PGA Tour (now called the Champions Tour) from 1985 to 1998. He won one tournament and had twelve top-ten finishes. He also played in the U.S. Open in 1959 and 1981.

Amazing Achievements and Awards

John Brodie received many honors for his incredible sports career:

John Brodie's Family Life

John Brodie signature football (1991.83.1)
A football signed by Brodie, given to President Gerald Ford.

John Brodie married Sue in 1957. They had five children: four daughters and one son. They also had 12 grandchildren. One of his daughters, Erin, appeared on a TV reality series in 2003. Another daughter, Diane, was married to former NFL quarterback Chris Chandler.

Career Statistics

Here are some of John Brodie's career statistics from his time in the NFL.

Regular Season Stats

Legend
Led the league
Bold Career high
Year Team Games Passing Rushing Sacks
GP GS Record Cmp Att Pct Yds Y/A Lng TD Int Rtg Att Yds Avg Lng TD Sck Yds
1957 SFO 5 1 1–0 11 21 52.4 160 7.6 28 2 3 69.6 2 0 0.0 0 0 – –
1958 SFO 12 6 3–3 103 172 59.9 1,224 7.1 61 6 13 61.8 11 −12 −1.1 6 1 – –
1959 SFO 12 2 1–1 30 64 46.9 354 5.5 34 2 7 35.0 5 6 1.2 6 0 – –
1960 SFO 11 8 4–4 103 207 49.8 1,111 5.4 65 6 9 57.5 18 171 9.5 30 1 13 189
1961 SFO 14 14 7–6–1 155 283 54.8 2,588 9.1 70 14 12 84.7 28 90 3.2 29 2 19 141
1962 SFO 14 13 6–7 175 304 57.6 2,272 7.5 80 18 16 79.0 37 258 7.0 21 4 33 349
1963 SFO 3 3 0–3 30 61 49.2 367 6.0 44 3 4 57.2 7 63 9.0 24 0 1 5
1964 SFO 14 12 3–9 193 392 49.2 2,498 6.4 83 14 16 64.6 27 135 5.0 38 2 17 178
1965 SFO 13 13 7–5–1 242 391 61.9 3,112 8.0 59 30 16 95.3 15 60 4.0 13 1 14 101
1966 SFO 14 13 5–6–2 232 427 54.3 2,810 6.6 65 16 22 65.8 5 18 3.6 7 3 20 165
1967 SFO 14 10 5–5 168 349 48.1 2,013 5.8 63 11 16 57.6 20 147 7.4 15 1 18 129
1968 SFO 14 14 7–6–1 234 404 57.9 3,020 7.5 65 22 21 78.0 18 71 3.9 15 0 25 159
1969 SFO 13 10 2–6–2 194 347 55.9 2,405 6.9 80 16 15 74.9 11 62 5.6 15 0 16 134
1970 SFO 14 14 10–3–1 223 378 59.0 2,941 7.8 79 24 10 93.8 9 29 3.2 12 2 8 67
1971 SFO 14 14 9–5 208 387 53.7 2,642 6.8 71 18 24 65.0 14 45 3.2 12 3 11 111
1972 SFO 6 5 2–3 70 110 63.6 905 8.2 53 9 8 86.4 3 8 2.7 4 1 8 39
1973 SFO 14 6 2–4 98 194 50.5 1,126 5.8 66 3 12 47.7 5 16 3.2 14 1 4 29
Career 201 158 74–76–8 2,469 4,491 55.0 31,548 7.0 83 214 224 72.3 235 1,167 5.0 38 22 207 1,855

Playoff Stats

Year Team Games Passing Rushing Sacks
GP GS Record Cmp Att Pct Yds Y/A Lng TD Int Rtg Att Yds Avg Lng TD Sck Yds
1970 SFO 2 2 1–1 35 72 48.6 463 6.4 42 2 2 67.1 2 4 2.0 3 1 3 24
1971 SFO 2 2 1–1 24 49 49.0 360 7.3 78 2 3 61.6 0 0 0.0 0 0 2 9
1972 SFO 1 1 0–1 12 22 54.5 150 6.8 52 0 2 38.1 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0
Career 5 5 2–3 71 143 49.7 973 6.8 78 4 7 60.7 2 4 2.0 3 1 5 33

Professional 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 United States George Archer, United States Chi-Chi Rodríguez

Senior PGA Tour playoff record (1–0)

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

Results in Major Championships

Tournament 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969
U.S. Open CUT
Tournament 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
U.S. Open
Tournament 1980 1981
U.S. Open CUT

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

See Also

  • Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame
  • List of NCAA major college football yearly passing leaders
  • List of NCAA major college football yearly total offense leaders
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