John Riley Brodie (born August 14, 1935) is a former professional American football quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, and had a second career as a Senior PGA Tour professional golfer.
[edit] Biography
[edit] Early years and education
Brodie was born in San Francisco, California. He grew up in the Montclair district of Oakland and attended Montclair Grammar (later Elementary) School and Oakland Technical High School, where he was a standout athlete. Brodie went on to attend Stanford University, where he was admitted to the Zeta Psi fraternity. He was selected as a consensus All-America in 1956, his senior year.
Brodie first appeared with the 49ers as a rookie in 1957, seeing limited action. He got more playing time in 1958 through 1960, sharing time with Y.A. Tittle; he became the starter in 1961 (Tittle was traded to the New York Giants), and continued in that role through 1973.
He was among the leading passers in the league throughout the 1960s. His best statistical year was 1965 when he led the League in passing yardage (3,112 yards) and passing touchdowns (30). He appeared in the Pro Bowl in 1965 and 1970. Also, in 1970, he received the NFL's Most Valuable Player Award. When Brodie retired from the NFL, he ranked third in career passing yards, behind only Johnny Unitas and Fran Tarkenton.
After he retired from football, Brodie served as an NFL football and golf analyst for NBC Sports and competed as a professional golfer on the Senior PGA Tour (now the Champions Tour) from 1981 to 1998. He had one win and 12 top-10 finishes. He earned $735,000 on the seniors tour. He had the longest gap between appearances in the U.S. Open — missing the cut in both 1959 and 1981.
In 2006, Brodie's number 12 jersey was brought out of retirement and worn by Trent Dilfer, backup quarterback for the 49ers. Dilfer, a close personal friend of Brodie, hoped to bring attention to Brodie's bid for enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1986. In 2010 he was inducted into the African-American Ethnic Sports Hall of Fame.
[edit] Personal life
One of his daughters is Erin Brodie, who found some fame on television in 2003, while another daughter is married to former NFL quarterback Chris Chandler.
For many years Brodie was affiliated with the Church of Scientology and was one of their leading celebrity spokespersons. His experience with them soured during a Sea Org power struggle in which several of Brodie's friends were expelled and/or harassed, and Brodie resigned in solidarity with them. Said Brodie, "There were many in the church I felt were treated unfairly".[1] Prior to this, Brodie was one of the first 25 Scientologists to achieve the level of OTVII in the church.
[edit] Professional wins (1)
[edit] Senior PGA Tour wins (1)
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
| Persondata |
| Name |
Brodie, John |
| Alternative names |
Brodie, John Riley |
| Short description |
Quarterback, professional golfer |
| Date of birth |
August 14, 1935 |
| Place of birth |
San Francisco, California |
| Date of death |
|
| Place of death |
|
United States
