The Dutchman, Norm Van Brocklin, passed away in 1983 at 57.
The Hall of Fame quarterback shared quarterback duties with Ram legend Bob Waterfield early in his career.
In the 1951 NFL Championship game against the Cleveland Browns, Waterfield started. But it was Van Brocklin’s 73-yard touchdown pass to Tom Fears that proved to be the game-winner, 24-17.
In that same season (9/28/51), Van Brocklin set the single-game record for passing yardage with 554yds. A record that still stands.
After the 1957 season, Van Brocklin retired and returned a few months later (sound familiar?). But he didn’t want to play for Ram HC Sid Gillman and wanted more control of the offense. In May of 1958, he was dealt to Philadelphia for two players and a number one pick.
(The pick, #2 overall in 1959, was Dick Bass, the centerpiece of the Rams rushing attack throughout the 1960s.)
Van Brocklin led the Eagles to the NFL title in 1960 and then retired. Later he was the head coach for both the expansion Minnesota Vikings and Atlanta Falcons.
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