Earl Morrall

Earl Edwin Morrall (May 17, 1934 - April 25, 2014) (QB) was perhaps the greatest back up quarterback in NFL history who made the most of replacing injured starters as he won and NFL Most Valuable Player award and an NFL Championship. Morrall took his Muskegon (Michigan) High School team to the 1951 state championship before becoming a Spartan at Michigan State University. He was a consensus All-American in 1955 as he led the Spartans to a 9-1 record and a 1956 Rose Bowl victory over the UCLA Bruins. He also played shortstop and third base for Michigan State and helped lead them to a third place finish in the 1954 College World Series. The San Francisco 49ers selected Earl with the second overall pick of the 1956 NFL Draft. Morrall only played one year in San Francisco (1956), then spent two seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers (1957-1958) where he won his first of two Pro Bowl selections and then spent six years with the Detroit Lions (1958-1964). He also played three years with the New York Giants (1965-1967), four with the Baltimore Colts (1968-1971 and five with the Miami Dolphins (1972-1976) to finish his career. When Colts’ lead signal caller, Johnny Unitas went down to injury in an exhibition game, Morrall led Baltimore to a 13-1-0 record and Super Bowl III before falling to the unlikely New York Jets in one of the greatest upsets in NFL history. Earl threw for 2,909 passing yards and led the league in touchdowns (26) to earn the coveted 1968 NFL AP, UPI and NEA Most Valuable Player awards. He was also named an NFL All-Pro First Team selection – an accolade he would receive once more in 1972. When he joined Miami in 1972, he again replaced Hall of Fame quarterback, Bob Griese in the backfield led the Dolphins to the only undefeated record in NFL history (14-0-0). Earl won his second of three Super Bowls that season with Miami (Super Bowls V, VII, VIII) and was named the 1972 Comeback Player of the Year. Over the course of his impressive 21-year career, Earl Morrall threw for 20,809 yards and 161 touchdowns on 1,379 completions in 2,689 attempts. He also rushed for 878 yards and eight TDs for a total of 48 points in 255 career games. Morrall was used sporadically as a punter throughout his career, mostly early on, but punted for 3,995 yards on 106 career kicks.