NFL: Purdue Quarterbacks in the NFL

Last night, probably the only interesting thing to come out of the Colts-Saints game on NBC was a graphic that came up in the second quarter. The focus was one how Purdue University has produced the most passing yards and touchdowns by quarterbacks in the NFL. Now, Purdue is not short of its accomplishments in the Big Ten with eight conference titles and an 8-7 record in bowl games, but if you were to ask me which division I program has produced the most passing yards and passing touchdowns in NFL history, my first, second, or third guess would not have been the Purdue Boilermakers. 

Yet, the stat rings true. With quarterbacks like Len Dawson (28,711 yards; 239 touchdowns), Bob Griese (25,092; 192), Jim Everett (34,837; 203) and Drew Brees (37,418; 248); Purdue products own the record. When first asked the question, my mind would immediately think of quarterbacks out of big time programs like USC or Notre Dame. However, historically USC has not put out many successful NFL quarterbacks other than Carson Palmer, Mark Sanchez, and Rodney Peete. 

Notre Dame, other than Joe Montana and Joe Theisman, has not put out any successful quarterbacks that even the most devoted NFL fan would recognize. Tennessee had Peyton Manning and nothing much else. Michigan had Tom Brady and Jim Harbaugh. Even Miami, which boasted great NFL quarterbacks like Jim Kelly, Bernie Kosar, and Vinny Testaverde is behind Purdue on the list. 

At first, seeing Purdue at the top of the list is surprising. However, when thinking about successful quarterbacks in the NFL, many of them come from non-historical programs. Purdue currently has three starters in the league (Brees, Curtis Painter, and Kyle Orton), tied for the most with USC (Palmer, Sanchez, and Matt Cassel). After that, Boston College boasts two starters in Matt Hasselbeck and Matt Ryan. Besides those three programs, every other starting quarterback in the league has come from a different college. 

It’s crazy to look at and think about, but the numbers don’t lie. I really did not think that the Saints-Colts Sunday night game would yield any sort of column, but the fact that an unlikely school like Purdue has produced the most yards and touchdowns by quarterbacks in NFL history is something noteworthy. They may not win any National Championships or even the Big Ten title, but those guys over at Purdue sure do know how to produce quarterbacks.