Terry Bradshaw
Remembering Roger Staubach, Terry Bradshaw and great Super Bowl QBs of the 1970s
Watching the NFL Playoffs and the remarkable quarterback play of stars like Patrick Mahomes, Brock Purdy, Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen brought back a lot of memories.
When Jackson or Allen tucked the ball under their arm and broke loose for another long run, I had flashbacks to the 1970s. When Mahomes, an improvisational maestro, repeatedly scrambled out of trouble, creating another clever way to gain yards with his legs or an improbable pass, I thought I was watching Roger Staubach or Fran Tarkenton.
When Purdy led the 49ers to dramatic comeback victories over the Packers and Lions, it brought back memories of Joe Montana in the 1980s. Purdy and his assortment of offensive stars (Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, Deebo Samuel) remind me of the dominant 49er teams featuring Montana, Jerry Rice and Roger Craig.
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As Super Bowl LVIII approaches, Purdy is looking to lead the 49ers to its sixth Super Bowl championship and first since 1995, while Mahomes has the Kansas Chiefs in the championship game for the fourth time in five years and is looking for his third Lombardi Trophy.
Winning the Super Bowl is generally about great quarterbacks, from Johnny Unitas and Bart Starr in the 1950s and ’60s to Staubach and Terry Bradshaw in the ’70s to Montana in the ’80s.
As I kid, I loved watching the quarterbacks of the 1970s. My favorite was Staubach, who took over in Dallas in 1971 and led the Cowboys to five Super Bowls, winning two (1972 and ’78).
Though they didn’t put up insane passing numbers like the gunslingers of today, quarterbacks in the ’70s were still the most important players on the field. The NFL was a running back league back then — O.J. Simpson, Walter Payton, Franco Harris, Larry Csonka, John Riggins — but it was the quarterbacks who engineered the offense, called their own plays, made the biggest impact, and willed their teams to victory.
Just as today, in the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s, quarterbacks were the most popular players in the game. From Unitas and his high-top cleats to Bart Starr’s cool name and the flashy, flamboyant, fur-coat-wearing Joe Namath, quarterbacks were cool.
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They were judged not by how many passing yards they accumulated or how many TD passes they threw, but by how far they could take their teams. The greatest QBs didn’t necessarily lead the league statistically, but they used their vast skills and leadership ability to guide their teams to the playoffs and, ultimately, the Super Bowl.
Hall of Famers like Starr, Unitas, Staubach, Bradshaw and Bob Griese were great because they led their teams to the playoffs year after year, and eventually to Super Bowl victories.
To me, Staubach was a hero and the most exciting quarterback in the league. He was the All-American boy — a Heisman Trophy winner, Navy veteran who served in Vietnam, and quarterback of “America’s Team.” He was even dubbed “Captain America.”
His style of play was captivating. “Roger The Dodger” was often among the league leaders in passing, but he could also run the ball, rushing for more than 2,200 yards in his 11-year career. He was the Patrick Mahomes of the 1970s.
I loved elusive quarterbacks like Staubach, Tarkenton, Bradshaw and the Colts’ Bert Jones in the ’70s, and Steve Young in the 1990s. They could all scramble their way out of trouble, making big plays through the air or on the ground. They paved the way for such dual threats as Mahomes, Jackson, Allen and Jalen Hurts.
Staubach guided the Cowboys to two Super Bowl victories, but Bradshaw was the big winner of the ’70s, leading the Steelers to four Super Bowl wins, including two over Staubach and the Cowboys. The biggest loser was Tarkenton, whose Vikings lost three Super Bowls in the ’70s.
By the 1980s, another group of great QBs had taken over — John Elway, Dan Marino, Dan Fouts, Warren Moon and another all-time favorite, Montana.
Montana was like all the all-time greats rolled into one.
He had the classic gunslinger name, like Bart Starr, and a cool nickname, “Joe Cool.” He was a bit like both Staubach and Bradshaw. While his peers threw for more yards, all Montana did was win, matching Bradshaw by leading the 49ers to four Super Bowl victories.
And whether it was the ’50s, ’60s or the glory days of the ’70s, winning the big one is all that matters.
— Jeff Owens is editor of SCD. You can reach him at jowens@aimmedia.com.
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Jeff Owens is the editor of SCD.
