Morrall, Earl E.
Football
b. May 17, 1934, Muskegon, MI
As the quarterback in Michigan State's multiple offense in 1954 and 1955, Morrall was noted for his clever ball-handling and intelligent play-calling. He was also a good runner on the split-T option play. Though not often called on to pass, he was exceptionally accurate; in 1955 he completed 42 of 68 attempts for 941 yards and 5 touchdowns.
Morrall also played defense as a senior and set a school record with a 90-yard return of a fumble for a touchdown. He led his team to a 9-1 regular season record and a last-second, 17-14 victory over UCLA in the 1956 Rose Bowl.
The first choice of the NFL's San Francisco 49ers in the 1956 college draft, Morrall was rarely a genuine starter during his 21 seasons in pro football, but he was probably the greatest backup quarterback in history.
He played for San Francisco in 1956, the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1957 and 1958, the Detroit Lions from 1958 through 1964; the New York Giants from 1965 through 1967; the Baltimore Colts from 1968 through 1971; and the Miami Dolphins from 1972 through 1976.
Filling in for the injured Johnny Unitas, Morrall was named the NFL's player of the year in 1968 after leading the Colts to the NFL championship. However, they lost 16-7 to the New York Jets in Super Bowl III. Morrall replaced Unitas again in Baltimore's 16-13 win over Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl V.
When Miami starter Bob Griese was hurt during the 1971 season, Morrall guided the Dolphins to 12 of their wins in an unprecedented 17-0 season and was named American Football Conference player of the year.
During his professional career, Morrall completed 1,379 of 2,689 passes for 20,809 yards and 61 touchdowns.