Brodie, John R.
Football
b. Aug. 14, 1935, San Francisco, CA
In three seasons as a quarterback at Stanford University, Brodie completed 296 of 536 passes for 3,594 yards and 19 touchdowns. He was a consensus All-American in 1956, his senior season, when he led the nation in passing.
Brodie joined the NFL's San Francisco 49ers in 1957 but didn't become the starting quarterback until his fifth season. He led the league in completion percentage in 1958 with 59.9, in 1965 with 61.9, and in 1968 with 57.9.
When the American Football League launched an all-out financial attack on the established NFL by trying to sign some of its best players, especially quarterbacks, Brodie became the highest-paid player of the time in 1967 by signing a 4-year, $827,000 contract with San Francisco.
His finest season came in 1970, when he led all NFL quarterbacks with 223 completions in 378 attempts for 2,941 yards and 24 touchdowns, with only 10 interceptions. He was named the league's player of the year, but the 49ers lost to the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC's championship game.
Brodie retired after the 1973 season and worked as a commentator on network broadcasts of pro football and golf. A fine golfer, Brodie shot a 67 in the second round of the 1960 Yorba Linda Open to move into second place. However, he finished in a tie for 24th with an even par 288. He later played in PGA senior tour events.
During his NFL career, Brodie completed 2,469 of 4,491 passes for 31,548 yards and 214 touchdowns. He had 224 passes intercepted.
