Norm Van Brocklin facts for kids
Van Brocklin in 1974
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| Position: | Quarterback | ||||||||||||||
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| Born: | March 15, 1926 Parade, South Dakota, U.S. |
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| Died: | May 2, 1983 (aged 57) Social Circle, Georgia, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 190 lb (86 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school: | Lafayette (CA) Acalanes | ||||||||||||||
| College: | Oregon | ||||||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1949 / Round: 4 / Pick: 37 | ||||||||||||||
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Pro Football Hall of Fame
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College Football Hall of Fame
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Norman Mack Van Brocklin (born March 15, 1926 – died May 2, 1983), known as "the Dutchman", was a famous American football player and coach. He played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons as a quarterback. He spent his first nine years with the Los Angeles Rams and his last three with the Philadelphia Eagles.
After his playing career, Van Brocklin became the first head coach for the Minnesota Vikings from 1961 to 1966. He also coached the Atlanta Falcons from 1968 to 1974. Even though his coaching teams didn't reach the playoffs, he led both the Vikings and Falcons to their first winning seasons ever.
Van Brocklin was a college football star at the Oregon. He was later honored by being inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1966 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971. He is remembered for his amazing passing skills and for winning two NFL championships.
Contents
Early Life and High School Years
Norm Van Brocklin was born in Parade, South Dakota. He was one of nine children. His family later moved to Walnut Creek, near Oakland.
Norm was a talented athlete at Acalanes High School in Lafayette. He played three different sports. He was the quarterback for his high school football team. From 1943 to 1945, he served in the U.S. Navy, which meant he didn't play his final year of high school football.
College Football Career
After World War II, Van Brocklin went to the University of Oregon in Eugene. He became the starting quarterback for the Ducks in 1947. In his two years as a starter, he led the team to a great 16–5 record.
In 1948, Oregon tied for the championship of the Pacific Coast Conference. Even though Oregon had a great record, they didn't get to play in the Rose Bowl. Instead, they played against SMU in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. This was a big deal because it was the first time a team from the Pacific Coast played in a major bowl game other than the Rose Bowl.
That year, Van Brocklin was named an All-America player and finished sixth in the voting for the Heisman Trophy. He left Oregon for the NFL after three years of college. He was allowed to join the NFL early because of the time he spent in the Navy during World War II. He earned his college degree in June 1949.
Playing in the NFL
Playing for the Los Angeles Rams
The 1949 NFL Draft picked Van Brocklin as the 37th player overall. He joined the Los Angeles Rams, who already had a star quarterback named Bob Waterfield.
In 1950, the Rams' new coach decided to let both Waterfield and Van Brocklin play as quarterbacks. The 1950 Rams had an amazing offense, scoring a record 466 points! They had great receivers like Tom Fears and Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch. Van Brocklin and Waterfield were the top two passers in the league. They played in the 1950 championship game but lost a close one to the Cleveland Browns.
In 1951, Van Brocklin and Waterfield again shared quarterback duties. The Rams won their division and faced the Browns again in the championship game. This time, the Rams won 24–17! Van Brocklin threw a game-winning 73-yard touchdown pass to Tom Fears. This was the Rams' only NFL championship while they were in southern California.
Earlier in 1951, on the first night of the season, Van Brocklin set an NFL record by throwing for 554 yards in one game. This record still stands today! He completed 27 of 41 passes and threw five touchdowns in that game.
After the 1952 season, Bob Waterfield retired, and Van Brocklin became the main quarterback for the Rams. He led them to another championship game in 1955, but they lost to the Browns. In early 1958, he decided to retire from football after nine seasons with the Rams.
Playing for the Philadelphia Eagles
A few months later, Van Brocklin changed his mind and was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles. He didn't want to play for the Rams' new coach anymore. In Philadelphia, under coach Buck Shaw, Van Brocklin was given full control of the offense. He made the Eagles' offense much better.
In his third and final season with the Eagles in 1960, the team had the best record in the league (10–2). They played against the Green Bay Packers in the NFL Championship Game. Van Brocklin led the Eagles to a 17–13 victory. He was named the Most Valuable Player that year.
After winning the 1960 championship, Van Brocklin retired from playing. The Eagles were the only team to beat the Packers in a playoff game during the time Vince Lombardi was Green Bay's head coach. During his career, Van Brocklin led the NFL in passing yards three times and in punting twice. He was chosen for the Pro Bowl nine times.
Coaching Career
Coaching the Minnesota Vikings
After retiring as a player, Van Brocklin became the head coach for the new Minnesota Vikings team in 1961. He coached the Vikings for six years. During this time, he often disagreed with his quarterback, Fran Tarkenton. Van Brocklin wanted Tarkenton to stay in the pocket and throw, but Tarkenton liked to run around. This disagreement led to Tarkenton asking for a trade and Van Brocklin suddenly quitting in 1967.
Van Brocklin was also known for not liking soccer-style kickers. Once, after his team lost a game because of a last-second field goal by a soccer-style kicker, he famously joked, "They ought to change the god-damned immigration laws in this country!"
Coaching the Atlanta Falcons
In 1968, Van Brocklin became the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. He coached them for seven seasons. He led the Falcons to their first winning season in 1971 with a 7-6-1 record. In 1973, his team almost made the playoffs with a 9–5 record. His 1973 Falcons team even beat the Fran Tarkenton-led Minnesota Vikings, who were undefeated at the time. However, after a tough start to the 1974 season, he was fired.
Final Years
After being fired by the Falcons, Van Brocklin went back to his pecan farm in Social Circle, Georgia. He briefly coached running backs for Georgia Tech in 1979. After that, he worked as a college football analyst for a TV channel in Atlanta.
Norm Van Brocklin had several health problems. He died from a heart attack in 1983 at the age of 57. He was elected to the University of Oregon Athletics Hall of Fame in 1992.
NFL Records
- First NFL player to throw over 500 yards in a game: 554 yards on September 28, 1951.
- Most passing yards in a single game: 554 yards.
See also
- List of 500-yard passing games in the National Football League
