A legendary figure in football as player and coach, Norm Van Brocklin (March 15, 1926 – May 2, 1983) established the tradition of quarterback excellence at the University of Oregon, won two championships in the National Football League and coached for 13 seasons in the NFL, all before the age of 50.
Van Brocklin came to the UO campus in 1946 after serving in the US Navy. He played quarterback at Oregon for two seasons and led the team to a 16-5 record as a starter. He also served a valuable role as punter. In 1948, under second year coach Jim Aiken, Oregon went 7-0 and tied California, which went 6-0, for the Pacific Coast Conference title, but missed a trip to the Rose Bowl when the Bears won a vote by other conference members. Oregon played in the Cotton Bowl but lost to Southern Methodist 21-13.
"The Dutchman" threw for 1,949 yards and 18 touchdowns in his two years as Oregon quarterback and was named All-America after the 1948 season. He left school after his junior season and was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the fourth round in 1949.
In his second season with the Rams, Van Brocklin took over the starting job full-time and the Rams won the 1951 NFL Championship. During the season, Van Brocklin threw for 554 yards in a game to set an NFL record. The Rams finished second in the NFL three times during Norm's tenure.
Van Brocklin played nine seasons with the Rams before moving to Philadelphia, where he led the Eagles to the NFL title in 1960. Van Brocklin was voted league MVP and named All-Pro in 1960. For his entire 12-year career, he passed for 23,611 yards, 178 touchdowns and was selected to the Pro Bowl nine times. Norm led the league in punting average once.
Directly after the 1960 season, Van Brocklin, at age 34, retired and became the head coach of the expansion Minnesota Vikings. Demanding and detail-oriented, he was a good choice for a new franchise. Norm compiled a record of 29-51-4 in six seasons, before leaving to be a TV commentator in 1967. One year later, took over another young franchise, the Atlanta Falcons. In seven seasons with the Falcons, he finished 37-43-3 and had the team within reach of the playoffs before being fired in 1974. Following his coaching career, he became a pecan farmer.
Norm Van Brocklin was inducted into the University of Oregon Sports Hall of Fame and the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame. He was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame.