RSSBest Quarterback Performances Past & Present
Norm Van Brocklin
58 Years Ago On Opening Day: The Dutchman Goes Wild!
Los Angeles Rams Hall of Fame quarterback Norm "The Dutchman" Van Brocklin entered the 1951 season entrenched in a duel for the starting position with veteran BOB WATERFIELD.
A Waterfield injury sidelined the incumbent quarterback prior to the season opener against the New York Yanks on September 28, and opened the door for Van Brocklin to show his worth.
Norm Van Brocklin took advantage of the opportunity to produce the most prolific passing performance in NFL history.
Van Brocklin threw for an NFL record 554 yards in a 54-14 rout of the Yanks at the Los Angeles Coliseum. The Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback tossed five touchdowns and completed 27 of 41 passes.
The mark still stands as the greatest single passing effort in National Football League history.
"It’s the finest exhibition of passing I’ve ever seen," said Rams Coach JIMMY PHELAN after the game. "Van Brocklin was hitting them in the eye practically every time he threw the ball." Van Brocklin, who passed away at the age of 57 in 1983, remained subdued about the performance. "Everything I threw seemed to be caught and run for a long gain," he said.
The Rams' TOM FEARS averaged 23.1 yards on his seven catches and ELROY "CRAZYLEGS" HIRSCH averaged 19.2 on nine receptions. Los Angeles amassed an NFL record 735 total yards and 34 first downs.
"They don’t need me out here anymore," said Waterfield after the game. The two quarterbacks would split time for the rest of the season as the Rams captured the 1951 NFL Championship.
Van Brocklin’s record has stood for the past 57 years. Former Houston Oilers quarterback WARREN MOON came the closest to breaking Van Brocklin’s mark with a 527-yard day against Kansas City on December 16, 1990.
Top passing performances at various levels of football
BEST GAME PERFORMANCES: MOST YARDS PASSING by LEVEL
| Level | Quarterback | Date | Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Source: National Football League | ||||
| High School | David Koral, Pacific Palisades, CA | Sep 22, 2000 | 764 yards vs. Grant, CA | |
| NCAA Division I-A (FBS) | David Klingler, Houston | Dec 2, 1990 | 732 yards vs. Arizona St. | |
| NCAA Division III | Zamir Amin, Menlo | Oct 7, 2000 | 723 yards vs. Cal Lutheran | |
| Canadian Football | League Matt Dunigan, Winnipeg | Jul 14, 1994 | 713 yards vs. Edmonton | |
| NCAA Division I-AA (FCS) | Robert Kent, Jackson St. | Oct 6, 2001 | 668 yards vs. Alabama St. | |
| NCAA Division II | Andrew Webb, Fort Lewis | Nov 16, 2002 | 660 yards vs. Mesa St. | |
| NFL | Norm Van Brocklin, LA Rams | Sep 28, 1951 | 554 yards vs. NY Yanks | |
| Arena Football League | Clint Dolezel, Houston | May 14, 1999 | 479 yards vs. Milwaukee | |
BEST OPENING DAY GAME PERFORMANCES
MOST YARDS PASSING (1933-2007)
| QB | Game | Date | Yards | Attempts | Complete | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Source: National Football League | |||||||
| Norm Van Brocklin | L.A. Rams vs. N.Y. Yanks | 9/28/51 | 554 | 41 | 27 | 5 | 2 |
| Dan Marino | Miami vs. New England | 9/4/94 | 473 | 42 | 23 | 5 | 1 |
| Kurt Warner | St. Louis vs. Denver | 9/4/00 | 441 | 35 | 25 | 3 | 3 |
| Drew Bledsoe | New England vs. Miami | 9/4/94 | 421 | 51 | 32 | 4 | 2 |
| Glen Foley | N.Y. Jets vs. San Francisco | 9/6/98 | 415 | 30 | 58 | 3 | 1 |
| Pete Beathard | Houston vs. Kansas City | 9/9/68 | 413 | 48 | 23 | 2 | 3 |
| Phil Simms | N.Y. Giants vs. Philadelphia | 9/2/84 | 409 | 30 | 23 | 4 | 0 |
| Johnny Unitas | Baltimore vs. Atlanta | 9/17/67 | 401 | 32 | 22 | 2 | 1 |
STARTING RECORDS OF ACTIVE NFL QUARTERBACKS
(Minimum 10 regular-season starts)
| QB, Team | W | L | T | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Source: National Football League | ||||
| Tom Brady, New England | 86 | 24 | 0 | .782 |
| Philip Rivers, San Diego | 25 | 7 | 0 | .781 |
| Tony Romo, Dallas | 19 | 7 | 0 | .731 |
| Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh | 39 | 16 | 0 | .709 |
| Kyle Orton, Chicago | 12 | 6 | 0 | .667 |
| Peyton Manning, Indianapolis | 105 | 55 | 0 | .656 |
| Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia | 73 | 39 | 0 | .652 |
| David Garrard, Jacksonville | 19 | 11 | 0 | .633 |
| Rex Grossman, Chicago | 19 | 11 | 0 | .633 |
| Brett Favre, NY Jets | 160 | 93 | 0 | .632 |
| Vince Young, Tennessee | 17 | 11 | 0 | .607 |
| Matt Hasselbeck, Seattle | 57 | 39 | 0 | .594 |
| Jake Delhomme, Carolina | 38 | 27 | 0 | .585 |
| Damon Huard, Kansas City | 14 | 10 | 0 | .583 |
| Brad Johnson, Dallas | 71 | 51 | 0 | .582 |
| Tarvaris Jackson, Minnesota | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 |
| Kurt Warner, Arizona | 48 | 37 | 0 | .565 |
| Derek Anderson, Cleveland | 10 | 8 | 0 | .556 |
| Eli Manning, N.Y. Giants | 30 | 25 | 0 | .545 |
| Brian Griese, Tampa Bay | 42 | 36 | 0 | .538 |
| Marc Bulger, St. Louis | 38 | 34 | 0 | .528 |
| Carson Palmer, Cincinnati | 32 | 29 | 0 | .525 |
| Chad Pennington, N.Y. Jets | 32 | 29 | 0 | .525 |
| Drew Brees, New Orleans | 47 | 43 | 0 | .522 |
| Mark Brunell, New Orleans | 78 | 72 | 0 | .520 |
| Todd Collins, Washington | 10 | 10 | 0 | .500 |
| Trent Green, St. Louis | 56 | 56 | 0 | .500 |
| Jeff Garcia, Tampa Bay | 52 | 53 | 0 | .495 |
| Kyle Boller, Baltimore | 20 | 22 | 0 | .476 |
| A.J. Feeley, Philadelphia | 7 | 8 | 0 | .467 |
| Chris Simms, Tampa Bay | 7 | 8 | 0 | .467 |
| Gus Frerotte, Minnesota | 37 | 44 | 1 | .457 |
| Kerry Collins, Tennessee | 67 | 82 | 0 | .450 |
| Charlie Batch, Pittsburgh | 22 | 28 | 0 | .440 |
| Matt Leinart, Arizona | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 |
| Jay Cutler, Denver | 9 | 12 | 0 | .429 |
| Anthony Wright, N.Y. Giants | 8 | 11 | 0 | .421 |
| Patrick Ramsey, Denver | 10 | 14 | 0 | .417 |
| Jon Kitna, Detroit | 46 | 65 | 0 | .414 |
| Jason Campbell, Washington | 8 | 12 | 0 | .400 |
| Chris Redman, Atlanta | 4 | 6 | 0 | .400 |
| Josh McCown, Miami | 12 | 19 | 0 | .387 |
| Alex Smith, San Francisco | 11 | 19 | 0 | .367 |
| Joey Harrington, Atlanta | 26 | 50 | 0 | .342 |
| Kelly Holcomb, Buffalo | 8 | 16 | 0 | .333 |
| J.P. Losman, Buffalo | 10 | 21 | 0 | .323 |
| Charlie Frye, Seattle | 6 | 13 | 0 | .316 |
| Matt Schaub, Houston | 4 | 9 | 0 | .308 |
| Billy Volek, San Diego | 3 | 7 | 0 | .300 |
| David Carr, N.Y. Giants | 23 | 56 | 0 | .291 |
| Bruce Gradkowski, St. Louis | 3 | 8 | 0 | .273 |
| Brooks Bollinger, Minnesota | 2 | 8 | 0 | .200 |
| Ken Dorsey, Cleveland | 2 | 8 | 0 | .200 |
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