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8. Bob Waterfield

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8. Bob Waterfield

The passing statistics of Bob Waterfield may look poor by today's standards, but when he debuted for the Cleveland Rams after a great career at UCLA, he would take the Cleveland Rams to an NFL Championship as a rookie in 1945.  Waterfield was not just the teams Quarterback as he was also their Kicker and Punter, and defensively, he had 20 Interceptions as a Back.  He would win the MVP Award that season, a rarity for any rookie in any sport.

After that win, the Rams relocated to Los Angeles, but he was still an incredible player finishing second in passing yards, and he was chosen to his second straight First Team All-Pro Team.  He would regress a bit in the years after but in 1949 he was a First Team All-Pro again, and in 1950 and 1951 he would be named to the first two Pro Bowls.  More importantly, Waterfield would help the Rams won another NFL Championship in 1951.  In 1952, he would share the Quarterback role with another future Hall of Famer, Norm Van Brocklin.

The husband of Jane Russell (pretty impressive, right?) would later have a stable coaching career after his retirement following the 1952 season.

Waterfield would enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1965, 13 years after the Rams retired his number 7.

The Bullet Points

  • Position: Quarterback
  • Acquired: Selected in the 5th Round, 42nd Overall in the NFL Draft 4/19/44.
  • Departed: Retired 12/1/52.
  • Games Played: 91
  • Notable Statistics:

    57 Games Started
    814 Pass Completions
    1,617 Pass Attempts
    50.3 Completion Percentage
    97 Touchdown Passes
    128 Interceptions
    61.6 Quarterback Rating
    70 Rushing Attempts
    21 Rushing Yards
    13 Rushing Touchdowns
    3 Receptions
    19 Receiving Yards
    60 Field Goals
    119 Field Goal Attempts
    54.5 Field Goal Percentage
    315 Extra Points 
    336 Extra Points Attempts
    315 Punts
    13,367 Punting Yards
    20 Interceptions
    228 Interception Return Yards
    23 Fumble Recoveries
    -5 Fumble Recovery Yards
    4 Punt Returns
    48 Punt Return Yards

    6 Playoff Games
    63 Pass Completions
    125 Pass Attempts
    50.4 Pass Completion Percentage
    965 Passing Yards
    6 Touchdown Passes
    11 Interceptions
    55.6 Passer Rating
    2 Field Goals
    6 Field Goal Attempts
    33.3 Field Goal Percentage
    14 Extra Points
    15 Extra Point Attempts
    93.3 Extra Point Percentage
    35 Punts
    1,410 Punting Yards
    10 Rushing Attempts
    14 Rushing Yards
    1 Punt Return 
    0 Punt Return Yards

  • Major Accolades and Awards:

    NFL Champion (1945 & 1951)
    Joe F. Carr Trophy (1945)
    First Team All-Pro (1945, 1946 & 1949)
    Second Team All-Pro (1950)
    Pro Bowl Selection (1950 & 1951)
    Most Pass Completions (1946)
    Most Pass Attempts (1946)
    Most Touchdown Passes (1945 & 1946)
    Highest Passer Rating (1951)
    Most Yards per Pass Attempt (1945 & 1951)
    Most Yards per Pass Completion (1945, 1948 & 1951)
    Highest Pass Completion Percentage (1950)
    Most Extra Points Made (1945, 1946, 1950 & 1952)
    Most Extra Point Attempts (1946, 1950 & 1952)
    Most Field Goals Made (1947, 1949 & 1951)
    Most Field Goal Attempts (1947 & 1951)
    Highest Field Goal Percentage (1946 & 1952)

Last modified on Monday, 01 August 2022 00:41

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