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Revision as of 05:48, 14 March 2011

Sid Luckman
Sidluckman
Luckman in his playing days
No. 42     
Quarterback
Personal information
Date of birth: (1916-11-21)November 21, 1916
Place of birth: Brooklyn, New York
Date of death: July 5, 1998(1998-07-05) (aged 81)
Place of death: Aventura, Florida
Height: 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) Weight: 197 lb (89 kg)
Career information
College: Columbia
NFL Draft: 1939 / Round: 1 / Pick: 2
Debuted in 1939 for the Chicago Bears
Last played in 1950 for the Chicago Bears
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NFL.com
Pro Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame

Sidney Luckman, known as Sid Luckman, (November 21, 1916 – July 5, 1998) was a Jewish American football quarterback for the Chicago Bears from 1939 to 1950. During his 12 seasons with the Bears he led them to four NFL championships.

Luckman was the first modern T-formation quarterback[1] and is considered the greatest long range passer of his time.[1][2] He was named the National Football League's Most Valuable Player in 1943, and Pulitzer prize winning sports writer Ira Berkow wrote that Luckman was "the first great T-formation quarterback".[3] Following his retirement from playing, Luckman continued his association with football by tutoring college coaches, focusing on the passing aspect of the game.

Luckman was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1965,[4] and in 1988 he was declared a joint winner of the Walter Camp Distinguished American Award.[5]

Early life

Luckman was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Jewish immigrants from Germany. His father sparked his interest in American football at age eight, by giving him a football to play with.[1] He and his parents lived in a residence near Prospect Park and it was here as a youngster that Sid first started throwing the football around.[6]

He played both baseball and football for Erasmus Hall High School, with his football skills impressing recruiters from about 40 colleges.[7] Luckman chose Columbia University after meeting Lions coach Lou Little during a Columbia/Navy game at the university's Baker Field athletic facility.[8] Despite being sought after by numerous colleges, Columbia never offered Luckman a scholarship. The university did however provide him with opportunities to work so that he could pay his own way through college.

At Columbia he was a member of the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity. Sid, keen to remain in Columbia to stay close to his family, took on jobs such as dish-washing, baby-sitting, and messenger delivery around the campus.[6] At Columbia, as a part of the football team, he completed 180 of 376 passes for 2,413 yards and 20 touchdowns and finished third in the 1938 Heisman Trophy voting, behind Davey O'Brien and Marshall Goldberg.[8]

Chicago Bears

Draft

Hearing of Sid Luckman's exploits as a single-wing tailback at Columbia University, Chicago Bears owner and coach George Halas believed Luckman had the ability to become an effective T-formation quarterback, and traveled to New York to watch him play. Halas then convinced the Pittsburgh Pirates (football team) to draft Luckman second overall and then trade him to the Bears because he was interested in using Luckman's skills to help him restructure the offensive side of the game.[9] However, despite his successes at Columbia University, Luckman initially declined any further interest in pro football, instead preferring to work for his father-in-law’s trucking company.[10] Halas went to work on convincing him otherwise.[9][10] After gaining an invitation to Luckman's tiny apartment for a dinner which Luckman's wife Estelle prepared, Halas produced a contract for $5,500 ($85,700 in current dollar terms) which Luckman immediately signed.[7] At that time both at the college and pro levels, offenses were a drab scrum of running the ball with only occasional passes. In what was then the predominant single-wing formation, the quarterback was primarily a blocking back and rarely touched the ball. Most passing was done by the tailback, and then usually only on third down with long yardage to go. Halas and his coaches, primarily Clark Shaughnessy, invented a rather complex scheme building on the traditional T-formation, but needed the right quarterback to run it properly.[11]

Upon starting with Halas, Luckman mastered an offense that revolutionized football, and became the basis of most modern professional offenses.[12] Eventually, Luckman tutored college coaches across the Big Ten, Notre Dame and West Point in the intricacies of the passing game.[3]

T-formation

File:T Formation.svg

A common type of T-Formation

In 1940, during his second season with the Bears, Luckman took over the offense and led the Bears to the title game against Sammy Baugh and the Redskins. The Redskins had beaten the Bears 7–3 during the regular season. Using the "man-in-motion" innovation to great advantage, the Bears destroyed the Redskins 73–0, stated to be the most one-sided game in the history of the sport.[13] Luckman passed only six times, with four completions and 102 yards in the rout.

From 1940 to 1946 the Bears displayed their dominance in the game, playing in five NFL championship games, winning four, and posted a 54–17–3 regular season record. In 1942, the Bears posted a perfect 11–0 record and outscored their opponents 376–84, however they lost the championship game to the Redskins.[14] Although the T-formation had been used many years before Luckman joined the Chicago Bears, he was central to Chicago's successful use of this style of play because of his game-sense and versatility.[7] Perfecting Halas' complex offensive scheme of fakes, men in motion, and quick hitting runs, Luckman added the dimension of accurate downfield throwing. He was instrumental in his team's record-setting 73–0 over the Washington Redskins in the 1940 NFL championship game. Sportscaster Jimmy Cannon once said in reference to Luckman's years at Columbia, "You had to be there to realize how great Sid was."[8] Luckman later became a sought-after tutor and instructor for universities wishing to install the T-formation as an offense.[8]

Service with the Merchant Marines

In 1943, as soon as the season had ended, Luckman volunteered as an ensign with the U. S. Merchant Marine. He was stationed stateside and while he could not practice with the team, he did receive permission to play for the Bears on game days during the following seasons. He returned again to the Bears, as a full-time occupation, in 1946 and led them to a fifth NFL championship.[3]

Numbers and accomplishments

During his career, Luckman completed 51.8% of his passes for 14,686 yards and 137 touchdowns with 134 interceptions.[15] He averaged 8.4 yards per attempt,[15] second all-time only to Otto Graham (8.6). His career touchdown rate (percentage of pass attempts that result in touchdowns) of 7.9%[15] is easily the best in history.

In 1943, Luckman completed 110 of 202 passes for 2194 yards and 28 touchdowns.[15] His 13.9% touchdown rate that year is the best ever in a single-season, while his 10.9 yards per attempt is second all-time. During one game that year, Luckman threw for 443 yards and seven touchdowns, still tied for the most passing touchdowns in one game; it was also the first 400-yard passing game in NFL history. His 28 touchdown passes in 1943 (in only 10 games) was a record that lasted for many years.

Luckman led the NFL in yards per attempt an NFL record seven times, including a record five consecutive years from 1939 to 1943, and led the NFL in passing yards three times. Luckman was a five-time All-NFL selection, was named the National Football League's Most Valuable Player Award in 1943, and led the "Monsters of the Midway" to championships in 1940, 1941, 1943, and 1946. Despite the fact that his career ended in 1950, Luckman still owns most major Bears' passing records, including career yards and touchdowns.[8]

Career statistics

Passing Stats[15]
Year Team G Comp Attempts Yards Completion
% 		TD INT Passer
rating
1939 Chicago 11 23 51 636 45.1% 5 4 91.6
1940 Chicago 11 48 105 941 45.7% 4 9 54.5
1941 Chicago 11 68 119 1,181 57.1% 9 6 95.3
1942 Chicago 11 57 105 1,023 54.3% 10 13 80.1
1943 Chicago 10 110 202 2,194 54.5% 28 12 107.5
1944 Chicago 7 71 143 1,018 49.7% 11 12 63.8
1945 Chicago 10 117 217 1,727 53.9% 14 10 82.5
1946 Chicago 11 110 229 1,826 48% 17 16 71.0
1947 Chicago 12 176 323 2,712 54.5% 24 31 67.7
1948 Chicago 12 89 163 1,047 54.6% 13 14 65.1
1949 Chicago 11 22 50 200 44% 1 3 37.1
1950 Chicago 11 13 37 180 35.1% 1 2 38.1
Totals 128 904 1,744 14,685 51.8% 137 132 75.0

Later years

Following his professional football career, Luckman headed a Chicago cellophane company named Cellu-Craft Products,[1] which was a part of the Rapid American Corporation of which he also obtained shares.[16] In relation to those shares and the dividends paid, Sid and his wife Estelle in 1969 appealed the finding of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue in relation to tax issues.[16]

Luckman underwent a triple heart bypass operation in 1982.[17] He died at the age of 81[7] on July 5, 1998, in Aventura, Florida. His wife, Estelle Morgolin, died of cancer in 1981.[17] He is survived by a son, Bob, and two daughters, Gale and Ellen.[7][17]

List of honors

  1. Joe F. Carr Trophy – National Football League Most Valuable Player in 1943.
  2. College Football Hall of Fame in 1960
  3. Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1965.
  4. Walter Camp Distinguished American of the Year Award in 1988.
  5. Columbia University Football Hall of Fame in 2006.[10]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Sid Luckman – A great leader and football brain, p. 189. Great Jews in Sports. June 6, 2004. http://books.google.com.au/books?id=GWE_lEPfHpIC&pg=PA189&lpg=PA189&dq=sid+luckman&source=web&ots=LIEm47xVba&sig=7QxgemgYBlpA41J5I371hZ8hrLE&hl=en. Retrieved June 6, 2008.
  2. ↑ "Luckman, Sid". jewsinsports.org. http://www.jewsinsports.org/profile.asp?sport=football&ID=11. Retrieved June 6, 2008.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Sid Luckman, Legendary Quarterback". The American Jewish Historical Society. http://www.ajhs.org/scholarship/chapters/chapter.cfm?documentID=301. Retrieved June 6, 2008.
  4. ↑ "Sid Luckman". NFL Internet Network. http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.jsp?player_id=135. Retrieved June 6, 2008.
  5. ↑ "Walter Camp Football Foundation Awards". Walter Camp Football Foundation Awards Inc.. http://waltercamp.org/index.php/teams_and_awards/awards/P100/. Retrieved June 6, 2008.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Jews in American Sports, page 264". jewsinsports.org. http://www.jewsinsports.org/Publication.asp?titleID=3&current_page=264. Retrieved June 6, 2008.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Wallace, William N. (July 6, 1998). "Sid Luckman, Star for the Bears, Dies at 81". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D07E2D8123EF935A35754C0A96E958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all. Retrieved June 6, 2008.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 "C250 celebrates Columbians ahead of their time". Columbia University. http://c250.columbia.edu/c250_celebrates/remarkable_columbians/sid_luckman.html. Retrieved June 6, 2008.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Slater, Robert, 2003, p. 189.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 "Sid Luckman". GoColumbians.com. http://www.gocolumbialions.com/ViewArticle.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=9600&ATCLID=530125. Retrieved June 6, 2008.
  11. ↑ Slater, Robert, 2003, p. 189–190.
  12. ↑ Slater, Robert, 2003, p. 190.
  13. ↑ "Luckman, Sid, p. 274". jewsinsports.org. http://www.jewsinsports.org/Publication.asp?titleID=3&current_page=274. Retrieved August 19, 2008.
  14. ↑ The Bears were denied perfect seasons on two accounts. The first one was in the 1934 when the 13–0 club lost to the New York Giants in the Championship game. The second occurrence happened in 1942 when the 11–0 club was denied perfection and a "three-peat" by the Washington Redskins. See Chicago Bears seasons for full list
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 "Sid Luckman". Pro-Football-Reference.com. http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/L/LuckSi00.htm. Retrieved August 20, 2008.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 "Seventh Circuit – Sid Luckman and Estelle Luckman, Petitioners-Appellants v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue, Respondent-Appellee.". VLEX. http://vlex.com/vid/36739060#fn5_ref. Retrieved June 9, 2008.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 "Sid Luckman". Notable Names Database. http://www.nndb.com/people/889/000166391/. Retrieved June 8, 2008.

External links

Preceded by
Bernard Masterson 		Chicago Bears Starting Quarterbacks
1940–1948 		Succeeded by
Johnny Lujack
Preceded by
Don Hutson 		NFL Most Valuable Player
1943 season 		Succeeded by
Frank Sinkwich


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