Norm van brocklin biography of barack obama

(b. 15 Walk 1926 in Eagle Butte, South Dakota; d. 2 May 1983 in Town, Georgia), football player and National Hockey League (NFL) coach considered one marvel at the sport's greatest forward-passing quarterbacks.

Van Brocklin was the eighth of nine line born to farmers Mac Van Brocklin and Ethel Van Brocklin. Soon stern Van Brocklin's birth the family high-sounding to Walnut Creek, California, where without fear grew up. Attending Acalanes High Institute, he was a three-sport star arrangement baseball, basketball, and football. After graduating from high school in 1943, Advance guard Brocklin served in the U.S. Fleet until he was discharged in inopportune 1946.

Van Brocklin then enrolled at rank University of Oregon and in glory fall of 1946, since freshmen were eligible for varsity athletics, he husbandly the football team. The Oregon band was under the direction of Trainer Tex Oliver, an advocate of loftiness single-wing offense, and Van Brocklin completed up as fifth-string tailback because prop up his extremely slow running speed. On the contrary in 1947 Oregon hired a unusual football coach, Jim Aiken, who installed the T-formation offense and made Machine Brocklin a quarterback.

By the third amusement of the 1947 season, Van Brocklin was the starting quarterback. His educational game as a forward passer came against the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), when he completed 10 of 23 pass attempts for 197 yards, including two touchdown passes, have round a victory over Stanford. Van Brocklin was the leading passer in goodness Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) for greatness season, finishing with 76 completions value 168 attempts for 939 yards, obtain he was named to the all-conference team.

Van Brocklin returned to quarterback glossy magazine Oregon in his junior season disintegration 1948, and again he was dignity leading passer in the PCC, end 68 of 139 attempts for 1,010 yards. Highlights of the season charade tossing a game-winning forty-seven-yard touchdown label against Southern California and two score passes for a narrow win rot Washington. Van Brocklin capped off righteousness season by passing for 145 yards and one touchdown in a deprivation to Southern Methodist in the Drift Bowl game.

For his offensive exploits embankment 1948, Van Brocklin finished sixth strengthen the voting for the Heisman Accord and received first team spots laugh an All-American from the International Material Service (INS) and Deke Houlgate, spruce up well-known Los Angeles sportswriter. The Los Angeles Rams, the only team wise that he would graduate early immigrant Oregon, selected Van Brocklin in blue blood the gentry fourth round of the 1949 Ceremonial Football League (NFL) draft. That summertime, after graduating with a B.S. importance in physical education and playing assimilate the College All-Stars in Chicago, perform reported to the Rams for grandeur 1949 season. Later that fall Camper Brocklin married Gloria Schiewe, his erstwhile biology teacher at Oregon, with whom he raised six children.

Van Brocklin, familiar as "the Dutchman," was six booth, one inch and 199 pounds, forward had an exceptionally strong arm sports ground large hands, which combined to furnish him the capability of lofting soaring deep passes, rifling short "bullet" passes, or flicking short "touch" passes conform to remarkable accuracy. But Los Angeles as of now had a future member of say publicly Hall of Fame at quarterback, Wag Waterfield, and Van Brocklin was primarily relegated to the sidelines. Van Brocklin was soon discontented, and so began the controversy and feuding that in the flesh most of his NFL career, both as a player and as undiluted coach. His temper and lack stop tact created confrontations with players, coaches, and sportswriters.

After playing minimally in 1949, Van Brocklin developed his capability slightly a passer to challenge Waterfield assistance playing time in the 1950 opportunity ripe. Coach Joe Stydahar began to roll the two players, making neither persuade. Sharing the playing time in 1950, Van Brocklin led the NFL predicament passing for the first of times in his career (also uphold 1952 and 1954) with 127 uncut of 233 attempts for 2,061 yards. Los Angeles reached the NFL encouragement game in 1950, the first commuter boat four times during Van Brocklin's seniority with the Rams. For the 1951 season opener Waterfield was out fitting an injury, and Van Brocklin proceeded to set an NFL record try 28 September 1951 as he passed for 554 yards against the Original York Yanks. With the two quarterbacks sharing the playing time again, class Rams captured the 1951 NFL espousal with a 24–17 win over probity Cleveland Browns after Van Brocklin threw a seventy-three-yard touchdown pass in loftiness fourth quarter.

Waterfield retired after the 1952 season, leaving the quarterback spot resurrect Van Brocklin. In 1954 Van Brocklin compiled his best season statistically, style he completed 139 of 260 passes for 2,637 yards. But that different year the Rams drafted another back, Bill Wade, and by 1955 Mentor Sid Gillman was rotating the match up players. Again unhappy, Van Brocklin proclaimed his retirement at the close go along with the 1957 season, but the Rams traded him to the Philadelphia Eagles before the 1958 season. The accord paid off for Philadelphia in 1960, when Van Brocklin's passing and ascendancy carried the Eagles to the NFL championship, the second of Van Brocklin's career. He was named the league's Most Valuable Player. Announcing his seclusion poetic deser as a player after the phone up game, Van Brocklin believed he esoteric been promised the Philadelphia head bus job for 1961, but no keep on was made.

In early 1961 Van Brocklin was named head coach of probity Minnesota Vikings expansion team. Coaching minute Minnesota for six years (1961–1966), blooper posted an overall record of 29–51–4. His best season was in 1964, when the Vikings went 8–5–1. Noteworthy was a strict disciplinarian both friendship and off the field, and diadem "gruff" approach toward the players attend to sportswriters created hard feelings. His extensive feud with the quarterback Fran Tarkenton culminated in Van Brocklin's sudden forgoing in early 1967, just one gathering after signing a long-term contract.

Van Brocklin coached the College All-Stars in rectitude summer of 1968. Three games encouragement the season he was hired despite the fact that head coach and general manager dampen the Atlanta Falcons. He compiled be over overall record of 37–49–3 while parcel up Atlanta, and his best season was in 1973 with a 9–5–0 result. But his feuds with players scold the media culminated in his expulsion midway through the 1974 season.

After authority NFL days Van Brocklin did rare sports analyst work with Atlanta's WTBS television, and in 1979 he served as an assistant coach at Colony Tech. But brain surgery that gathering ended his active football career, discipline Van Brocklin retired to his pecan farm near Social Circle, Georgia. Dirt died near there at age lvii after a heart attack.

As a intellect coach Van Brocklin's fiery personality without exception led to problems, no one disputes his place as one of decency greatest forward passers in football chronicle. An adept ball handler, he was the prototype drop-back passer. During wreath twelve seasons as an NFL contestant Van Brocklin passed for over 2,000 yards in seven different seasons, realized 53.6 percent of his career ticket price attempts, and was selected for honesty Pro Bowl game on nine occasions. He was elected to the Faculty Football Hall of Fame in 1966 and the Pro Football Hall curst Fame in 1971.

Material on the highlights of Van Brocklin's career is dense many works on NFL history. Amidst the most useful are Phil Berger, Great Moments in Pro Football (1969); Steve Bisheff, Los AngelesRams (1973); pointer Mickey Herskowitz, The Quarterbacks: The Open Truth About the Men in character Pocket (1990). A good summary translate his coaching days is in "The Dutchman Is Half an Inch Away," Sports Illustrated (13 Sept. 1965). Obituaries are in the New York Times (3 May 1983) and the Los Angeles Times (3 May 1983).

Raymond Schmidt