While I mentioned his 6 td passes against the Browns in '65, I did not mention the game you noted, as I should have. Unfortunately, week 7 of the 1969 season is the only week of the year for which I have no video. I would have relished publishing footage from that week.
Blaine Nye, offensive guard for the Dallas Cowboys, may have been the smartest NFL offensive lineman. Nye was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the fifth round (130th overall) of the 1968 NFL/AFL draft. During the offseasons, he earned a M.S. in physics from the University of Washington in Seattle in 1970, and an M.B.A. from Stanford University in 1974. After retiring from football in 1976, he earned a Ph.D. in finance from Stanford in 1981.
Charlie was smart, tough and had guts. In Denver we loved him. I remember the enormous shoulder pad he wore in Houston. I had the treat of watching him on a Monday Night tie game with the Oakland Raiders....the stands were nuts. Thanks brother, you're appreciated.
@@markgardner9460the orange crush defense of the 70s was also overlooked and underrated mainly due to Pittsburgh's steel curtain defense and the Raiders Defense
@@robbiesdad1 As kid, watching Tom Landry's Dallas Cowboys, I watched players like Bob Lilly's caliber to those of Tony Dorsett who perfected the slide to avoid the tackle or better said, the impact. I never saw him give the extra inch for the team. He chose the easy route. I thought to myself the game had changed. At least the Cowboys of Roger Staubach was crumbling.
@@docnoc66 , RYAN and JOHNSON are both old TEXAS high school QBs. RYAN from FORT WORTH(PASCHAL HIGH.. college= RICE in Houston), and of course, CHARLIE from BIG SPRING(played college ball outside of TEXAS) In the 1950’s&’60’s, the NFL and AFL(‘60’s) had 26 teams. Here are the TEXAS QBs, many of them in the era coming out of the old single wing back in high school and college, who played back then: BOBBY LAYNE(HIGHLAND PARK/DALLAS.. in college= UT Austin), KING HILL(BRAZOSPORT in Freeport.. RICE(HOU., TX.)), TOBIN ROTE(HARLANDALE in San Antonio.. RICE), DON MEREDITH(MT. VERNON.. SMU), Y.A. TITTLE(MARSHALL HIGH.. college was outside of TX.), SONNY GIBBS(GRAHAM.. TCU), MIKE LIVINGSTON(SOUTH OAK CLIFF/DALLAS.. SMU), and COTTON DAVIDSON( GATESVILLE.. BAYLOR in Waco).. just off the top of my head.
I was not sure if he was still alive. Glad to know that Charley Johnson is still with us and I hope that he has enjoyed life as a senior citizen and is in good health and good spirits.
Charlie J. taught PETROCHEM. at NEW MEXICO ST. for over 40 schoolyears. His BRONCOS jersey and memorabilia are in both the COLORADO and TEXAS SPORTS HALLS OF FAME. CJ was originally from BIG SPRING, TX. in the non-panhandle part of WEST TEXAS. That is also RYAN TANNEHILL’s hometown.
Big Spring isn't very large in terms of population now, so I'm sure that it was less when Charley grew up there. That's interesting that Tannehill grew up there, too.
I was just 10 years old, growing up in Saint Louis, Go Big RED, when he was QB. I still like the Cardinals Uniform, with Cardinal on the side of the helmet.
@@rcl1955ca, The poster @rcl.. never said that FLOYD L. played for the CARDS, unless he went back and deleted it by the time that I had seen it. LITTLE was strictly BRONCS all the way. He saved the franchise’s location for DENVER. Otherwise, they were off to BIRMINGHAM or some town like that. LITTLE actually went out and sold tickets in the community and as an ambassador saved them as A ROCKY MOUNTAIN franchise. R.I.P. MR. LITTLE.. HOF’er all the way.
I don't think that Denver had any offensive lineman make a Pro Bowl during his career. He had some shaky Quarterbacking to deal with most of the time, too, so the numbers that he put up should take special significance.
Chemical engineer. NMSU my Alma Mater. He was a hell of a QB also. Taught by Sammy Baugh. Tom Jackson gave Charlie the credit for teaching the Broncos how to practice and play like a champion.
In the early 2000's, he became the department head of Chemical & Materials Engineering there. After retirement from football, he became an engineering consultant, a consultant for a natural gas compressor company, then started his own company in 1981. I didn't know that about Baugh - great stuff!!!
@@markgardner9460, both CHARLIE AND SAMMY were from WEST TEXAS= SAMMY was from ROTAN in the BIG COUNTRY, and CHARLIE from BIG SPRING(same hometown as RYAN TANNEHILL) in the eastern Permian Basin.
Very much appreciate your Charlie Johnson chronicle. Although I am a Somnny Jergason fan, watching your chronicle of Charlie Johnson says to me that Charlie was a very under rated QB.
I remember Dr. Charlie. I remember announcer Charlie Jones telling the whole world on NBC. I was very impressed. Because when I was a kid. People would call football players dumb jocks.
Stunning, the accomplishments of this guy. Especially ones achieved while at the same time playing quarterback in the NFL. Determined, courageous and confident. His love of life is contagious. Great video Mark! Thank you for this.
Gilliam, then a rookie, is the first player to ever score a regular season TDOWN wearing a NEW ORLEANS SAINTS uniform. Just as JOE AUER did the season before for the brand new AFL MIAMI DOLPHINS, GILLIAM in 1967 on the very first SAINTS reg. season game’s opening kickoff.. returned it all the way for a TOUCHDOWN! The Saints lost the game to the LA RAMS= 27-13. As for AUER and the FINS, just like NAWLINS, they lost their premier game at home. The score in the FINS case was 23-14, falling in the contest to the OAKLAND RAIDERS. Meanwhile, Gilliam was originally a second round pick of the SAINTS(52nd. OVERALL) in a draft that for the first time featured both NFL AND AFL teams having a common selections process. Four of the top eight picks, including 3 of the top 5, were from.. MICHIGAN STATE with that school having seven picks in that 17 rounds, 445 picks draft.
Let me correct one thing. Johnson did a doctorate. That is unlike any other college degree. He didn't earn it by "taking classes" as the video implies. Yes, there were courses to take. But the real challenge was conducting substantive research that made an original contribution to his field, advancing theory (and, thus, knowledge). Doing the research probably involved empirical research, where he did original experiments to test new ideas. Then he had to write that up in hundreds of pages of text, charts, graphs, etc. Then all of that had to pass a committee's review with him present to answer for his research. And he did all of this while competing as a professional athlete at the highest level and being a husband and father. (And balancing substantial military commitments as well.) This wasn't about going to night school to get a degree. This was about becoming an academic and joining the ranks of the pinnacle of his (non-football) profession. This video (rightly) focuses on Johnson's football career. But doing a PhD while being an NFL QB is just amazing. Even Dr Shaquille O'Neal (Doctor of Education, Barry University) didn't wrap up his research and degree until one year after he'd retired. The only other example I can think of is Mike Marshall, who earned both a PhD and a Cy Young award at the same time. My favorite QB of all time was Fran Tarkenton. Small, scrappy, highly accomplished anyway. But I think I have a new one in Charley Johnson!
Thank you very much for your contribution! It is greatly appreciated and it adds to the degree of challenges to which Charley endeared. My favorite QB is Fran - growing up in MN in the '70's as a kid, he was The Man.
I love it. 1973 was the year I first remember football. Broncos fan ever since. It’s great seeing all of my favorite players from back then. Little, Moses, Odoms, Armstrong, Van.Heusen, Dawkins, etc. great memories. Charley was a good QB.
I'm glad you liked the video. When I first started watching football, Joe Dawkins was my favorite Running Back. That would soon change to Chuck Foreman, but Joe was #1.
In 1969 my cousin Cindy lived and went to school in St. Louis. To earn a little money by babysitting the Johnson kids. At that time I was in Casual Company at Quantico. I had been an art major for a couple of years but had dropped out of school to join the Marine Corps. My cousin sent me pictures of the Johnson kids and drew their portraits. Got a nice letter of thank you from the Johnsons. I’ve always wondered what happened to the portraits. 😃😃😃😃
Charlie Johnson definitely would make my "All Smart Team". He would be backed up by Frank Ryan, Pat Haden, and Sid Luckman. They would be handing the ball off to Ed Marinaro, Byron "Whizzer" White, and Calvin Hill of course. I would like my defense anchored by Gary Fencik, Chuck Bednarik, and Alan Page, with Pat McInally handling the punting. As a side note, I saw Terry Bradshaw perform his show in Branson Missouri one time and I have to say I believe he was unfairly characterized as unintelligent. He was engaging, witty, articulate, and despite Hollywood Henderson's claim, there is no way you'd have to spot him any letters to spell "cat". Oh, and how is John Gilliam NOT a Hall of Famer. Big omission. Great video.
I like your "All Smart Team". I like Willie Lanier at MLB and as a back-up QB I'll take Brian Dowling, most notably of Patriots "fame". To me, the HOF should not be just about stats. Gilliam was as good of a deep threat as almost any receiver who has ever played. He put up excellent numbers, albeit for not a long timeframe.
@@markgardner9460, and add JEAN FUGETT(CEO and multi-millionaire at one time at the BEATRICE CORP.) AT TIGHT END, CALVIN HILL(Yalie) at RUNNING BACK, GENE UPSHAW( NFL PLAYERS ASSN. DIRECTOR)on the o-line, ALAN PAGE on the d-line(MINNESOTA State Supreme Court Justice), and WILLIE DAVIS(BROADCASTING STUDIOS, and STATIONS CHIEF ADMINISTRATOR) at d-end. And, there are many, many more.. JOHN ELWAY, BRONCS QBACK was an ECONOMICS MAJOR AT STANFORD.
The Broncs wld have been a great team for Air Coryell w/ Rick Upchurch, Haven Moses, Jack Dolbin, Riley Odoms, Otis Armstrong, Rob Lytle and Craig Morton.
Born on S. Halstead 3 blocks south & west of Cominsky Park! A Cardinal fan until they left the Southside! Still follow them! Back in the day they beat the Bears on a regular basis! I remember Charlie & Jim the Cardinals had a Good Team in the 70's! Chicago Original Football Team owned by two Irish Brothers back in the 1890's! Love these videos! When Football was Football and not 3 hours of game show? I mean entertainment! CMTFU!
Oldest franchise in the NFL.. Established 1898, first as an athletic club’s team not playing in any sort of organized(or back then HALFWAY-ORGANIZED) league. The Cardinal color of the old faded, hand-washed U. Of CHICAGO MAROONS’ used maroon jerseys was where the CARDINAL(s) nickname came from. Founded as the MORGAN(for the street in CHICAGO it was founded on)ATHLETIC CLUB in CHITOWN. They’ve failed to operate in only eight seasons(1906-1913). They are also along with the NFL’s current CHICAGO TEAM, the only two franchises from the APFA(AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL ASSN.=original name of the NFL for two seasons)to still be operating. Under the NFL banner, they are one of three still going, with the GREEN BAY franchise, the third oldest one. Finally, from year one of the NFL, they are the only NFL team to keep the same nickname. The CHIBEARS were originally in Decatur, IL., and later in Chicago were nicknamed as they were in their first location, the STALEYS(after their original primary owner STALEY the man who began the STALEY STARCH[for wrinkle-free clothing treatment]company). After GEORGE HALAS the player-owner bought out STALEY, he changed the name to the CHICAGO BEARS. Yep..
Oldest franchise in the NFL.. Established 1898, first as an athletic club’s team not playing in any sort of organized(or back then HALFWAY-ORGANIZED) league. The Cardinal color of the old faded, hand-washed U. Of CHICAGO MAROONS’ used maroon jerseys was where the CARDINAL(s) nickname came from. Founded as the MORGAN ATHLETIC CLUB in CHITOWN. They’ve failed to operate in only eight seasons(1906-1913). They are also along with the NFL’s current CHICAGO TEAM, the only two franchises from the APFA(AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL ASSN.=original name of the NFL for two seasons)to still be operating. Under the NFL banner, they are one of three still going, with the GREEN BAY franchise, the third oldest one. Finally, from year one of the NFL, they are the only NFL team to keep the same nickname. The CHIBEARS were originally in Decatur, IL., and later in Chicago were nicknamed as they were in their first location, the STALEYS(after their original primary owner STALEY the man who began the STALEY STARCH[for wrinkle-free clothing treatment]company. After GEORGE HALAS the player-owner bought out STALEY, he changed the name to the CHICAGO BEARS. Yep..
Wow, I did not know all that stuff about Johnson's academics. Those Oiler teams he played for were VERY bad ! I was just starting to get into football in the early 1970's and it seemed the Oilers, Pats and Saints were ALWAYS horrible !
@@markgardner9460 Oh yeah, I forgot how bad those Giants teams were. So were the Bills and Chargers. I remember it well in 1970 the 3rd year Bengals needed to win their last 7 to make the Playoffs...they had the Pats, Oilers, Saints, Bills and Chargers in there they not only won their last 7 but in the finale CRUSHED the Pats something like 45 - 10. Of course the next week they got shutout by the eventual SB Champs Baltimore 16 - 0.
The Packers and Bears didn't have too much to shout about in the '70's either. Each had one division title and were promptly crushed in the first round of the playoffs.
His best season was 1964. He had up to 8 games of passing over 300 yards. He was quite the gun slinger. How good was John Gilliam. When we lived in the Twin-Cities, we wanted to see those Fran to Gilliam Bombs. He was also quite kick returner.
To me, Gilliam was as good as any of his Hall of Fame peers at Wide Receiver. To make induction, everything needs to fall into place just so. If he has Fran as his QB for the majority of his career, then I think he makes the Hall of Fame.
@@markgardner9460 On the surface some point his numbers lowering after his thousand + yard 1972 season. But it wasn't due to any eroding skills. It was because Chuck Foreman took over some of that production. Taking likely half of Gilliam's touches. Also factor in an underrated Stu Voigt began to emerge as a reliable target for Fran.
I’m a lifelong Oiler fan and I have an interesting bit of trivia about the genius of Charlie Johnson. He maintained his NASA connections you mentioned, throughout his academic career. When the space shuttles began losing tiles, NASA contacted Johnson who developed a replacement adhesive that worked! I think that’s actually a greater accomplishment than his football career.
Good choice. My immediate thought had been "Frank Ryan", with Roger Staubach getting an honorable mention. But you built a good case for Johnson. Some nice video in there.
@@markgardner9460 I feel the same way. However, Bradshaw did say he learned how to throw the ball differently in those icy cold weather games that Pitt. played in so often. Flatter and deeper into his palm. Perhaps Archie wouldn't have been able to make the adjustment.
Loved Charlie. The Cardinals brought in Bobby Layne to teach Charlie how to execute fakes. One time in 1972, playing against The Raiders Charlie faked the camera man out along with the Raiders and threw a touchdown. He had the ball behind his back. No one saw it.
Yeah , thks , always liked Charley Johnson , back then as you can guess not the overkill we have now . 3 channels and Sports Illus. SI's tex maule was cardinal and cowboy expert ? Anyway No.12 shure took a beating more with the Oilers than Cards in my view .Seems like Dan Pastorini broke his leg and Charley his collarbone . But thats when it was FOOTBALL .
Heckuva play by Broncos TE Riley Odoms (88) taking a pass from Charlie Johnson (12) and fighting off 5 or 6 defenders to get across the goal line at 16:56. Once again, Charlie Johnson (12) bringing his A game vs the Browns. All Browns fans from that era remember him very well.
New appreciation for Charlie Johnson - he could sling the football and placed it right there for his great receivers; Sonny Randle, Bobby Joe Conrad, Dave Williams, Jackie Smith, John Gilliam, Haven Moses, amongst others, I think Alvin Reed was in one clip.
Alvin Reed appeared to be a TALL Tight End - I looked him up and he's 6'5" tall. He made for an inviting target. Bobby Joe Conrad and Sonny Randle are players that have gotten overlooked as time marches on. In '60, Randle had 15 td's on only 62 catches during that 12 game season - remarkable year for him.
@@markgardner9460 I remember Sonny Randle because my first football 🏈 was a leather Sonny Randle model, but he played before I got hooked on NFL football while I was in sixth grade. Those Cardinals had quite a stable of offensive players back then, including the RBs. But Larry Wilson (8) is probably the most renowned Cardinal from that era, and rightfully is a HOFer.
Very interesting subject! I can only think of one modern day QB. Josh Dobbs who was an aerospace engineering major at Tennessee. I heard he had a 4.0 GPA. Don’t know if he did any post graduate work as of yet, but that sounds impressive. Hard to argue what Charley accomplished. I recall him at the very tail end of his career with Denver. These folks are on a different level in many ways as human beings. When I was in college, I just hoped my tuition check wouldn’t bounce and I might have enough left for a case of beer. Great video Mark!
Thank you for your comments, Evan. You're spot on about how guys like Charley are on an entirely different level - they're scary smart. I didn't know that about Dobbs either - good stuff.
outstanding video. impressive career on and off the field. a little surprised he didn't end up coaching, but if you commit to get a Phd in engineering field then you must love that field of study. also, too bad his body didn't hang on for the Orange Crush season.
He threw 30 interceptions the year before, so that is exactly a 40% decrease which I deem as a marked improvement. Today's game is played ultra-conservatively compared to Charley's era. A 3rd and 10 situation was met with a pass that usually traveled at least 10 yards in his era. Today, if a receiver is not open, the QB will check it down and take a 5 yard gain in order to totally eliminate the chance of an interception. His completion percentage doesn't suffer and the Offensive Coordinator and television commentators call it a smart play when in fact the offense is turning the ball over via punt on a 4th and 5.
Intelligence does not make a quarterback a winner, and so I say what really makes a smart quarterback is one who wins the games he is supposed to win. And so I propose the smartest quarterback of all time is Bart Star of the Green Bay Packers! He only lost his first championsip bout after that, he won all his other games!
Very nice that you will spend an entire video in a platter who was born a known name for any. A lot of interesting guys who would nor famous made the league what it was and is. Ander it is nice for guys like is who grew up in St. Louis, Houston, and Denver tot see one of the players they cheered as a kid, bring covered with sich detail. You are now of the best in UA-cam. See you next time
@@DennisHurst-f2q I agree. Dr.J. was cool and he got his nickname because people felt good when they watched him. Charley was cool in a different way but he definitely wasn't a huge superstar. The first team I watched was the Broncos when he was QB. They didn't win a lot of games but I considered them to be lovable losers because that's all we had in Colorado pro sports.They also had some great players such as Floyd Little (HOF) and Heavenly Haven Moses.
QB Ryan Fitzpatrick is the NFL's smartest player of all time. Graduate of Harvard is the only player to score a perfect score on the wonderlik test. IQ measured at 155 and is rated in the top 1% in IQ.
Charley Johnson was a good QB on some bad teams. St Louis never had a defense to compliment the offense. The Oilers were just bad and Denver was so so. Some how, he always had big days against the Browns during their hey day.
Hey mang, another fun vid, thanks. I have Charley's last 3 or 4 cards, my first Topps set being 1973. I didn't know about his academic accomplishments. I loved Jim Hart. Ricky Upchurch too! Thanks again.
Johnson definitely had a lot on his plate!He was a good if not great quarterback 170 TD 181 int It seemed odd seeing Gene Washington in a Bronco uniform!
My research did not disclose the reason as to why he was unfit for combat. He had 5 arm and leg surgeries prior to the start of the 1972 season, so perhaps some of those occurred prior to determining his fitness level.
My vote for the smartest QB in the NFL goes to Eddie LeBaron. While he was quarterback for the Redskins, he attended night classes at George Washington University Law School, was 1st in his class, and obtained his law degree. He was a highly successful attorney, and for five years was General Manager of the Atlanta Falcons.
Oh man, what a GREAT video. Thank you. I watch a lot of old-school NFL highlight films, and a few months ago I was studying those mid-60s Cardinals. Fascinating team. Put up some numbers, had some really good players, but weren't able to break through. Noticed that #12. Then saw him pop up in Houston and then in Denver. I was like, Hhmmm, what's up with that dude? He looked pretty good. So thank you for this video. Love the deep dives on relatively obscure players from the past. A lot of them lived pretty interesting lives, Johnson being no exception. Tremendous job! Think this is one of your best. Do one on Bill Bergey or Wilbert Montgomery one day, please. ;-)
Thank you! Yes, I plan on producing videos of those two players, as Bergey is my favorite MLB of all-time and Montgomery is one of the most overlooked quality RB's of modern times. I'm glad that you brought up the interesting lives that some of these players enjoyed. I also love highlighting the "long shot" players who had to really pay their dues. There is one such player who will be prominently featured in my next video. I hope you enjoy it!
By stating that he was juggling numerous, time-consuming, and intellectually challenging tasks while being a starting Quarterback for nearly all of his 15 year NFL career, it was intended that the viewer would conclude that he was an incredibly smart one.
Let me tell you something, if you had a 4.0 GPA in Chem Engineering, you are really smart no matter the school. Johnson also had those graduate degrees, and hung around long enough to throw a deep ball to Rick Upchurch. Saw Upchurch with the Gophers - fast, fast, really fast on kick returns.
My Dad was very mad that the Vikings didn't draft Upchurch. They drafted 240 pound RB Champ Henson out of Ohio State in the 4th round ahead of Upchurch. Henson didn't make the Vikings squad.
Almost everything out there is designed to create intrugue. It's not so bad. People watch this video and they end up enjoying it. I see no sin in that.
I don't understand, this video says he went from undergrad ROTC to working on his doctorate which took 5 years going part time but then says he earned a Masters in Chem Engineering. So which is it, did he earn a Doctorate in Chem Engineering going part time in only 5 years (unheard of), or did he earn his Masters in Chem Engineering by going part time for 5 years (fairly typical)? (a Ph.D. Aerospace Engineer who works for a large American defense contractor.
Great information that I wasn't really aware of. As usual your game footage is amazing. I've always heard Terry Hanratty was a really smart guy as well.
Thank you. Unfortunately Hanratty's intellect didn't transfer too well onto the playing field, as he only had a career QB rating of 43. He's a 2X Super Bowl champion though, who took the last four offensive snaps in Super Bowl X.
@markgardner9460 yes; Hanratty's moment in the spotlight, courtesy of the Cowboys ' Cliff Harris and Larry Cole, who delivered the knockout blow to Terry Bradshaw on his classic 64-yd TD pass to Lynn Swann.
You apologized to genius , Frank Ryan , but didn't give any explanation why Charley Johnson was smarter than him . I'd like to know what criteria you used to name him above Ryan . Ryan won the World Championship under Browns head coach Great footage , but your claim seems totally arbitrary .
I told the story of him playing NFL football, studying for his Doctorate, etc and conducting a morning radio sports show simultaneously. It was to be inferred that his uncanny ability to juggle these time-sensitive and labor-intensive tasks is what set him apart from Ryan.
@@markgardner9460 You need to go back and check Frank Ryan's academic accomplishments and schedule on Wikipedia . If it would serve any useful purpose , I will list them . Not that it's important , but Ryan was my neighbor when I was a kid in Northern Va in the 1970's after he retired from the Redskins / NFL ...
Unbelievably, I never realized Charlie was the same QB who played so well for the Cardinals in the mid sixties as the Broncos QB in the seventies. I was a kid when he started and I was deep into college when he finally hung up his cleats. QBs did throw a lot more interceptions back in his day.
Yes, they threw more interceptions because they "went for it" at the end of a half or at the end of a game; they didn't play conservatively like they do now. Also, QB's were far less apt to check down on 3rd downs which resulted in higher risk passes and subsequently more interceptions.
And the rules were different. A QB was at risk when holding on to the ball. You had to read and sling back then. There weren't many illegal hits or unsportsmanlike plays back then. QBs had a good back to give it to and a lot of guts and toughness.@@markgardner9460
Thank you - I took no offense. When I read about him being unfit for duty, it reminded me of Joe DiMaggio being stationed in Honolulu laying on the beach, drinking beer, and working on his tan during WWII. To his credit, he asked to be deployed in order to engage in military action, but the powers that be were having no consideration to that whatsoever.
I might vote for Ryan Fitzpatrick, no because he was an ivy leaguer, but employing himself as essentially a Hired gun, tiny short contracts that allowed him to move on to other teams when they were most desperate, seems to me an ingenious strategy to maximize one's earning potential....
I appreciate your take. With multi-year contracts, however, the up-front bonuses are huge - much larger than a one year contract. So, the player with the larger up-front bonus money utilizes the time value of money investing approach more aggressively and thusly makes more interest income.
That makes sense to me. I recall Frank Gifford stating that Charley's knees were in very bad shape during a 1973 Monday Night Football telecast versus the Raiders, so perhaps the conditions of his knees was the reason.
I remember as a kid going to elementary school in Spring Texas he came out to our school when he was playing for the Houston Oilers. He was with Billy Cannon.
John Gilliam is not in the Hall of Fame. Warfield was on three NFL Title teams and that seems to have weighed heavily on his induction into the Hall of Fame.
Earl Morrall, I presume. I have not read or heard of him havibg a high intellegience quotient. An April 25, 2014 nfl.com article about his death starts "The NFL lost it's version of Forrest Gump when Earl Morrall passed away Friday at age 79."
I'm sure this will be a very odd question for SportsStatsNGab, but what's the name of the instrumental used for Johnson at 4:21??? I ask cause I'm a musician and it has a catchy groove to it--one I wouldn't mind using.
Pat Haden of the Rams was also a Rhodes Scholar. The main reason that I selected Charlie was his ability to disseminate large volumes of information among a variety of topics. Thank you for bringing up Pennington.
While the pay was still better than the common man's pay, it wasn't astronomical.........certainly not enough to retire on after football, in most cases. Guys like Charley should be considered an inspiration to those who may only play a small handful of professional seasons.
I had no idea that Jim Hart was undrafted. I always assumed he was a high pic coming out of college. Maybe my memories of the exhibition game footage in the movie Paper Lion gave me the idea that he was a top NFL prospect. It's been a while since I've seen it, but I think in Paper Lion Hart is show as a hot shot rookie carving up the Lions defense.
He was a Rhodes Scholar, but I did not choose him because he did not conduct his studies simultaneously with the WFL's Southern California Sun. He took time away from the time in which to do so.
Neither am I.....not by a long shot! It's fine to have the smarts when playing pro ball, but ya also need the physical skills along with it in order to make it happen. Charley definitely had both.
Frank Ryan (1936 - 2024) QB for the Browns the last time they won it all had a PhD in math. They asked of Ryan: How smart is too smart? Charley Johnson would obtain a PhD in chemical engineering. As a physics professor and one time minor league pitcher (I threw a football 83 yards while working out with the Miami Hurricanes in 1988 before Jimmy Johnson saw me at the other end of the field) I taught both advanced math and physical chemistry to chemical engineering students. The best of both academic worlds. BTW that was several years before Johnson (i.e., Jimmy) would say, "How about them Cowboys!"
The Cardinals belong back in St. Louis and Arizona needs an expansion team.
They played in st louis 27 years and have been in AZ 36 years so shhh
John Gilliam catching touchdowns all over the place. Very underrated player.
He was one of only 3 players in history to catch 40 or more passes and average 20 yards per catch 3 seasons in a row.
totally forgot how good he was
@@johnm8096 I agree did he not also play for Vikings later he was a great player
Played 4 years for the Vikes and made the Pro Bowl every year.
@@markgardner9460 no wonder why I thought he was a great player thanks 👍
Forgive me if I missed it - but I don't think you mentioned the 1969 Cardinals-Saints game where he and Billy Kilmer each threw 6 touchdown passes.
While I mentioned his 6 td passes against the Browns in '65, I did not mention the game you noted, as I should have. Unfortunately, week 7 of the 1969 season is the only week of the year for which I have no video. I would have relished publishing footage from that week.
Blaine Nye, offensive guard for the Dallas Cowboys, may have been the smartest NFL offensive lineman. Nye was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the fifth round (130th overall) of the 1968 NFL/AFL draft. During the offseasons, he earned a M.S. in physics from the University of Washington in Seattle in 1970, and an M.B.A. from Stanford University in 1974. After retiring from football in 1976, he earned a Ph.D. in finance from Stanford in 1981.
Right on. Blaine was super smart for sure. Thank you for bringing him up!
He also had a great line after Clint Longley beat Washington, "The triiumph of the uncluttered mind."
Charlie was smart, tough and had guts. In Denver we loved him. I remember the enormous shoulder pad he wore in Houston. I had the treat of watching him on a Monday Night tie game with the Oakland Raiders....the stands were nuts. Thanks brother, you're appreciated.
@@jammininthepast I remember that !!
Thanks for sharing! I think Charley was a terrific competitor.
haven moses was a terrific player
I agree! He gets overlooked in the AFC due to Warfield, Swann, Stallworth, Branch and others. The AFC was loaded with deep threats in the '70's.
@@markgardner9460the orange crush defense of the 70s was also overlooked and underrated mainly due to Pittsburgh's steel curtain defense and the Raiders Defense
Man i miss the old nfl
@@robbiesdad1 As kid, watching Tom Landry's Dallas Cowboys, I watched players like Bob Lilly's caliber to those of Tony Dorsett who perfected the slide to avoid the tackle or better said, the impact. I never saw him give the extra inch for the team. He chose the easy route. I thought to myself the game had changed. At least the Cowboys of Roger Staubach was crumbling.
Excellent episode! Brought back 70s memories of getting the Broncos game as the late game each Sunday. Well done sir! 👍🏈
Thank you! I'm glad that you enjoyed it a nd thanks for commenting!
I luved him - he was a genius like Frank Ryan… wearing a Fouts Jersey for this one….Wally Lemm was his coach in 63…and 70 with oilers
Right on! I'm thinking of doing a Fouts video and my 25th anniversary jersey will be a part of that presentation.
@@docnoc66 , RYAN and JOHNSON are both old TEXAS high school QBs.
RYAN from FORT WORTH(PASCHAL HIGH.. college= RICE in Houston), and of course, CHARLIE from BIG SPRING(played college ball outside of TEXAS)
In the 1950’s&’60’s, the NFL and AFL(‘60’s) had 26 teams.
Here are the TEXAS QBs, many of them in the era coming out of the old single wing back in high school and college, who played back then:
BOBBY LAYNE(HIGHLAND PARK/DALLAS.. in college= UT Austin), KING HILL(BRAZOSPORT in Freeport.. RICE(HOU., TX.)), TOBIN ROTE(HARLANDALE in San Antonio.. RICE), DON MEREDITH(MT. VERNON.. SMU),
Y.A. TITTLE(MARSHALL HIGH.. college was outside of TX.), SONNY GIBBS(GRAHAM.. TCU), MIKE LIVINGSTON(SOUTH OAK CLIFF/DALLAS.. SMU), and COTTON DAVIDSON( GATESVILLE.. BAYLOR in Waco).. just off the top of my head.
Love the old Oilers unis
A lot of viewers throughout the history of this channel agree with you, as there have been quite a few similar comments.
Charley Johnson lived a truly remarkable life.
He's still kicking too
He's an inspiration as to what can be accomplished with determination.
I was not sure if he was still alive. Glad to know that Charley Johnson is still with us and I hope that he has enjoyed life as a senior citizen and is in good health and good spirits.
Charlie J. taught PETROCHEM. at NEW MEXICO ST. for over 40 schoolyears. His BRONCOS jersey and memorabilia are in both the COLORADO and TEXAS SPORTS HALLS OF FAME.
CJ was originally from BIG SPRING, TX. in the non-panhandle part of WEST TEXAS.
That is also RYAN TANNEHILL’s hometown.
Big Spring isn't very large in terms of population now, so I'm sure that it was less when Charley grew up there. That's interesting that Tannehill grew up there, too.
I was just 10 years old, growing up in Saint Louis, Go Big RED, when he was QB. I still like the Cardinals Uniform, with Cardinal on the side of the helmet.
They've clipped the end of the Cardinals head feathers now The original was A+
That was one mean looking bird on the helmets. It was my favorite emblem in the NFL.
Saw Floyd Little in there. You can't appreciate the old NFL films unless you saw it back then. Even the music is one of a kind.
Little never played for the Cardinals, he was a lifelong Bronco.
Little and Johnson played together with the Broncos from '72 - '75.
@@rcl1955ca, The poster @rcl.. never said that FLOYD L. played for the CARDS, unless he went back and deleted it by the time that I had seen it.
LITTLE was strictly BRONCS all the way.
He saved the franchise’s location for DENVER.
Otherwise, they were off to BIRMINGHAM or some town like that.
LITTLE actually went out and sold tickets in the community and as an ambassador saved them as A ROCKY MOUNTAIN franchise.
R.I.P. MR. LITTLE.. HOF’er all the way.
I don't think that Denver had any offensive lineman make a Pro Bowl during his career. He had some shaky Quarterbacking to deal with most of the time, too, so the numbers that he put up should take special significance.
Chemical engineer. NMSU my Alma Mater. He was a hell of a QB also. Taught by Sammy Baugh. Tom Jackson gave Charlie the credit for teaching the Broncos how to practice and play like a champion.
In the early 2000's, he became the department head of Chemical & Materials Engineering there. After retirement from football, he became an engineering consultant, a consultant for a natural gas compressor company, then started his own company in 1981. I didn't know that about Baugh - great stuff!!!
@@markgardner9460a perfect example of how a man should live their lives. Another great video. Thank you
Indeed. He accomplished a lot with what was bestowed on him and he cultivated those talents. Too many squander their talents.
@@Boomhower89 👍❤️😎
@@markgardner9460, both CHARLIE AND SAMMY were from WEST TEXAS= SAMMY was from ROTAN in the BIG COUNTRY, and CHARLIE from BIG SPRING(same hometown as RYAN TANNEHILL) in the eastern Permian Basin.
Very much appreciate your Charlie Johnson chronicle. Although I am a Somnny Jergason fan, watching your chronicle of Charlie Johnson says to me that Charlie was a very under rated QB.
My vote for the greatest pure passer of all-time goes to Sonny!
I remember Dr. Charlie. I remember announcer Charlie Jones telling the whole world on NBC. I was very impressed. Because when I was a kid. People would call football players dumb jocks.
Charlie Jones was a solid announcer. I can't believe the high degree of Charley's work ethic - it was amazing. Thanks for commenting!
Stunning, the accomplishments of this guy. Especially ones achieved while at the same time playing quarterback in the NFL. Determined, courageous and confident. His love of life is contagious. Great video Mark! Thank you for this.
Thank you very much - I really appreciate that and am glad that you enjoyed it.
My grand parents tell me : he will be 86, November 22. They are 10 years younger than he, but they remember him! Great show again! Joey in Cleveland
Hey Joey! Always good to hear from you. There was a nod to the Browns '64 NFL Title team in this video. I bet you caught that.
I grew up in Stlouis. I recall John Gilliam in my early childhood. He got traded to the Vikings and did great with Tarkenton
He sure did - 4 seasons and they were all Pro Bowl seasons!
Gilliam, then a rookie, is the first player to ever score a regular season TDOWN wearing a NEW ORLEANS SAINTS uniform.
Just as JOE AUER did the season before for the brand new AFL MIAMI DOLPHINS, GILLIAM in 1967 on the very first SAINTS reg. season game’s opening kickoff.. returned it all the way for a TOUCHDOWN!
The Saints lost the game to the LA RAMS= 27-13.
As for AUER and the FINS, just like NAWLINS, they lost their premier game at home. The score in the FINS case was 23-14, falling in the contest to the OAKLAND RAIDERS.
Meanwhile, Gilliam was originally a second round pick of the SAINTS(52nd. OVERALL) in a draft that for the first time featured both NFL AND AFL teams having a common selections process.
Four of the top eight picks, including 3 of the top 5, were from..
MICHIGAN STATE with that school having seven picks in that 17 rounds, 445 picks draft.
Thanks for the info - great stuff!!
never knew anything about Charlie and ended up watching the whole thing. He was a better QB than I thought. Thanks
Thank you - I'm glad that you watched the entire episode.
@@MrDavid1863 when I first started watching the Broncos he was the QB. They also had a HOF running back at the time.Floyd little
I was also 10
Let me correct one thing. Johnson did a doctorate. That is unlike any other college degree. He didn't earn it by "taking classes" as the video implies. Yes, there were courses to take. But the real challenge was conducting substantive research that made an original contribution to his field, advancing theory (and, thus, knowledge). Doing the research probably involved empirical research, where he did original experiments to test new ideas. Then he had to write that up in hundreds of pages of text, charts, graphs, etc. Then all of that had to pass a committee's review with him present to answer for his research. And he did all of this while competing as a professional athlete at the highest level and being a husband and father. (And balancing substantial military commitments as well.)
This wasn't about going to night school to get a degree. This was about becoming an academic and joining the ranks of the pinnacle of his (non-football) profession. This video (rightly) focuses on Johnson's football career. But doing a PhD while being an NFL QB is just amazing. Even Dr Shaquille O'Neal (Doctor of Education, Barry University) didn't wrap up his research and degree until one year after he'd retired. The only other example I can think of is Mike Marshall, who earned both a PhD and a Cy Young award at the same time.
My favorite QB of all time was Fran Tarkenton. Small, scrappy, highly accomplished anyway. But I think I have a new one in Charley Johnson!
Thank you very much for your contribution! It is greatly appreciated and it adds to the degree of challenges to which Charley endeared.
My favorite QB is Fran - growing up in MN in the '70's as a kid, he was The Man.
"Charlie" in many ways...had "Rhodes Scholar" skill in the "classroom"...."and"quite "proficient" on the field" also "Mark",!!🔥🔥
Well said!
I love it. 1973 was the year I first remember football. Broncos fan ever since. It’s great seeing all of my favorite players from back then. Little, Moses, Odoms, Armstrong, Van.Heusen, Dawkins, etc. great memories. Charley was a good QB.
I'm glad you liked the video. When I first started watching football, Joe Dawkins was my favorite Running Back. That would soon change to Chuck Foreman, but Joe was #1.
The cardinals belong back in St Louis...or chicago where they first originated...
One of your best Mr. Volsky. Thank you!
Wow, thanks!
Reference to Amy Volski of ESPN? Nice!
@@jodypaluch3933, lol..
In 1969 my cousin Cindy lived and went to school in St. Louis. To earn a little money by babysitting the Johnson kids. At that time I was in Casual Company at Quantico. I had been an art major for a couple of years but had dropped out of school to join the Marine Corps. My cousin sent me pictures of the Johnson kids and drew their portraits. Got a nice letter of thank you from the Johnsons. I’ve always wondered what happened to the portraits. 😃😃😃😃
Thanks for providing your story. I hope the portraits pop up at some point and time.
@@markgardner9460 - Thanks. The “kids” have to be around 60 now. Time has really flown by.
Charlie Johnson definitely would make my "All Smart Team". He would be backed up by Frank Ryan, Pat Haden, and Sid Luckman. They would be handing the ball off to Ed Marinaro, Byron "Whizzer" White, and Calvin Hill of course. I would like my defense anchored by Gary Fencik, Chuck Bednarik, and Alan Page, with Pat McInally handling the punting.
As a side note, I saw Terry Bradshaw perform his show in Branson Missouri one time and I have to say I believe he was unfairly characterized as unintelligent. He was engaging, witty, articulate, and despite Hollywood Henderson's claim, there is no way you'd have to spot him any letters to spell "cat".
Oh, and how is John Gilliam NOT a Hall of Famer. Big omission.
Great video.
I like your "All Smart Team". I like Willie Lanier at MLB and as a back-up QB I'll take Brian Dowling, most notably of Patriots "fame".
To me, the HOF should not be just about stats. Gilliam was as good of a deep threat as almost any receiver who has ever played. He put up excellent numbers, albeit for not a long timeframe.
@@markgardner9460, and add JEAN FUGETT(CEO and multi-millionaire at one time at the BEATRICE CORP.) AT TIGHT END, CALVIN HILL(Yalie) at RUNNING BACK, GENE UPSHAW( NFL PLAYERS ASSN. DIRECTOR)on the o-line, ALAN PAGE on the d-line(MINNESOTA State Supreme Court Justice), and WILLIE DAVIS(BROADCASTING STUDIOS, and STATIONS CHIEF ADMINISTRATOR) at d-end.
And, there are many, many more..
JOHN ELWAY, BRONCS QBACK was an ECONOMICS MAJOR AT STANFORD.
Whizzer went to school with my grandma and she said he was the smartest person she ever knew🦬
@@markgardner9460 Ha ha, great choices!
@@kevinanderson967 That is as cool as it gets! Based on his life I have to believe your grandma knew what she was talking about.
The Broncs wld have been a great team for Air Coryell w/ Rick Upchurch, Haven Moses, Jack Dolbin, Riley Odoms, Otis Armstrong, Rob Lytle and Craig Morton.
Well stated - they had a lot of talent!
Born on S. Halstead 3 blocks south & west of Cominsky Park! A Cardinal fan until they left the Southside! Still follow them! Back in the day they beat the Bears on a regular basis! I remember Charlie & Jim the Cardinals had a Good Team in the 70's! Chicago Original Football Team owned by two Irish Brothers back in the 1890's! Love these videos! When Football was Football and not 3 hours of game show? I mean entertainment! CMTFU!
Thanks for the info! I'm glad that you enjoy the videos.
Oldest franchise in the NFL.. Established 1898, first as an athletic club’s team not playing in any sort of organized(or back then HALFWAY-ORGANIZED) league.
The Cardinal color of the old faded, hand-washed U. Of CHICAGO MAROONS’ used maroon jerseys was where the CARDINAL(s) nickname came from.
Founded as the MORGAN(for the street in CHICAGO it was founded on)ATHLETIC CLUB in CHITOWN.
They’ve failed to operate in only eight seasons(1906-1913).
They are also along with the NFL’s current CHICAGO TEAM, the only two franchises from the APFA(AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL ASSN.=original name of the NFL for two seasons)to still be operating. Under the NFL banner, they are one of three still going, with the GREEN BAY franchise, the third oldest one.
Finally, from year one of the NFL, they are the only NFL team to keep the same nickname. The CHIBEARS were originally in Decatur, IL., and later in Chicago were nicknamed as they were in their first location, the STALEYS(after their original primary owner STALEY the man who began the STALEY STARCH[for wrinkle-free clothing treatment]company).
After GEORGE HALAS the player-owner bought out STALEY, he changed the name to the CHICAGO BEARS.
Yep..
Oldest franchise in the NFL.. Established 1898, first as an athletic club’s team not playing in any sort of organized(or back then HALFWAY-ORGANIZED) league.
The Cardinal color of the old faded, hand-washed U. Of CHICAGO MAROONS’ used maroon jerseys was where the CARDINAL(s) nickname came from.
Founded as the MORGAN ATHLETIC CLUB in CHITOWN.
They’ve failed to operate in only eight seasons(1906-1913).
They are also along with the NFL’s current CHICAGO TEAM, the only two franchises from the APFA(AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL ASSN.=original name of the NFL for two seasons)to still be operating. Under the NFL banner, they are one of three still going, with the GREEN BAY franchise, the third oldest one.
Finally, from year one of the NFL, they are the only NFL team to keep the same nickname. The CHIBEARS were originally in Decatur, IL., and later in Chicago were nicknamed as they were in their first location, the STALEYS(after their original primary owner STALEY the man who began the STALEY STARCH[for wrinkle-free clothing treatment]company.
After GEORGE HALAS the player-owner bought out STALEY, he changed the name to the CHICAGO BEARS.
Yep..
I do not know why my post is duplicated, sorry.
No problem - I really enjoyed reading about the history of the Cards!
Wow, I did not know all that stuff about Johnson's academics. Those Oiler teams he played for were VERY bad ! I was just starting to get into football in the early 1970's and it seemed the Oilers, Pats and Saints were ALWAYS horrible !
Yeah, those Saints teams were awful, as were the Giants in the '70's.
@@markgardner9460 Oh yeah, I forgot how bad those Giants teams were. So were the Bills and Chargers. I remember it well in 1970 the 3rd year Bengals needed to win their last 7 to make the Playoffs...they had the Pats, Oilers, Saints, Bills and Chargers in there they not only won their last 7 but in the finale CRUSHED the Pats something like 45 - 10. Of course the next week they got shutout by the eventual SB Champs Baltimore 16 - 0.
The Packers and Bears didn't have too much to shout about in the '70's either. Each had one division title and were promptly crushed in the first round of the playoffs.
@@markgardner9460 Yeah, really BAD QB's and Bears basically had a gimpy Dick Butkus, Packers had an aging, gimpy Ray Nitchske as their best players.
The football league was way different back then. And full of great characters. Haven Moses now that was a guy i remember.
Haven Moses...GREAT name, too!
@@markgardner9460 Remember Pat Summerall saying “Touchdown Haven Moses”
His best season was 1964. He had up to 8 games of passing over 300 yards. He was quite the gun slinger. How good was John Gilliam. When we lived in the Twin-Cities, we wanted to see those Fran to Gilliam Bombs. He was also quite kick returner.
To me, Gilliam was as good as any of his Hall of Fame peers at Wide Receiver. To make induction, everything needs to fall into place just so. If he has Fran as his QB for the majority of his career, then I think he makes the Hall of Fame.
@@markgardner9460 On the surface some point his numbers lowering after his thousand + yard 1972 season. But it wasn't due to any eroding skills. It was because Chuck Foreman took over some of that production. Taking likely half of Gilliam's touches. Also factor in an underrated Stu Voigt began to emerge as a reliable target for Fran.
RB Ed Marinaro caught a lot of balls out of the backfield, too. Fran spread it around.
Heard Chem Eng needed to hear no more!
I’m a lifelong Oiler fan and I have an interesting bit of trivia about the genius of Charlie Johnson. He maintained his NASA connections you mentioned, throughout his academic career. When the space shuttles began losing tiles, NASA contacted Johnson who developed a replacement adhesive that worked! I think that’s actually a greater accomplishment than his football career.
Great comments! Thank you for providing.
Only needed to graduate with a chemical engineering degree to impress me. 4.0 and beyond to PhD, amazing.
As usual , another great video !
Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you!
Saw him play many times at the old Mile High.
How did he have enough hours in the day to do all the stuff he was doing. I feel lazy. Great video
In my research, he said that he didn't sleep much, but when he did, he "slept hard". That's an understatement.
Good choice. My immediate thought had been "Frank Ryan", with Roger Staubach getting an honorable mention. But you built a good case for Johnson. Some nice video in there.
I may do a little "special" on Frank Ryan at some point.
One of those guys that played for some pretty talentless teams. Always wondered what guys like him and Archie Manning would’ve done on good teams.
Switch teams with Archie and Bradshaw and I bet Pitt still wins 4 Super Bowls. I think Bradshaw would have washed out in N.O. however.
@@markgardner9460 I feel the same way. However, Bradshaw did say he learned how to throw the ball differently in those icy cold weather games that Pitt. played in so often. Flatter and deeper into his palm. Perhaps Archie wouldn't have been able to make the adjustment.
That's a great point!
I saw Charlie play at Busch Stadium
Great video on one of my favorite NFL QBs. Thanks
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks!!
Loved Charlie.
The Cardinals brought in Bobby Layne to teach Charlie how to execute fakes.
One time in 1972, playing against The Raiders Charlie faked the camera man out along with the Raiders and threw a touchdown. He had the ball behind his back. No one saw it.
I did not know that! Thanks for sharing!
Yeah , thks , always liked Charley Johnson , back then as you can guess not the overkill we have now . 3 channels and Sports Illus. SI's tex maule was cardinal and cowboy expert ? Anyway No.12 shure took a beating more with the Oilers than Cards in my view .Seems like Dan Pastorini broke his leg and Charley his collarbone . But thats when it was FOOTBALL .
That's right!
Heckuva play by Broncos TE Riley Odoms (88) taking a pass from Charlie Johnson (12) and fighting off 5 or 6 defenders to get across the goal line at 16:56. Once again, Charlie Johnson (12) bringing his A game vs the Browns. All Browns fans from that era remember him very well.
Riley was a terrific Tight End - a real bull when he ran with the ball, as evidenced in the video clip that you mention.
New appreciation for Charlie Johnson - he could sling the football and placed it right there for his great receivers; Sonny Randle, Bobby Joe Conrad, Dave Williams, Jackie Smith, John Gilliam, Haven Moses, amongst others, I think Alvin Reed was in one clip.
Alvin Reed appeared to be a TALL Tight End - I looked him up and he's 6'5" tall. He made for an inviting target. Bobby Joe Conrad and Sonny Randle are players that have gotten overlooked as time marches on. In '60, Randle had 15 td's on only 62 catches during that 12 game season - remarkable year for him.
@@markgardner9460 I remember Sonny Randle because my first football 🏈 was a leather Sonny Randle model, but he played before I got hooked on NFL football while I was in sixth grade. Those Cardinals had quite a stable of offensive players back then, including the RBs. But Larry Wilson (8) is probably the most renowned Cardinal from that era, and rightfully is a HOFer.
That Randle model football would be a fine collector's piece today. I can't imagine that there were too many of those produced.
Very interesting subject! I can only think of one modern day QB. Josh Dobbs who was an aerospace engineering major at Tennessee. I heard he had a 4.0 GPA. Don’t know if he did any post graduate work as of yet, but that sounds impressive. Hard to argue what Charley accomplished. I recall him at the very tail end of his career with Denver. These folks are on a different level in many ways as human beings. When I was in college, I just hoped my tuition check wouldn’t bounce and I might have enough left for a case of beer. Great video Mark!
Thank you for your comments, Evan. You're spot on about how guys like Charley are on an entirely different level - they're scary smart. I didn't know that about Dobbs either - good stuff.
2:00 Casper Troopers drum & bugle corps
Johnson was a pretty good qb and obviously a well rounded person, but Jim Hart was clearly the better qb of the two
Hart had far less serious physical ailments over his career which allowed him to put up bigger numbers than Johnson.
Loved the video. The AFC West was so exciting during the 70s and 80s.
I'm glad that you enjoyed it! Thanks for your comments.
Thank You Sir Enjoy your presentations VERY MUCH
Thank you, Paul. I really appreciate that!
outstanding video. impressive career on and off the field. a little surprised he didn't end up coaching, but if you commit to get a Phd in engineering field then you must love that field of study. also, too bad his body didn't hang on for the Orange Crush season.
Thank you! Yeah, Ole Charley would have been 39 during the 1977 season. I think he played as long as he could. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Hart improved markedly with 13 tds and 18 ints ? Different era i guess , that would bounce you out of the league permanently now
He threw 30 interceptions the year before, so that is exactly a 40% decrease which I deem as a marked improvement.
Today's game is played ultra-conservatively compared to Charley's era. A 3rd and 10 situation was met with a pass that usually traveled at least 10 yards in his era. Today, if a receiver is not open, the QB will check it down and take a 5 yard gain in order to totally eliminate the chance of an interception. His completion percentage doesn't suffer and the Offensive Coordinator and television commentators call it a smart play when in fact the offense is turning the ball over via punt on a 4th and 5.
That's true. Most QBs threw a lot of interceptions back then.
Intelligence does not make a quarterback a winner, and so I say what really makes a smart quarterback is one who wins the games he is supposed to win. And so I propose the smartest quarterback of all time is Bart Star of the Green Bay Packers! He only lost his first championsip bout after that, he won all his other games!
Even the great Tom Brady lost two he should have won!
Bob Griese is another QB who has been deemed smart and he won his share of post-season games, too. Thanks for commenting.
Very nice that you will spend an entire video in a platter who was born a known name for any. A lot of interesting guys who would nor famous made the league what it was and is. Ander it is nice for guys like is who grew up in St. Louis, Houston, and Denver tot see one of the players they cheered as a kid, bring covered with sich detail. You are now of the best in UA-cam. See you next time
Sorry, spell check takes over like a dominant mother- in- law at at holiday dinner.
Thank you for your comments and continued viewership!
👍
I'm glad you liked it!
Warren Moon, Sid Luckman, Joe Montana, and Fran Tarkenton were plenty smart .
Dr. Charley. A real doctor as opposed to Dr.J.
@@Greg-mh5zn I agree but Dr J had a doctorate in being cool 😎 I actually love both of these players different sports but great players
@@DennisHurst-f2q I agree. Dr.J. was cool and he got his nickname because people felt good when they watched him. Charley was cool in a different way but he definitely wasn't a huge superstar. The first team I watched was the Broncos when he was QB. They didn't win a lot of games but I considered them to be lovable losers because that's all we had in Colorado pro sports.They also had some great players such as Floyd Little (HOF) and Heavenly Haven Moses.
@@Greg-mh5zn of course you’re correct Charley was not super star but under rated player and I was just a kid not comparable really 👍
When I was a small kid it was O.J. and Namath in football, Orr in hockey, Dr. J in basketball and Hammerin' Hank in baseball.
@@markgardner9460 pretty much the same here. Me and my brothers would play backyard football pretending to be O.J.
QB Ryan Fitzpatrick is the NFL's smartest player of all time. Graduate of Harvard is the only player to score a perfect score on the wonderlik test. IQ measured at 155 and is rated in the top 1% in IQ.
Charley Johnson was a good QB on some bad teams. St Louis never had a defense to compliment the offense. The Oilers were just bad and Denver was so so. Some how, he always had big days against the Browns during their hey day.
Hey mang, another fun vid, thanks.
I have Charley's last 3 or 4 cards, my first Topps set being 1973. I didn't know about his academic accomplishments. I loved Jim Hart. Ricky Upchurch too! Thanks again.
The first pack of cards I bought was the '73 Topps...exactly one pack. I was poor, man! And they only cost 10 cents!
I didn't realize Johnson was so prolific in 64-65!
Gilliam! A big play guy pre Saints and Vikings!
Johnson definitely had a lot on his plate!He was a good if not great quarterback 170 TD 181 int It seemed odd seeing Gene Washington in a Bronco uniform!
I liked the Denver end zone with the orange and blue
Ha I was 10 when he played for quarterback he was great for Broncos first time they had a winning record Broncos AFL and NFLs worst team from 60-72
I hadn't heard or read that about the Broncos - thanks for the info!
Neat. I know little about pre 90s nfl. Good stuff
Thank you - I'm glad that you enjoyed it! My channel is all pre-1990's NFL.
@@markgardner9460 I'll check out more of it. I enjoy your style of video
Let me know what you think and if there is some topic that you'd like to see published. Thanks.
I miss the days when players didn't shoot themselves in the leg.
I LOVE MY ARIZONA CARDINALS FOR EVER HI FROM MEXICO
like the tunes... is there a tracklist ???
ROTC doesn't draft people. And why wasn't he "fit for combat"? I don't buy it.
My research did not disclose the reason as to why he was unfit for combat. He had 5 arm and leg surgeries prior to the start of the 1972 season, so perhaps some of those occurred prior to determining his fitness level.
My vote for the smartest QB in the NFL goes to Eddie LeBaron. While he was quarterback for the Redskins, he attended night classes at George Washington University Law School, was 1st in his class, and obtained his law degree. He was a highly successful attorney, and for five years was General Manager of the Atlanta Falcons.
I think he graduated from high school at age 16. He was somethin' else! Thank you for your comments.
Oh man, what a GREAT video. Thank you. I watch a lot of old-school NFL highlight films, and a few months ago I was studying those mid-60s Cardinals. Fascinating team. Put up some numbers, had some really good players, but weren't able to break through. Noticed that #12. Then saw him pop up in Houston and then in Denver. I was like, Hhmmm, what's up with that dude? He looked pretty good. So thank you for this video. Love the deep dives on relatively obscure players from the past. A lot of them lived pretty interesting lives, Johnson being no exception. Tremendous job! Think this is one of your best. Do one on Bill Bergey or Wilbert Montgomery one day, please. ;-)
Thank you! Yes, I plan on producing videos of those two players, as Bergey is my favorite MLB of all-time and Montgomery is one of the most overlooked quality RB's of modern times.
I'm glad that you brought up the interesting lives that some of these players enjoyed. I also love highlighting the "long shot" players who had to really pay their dues. There is one such player who will be prominently featured in my next video. I hope you enjoy it!
maybe the smartest man to play quarterback. But you didn't prove he was a particularly smart quarterback
By stating that he was juggling numerous, time-consuming, and intellectually challenging tasks while being a starting Quarterback for nearly all of his 15 year NFL career, it was intended that the viewer would conclude that he was an incredibly smart one.
Joe Montana # 16------Great...
I saw Charlie beat the Steelers in old Pitt Stadium back in the mid 1960's.
There probably wasn't too many amenities at Pitt Stadium back then, eh?
Let me tell you something, if you had a 4.0 GPA in Chem Engineering, you are really smart no matter the school. Johnson also had those graduate degrees, and hung around long enough to throw a deep ball to Rick Upchurch. Saw Upchurch with the Gophers - fast, fast, really fast on kick returns.
My Dad was very mad that the Vikings didn't draft Upchurch. They drafted 240 pound RB Champ Henson out of Ohio State in the 4th round ahead of Upchurch. Henson didn't make the Vikings squad.
Great! Now nobody looking up this quarterback by name will be able to find him since it's nowhere in your title. I hate clickbait titles
Almost everything out there is designed to create intrugue. It's not so bad. People watch this video and they end up enjoying it. I see no sin in that.
I don't understand, this video says he went from undergrad ROTC to working on his doctorate which took 5 years going part time but then says he earned a Masters in Chem Engineering. So which is it, did he earn a Doctorate in Chem Engineering going part time in only 5 years (unheard of), or did he earn his Masters in Chem Engineering by going part time for 5 years (fairly typical)? (a Ph.D. Aerospace Engineer who works for a large American defense contractor.
and i feel like there's not enough time in the day when i have to go to the grocery store. how the hell does someone do all that!?? 🤣
I barely have enough free time to write the grocery list, let alone shop for the stuff. Some people are just on another level I guess.
Sports Stats Grab N Go , This is how I refer to your Channel
Grab 'n Go....what's your line of thinking on that?
Great information that I wasn't really aware of. As usual your game footage is amazing. I've always heard Terry Hanratty was a really smart guy as well.
Thank you. Unfortunately Hanratty's intellect didn't transfer too well onto the playing field, as he only had a career QB rating of 43. He's a 2X Super Bowl champion though, who took the last four offensive snaps in Super Bowl X.
@markgardner9460 yes; Hanratty's moment in the spotlight, courtesy of the Cowboys ' Cliff Harris and Larry Cole, who delivered the knockout blow to Terry Bradshaw on his classic 64-yd TD pass to Lynn Swann.
Cole would have been kicked out of the game for his shot to Bradshaw's helmet in today's game.
This is such a cool history lesson! Thank you for the video 😊
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching and commenting.
You apologized to genius , Frank Ryan , but didn't give any explanation why Charley Johnson was smarter than him .
I'd like to know what criteria you used to name him above Ryan .
Ryan won the World Championship under Browns head coach
Great footage , but your claim seems totally arbitrary .
I told the story of him playing NFL football, studying for his Doctorate, etc and conducting a morning radio sports show simultaneously. It was to be inferred that his uncanny ability to juggle these time-sensitive and labor-intensive tasks is what set him apart from Ryan.
@@markgardner9460 You need to go back and check Frank Ryan's academic accomplishments and schedule on Wikipedia . If it would serve any useful purpose , I will list them .
Not that it's important , but Ryan was my neighbor when I was a kid in Northern Va in the 1970's after he retired from the Redskins / NFL ...
Wow I didnt know the Chargers history of being cheap went all the way back to the early 60's. Was the owner named Spanos?
Barron Hilton. Spanos owned the team starting in 1984.
Gene Klein was the owner during the '70s and early '80s, between Hilton and Spanos.
Wasnt Pat Haden a Rhodes Scholar?
Yes he was, but he left the WFL's Southern California Sun in order to complete his studies.
Unbelievably, I never realized Charlie was the same QB who played so well for the Cardinals in the mid sixties as the Broncos QB in the seventies. I was a kid when he started and I was deep into college when he finally hung up his cleats. QBs did throw a lot more interceptions back in his day.
Yes, they threw more interceptions because they "went for it" at the end of a half or at the end of a game; they didn't play conservatively like they do now. Also, QB's were far less apt to check down on 3rd downs which resulted in higher risk passes and subsequently more interceptions.
And the rules were different. A QB was at risk when holding on to the ball. You had to read and sling back then. There weren't many illegal hits or unsportsmanlike plays back then. QBs had a good back to give it to and a lot of guts and toughness.@@markgardner9460
Frank Ryan had a long career in academia.
Yes, he was a genius and I did give props to him early in the video. He was a very good QB, too.
NMSU!
That's right! In the early 2000's he became the Department Head of Chemical & Materials Engineering there.
How about Dr Frank Ryan?
I offered apologies to him right away in the video.
unfit to serve in the military, but fit enough to play nfl? just say the real reason, he was to valuable to be cannon fodder....like a senators son
In my research, I did not uncover the reason(s) as to why he was considered to be unfit, so I chose not to guess.
@@markgardner9460 i wasnt putting it on you, but the people who decided....i thought it was a well done video, no smoke for you
Thank you - I took no offense. When I read about him being unfit for duty, it reminded me of Joe DiMaggio being stationed in Honolulu laying on the beach, drinking beer, and working on his tan during WWII. To his credit, he asked to be deployed in order to engage in military action, but the powers that be were having no consideration to that whatsoever.
I might vote for Ryan Fitzpatrick, no because he was an ivy leaguer, but employing himself as essentially a Hired gun, tiny short contracts that allowed him to move on to other teams when they were most desperate, seems to me an ingenious strategy to maximize one's earning potential....
I appreciate your take. With multi-year contracts, however, the up-front bonuses are huge - much larger than a one year contract. So, the player with the larger up-front bonus money utilizes the time value of money investing approach more aggressively and thusly makes more interest income.
Not physically fit for combat, but healthy enough to play in the NFL?
I have not discovered the reason(s) why. It is curious.
Yeah, that got me too but he wasn't unfit to serve just not fit for combat duty. He did have a lot of surgeries so that might be the reason.
That makes sense to me. I recall Frank Gifford stating that Charley's knees were in very bad shape during a 1973 Monday Night Football telecast versus the Raiders, so perhaps the conditions of his knees was the reason.
I remember as a kid going to elementary school in Spring Texas he came out to our school when he was playing for the Houston Oilers. He was with Billy Cannon.
Billy was somethin' else in college and in the pros. His pass reception to td ratio was exceptional.
Is he still alive?
Yes he is; he's 85.
Is John Gilliam in the Hall. He the same numbers as The great Paul Warfield.
John Gilliam is not in the Hall of Fame. Warfield was on three NFL Title teams and that seems to have weighed heavily on his induction into the Hall of Fame.
All well and good but no one has the record like Earl Morrell of the Dolpins
Earl Morrall, I presume. I have not read or heard of him havibg a high intellegience quotient. An April 25, 2014 nfl.com article about his death starts "The NFL lost it's version of Forrest Gump when Earl Morrall passed away Friday at age 79."
I'm sure this will be a very odd question for SportsStatsNGab, but what's the name of the instrumental used for Johnson at 4:21??? I ask cause I'm a musician and it has a catchy groove to it--one I wouldn't mind using.
It's entitled "Funky Intermission". I do not know the name of the artist, however.
Sounds like electric piano and clean electric guitar playing same notes in unison.
My dad named me after him...
Here's to Dad!!!
@@markgardner9460 thanks!
Sorry, I'm thinking Chad Pennington being a road scholar makes him the smartest QB ever.
Pat Haden of the Rams was also a Rhodes Scholar. The main reason that I selected Charlie was his ability to disseminate large volumes of information among a variety of topics. Thank you for bringing up Pennington.
Steve Young comes to mind when talking of intelligent QB’s.Watch his HOF induction speech.It’s unreal.
Players were real then
While the pay was still better than the common man's pay, it wasn't astronomical.........certainly not enough to retire on after football, in most cases. Guys like Charley should be considered an inspiration to those who may only play a small handful of professional seasons.
God damm broke his collarbone and kept playing!
It had to kill him every time he threw. He was gutsy and a terrific competitor.
Lombardi would say it wasn't a weight bearing bone.
That got a chuckle outta me!!!
I had no idea that Jim Hart was undrafted. I always assumed he was a high pic coming out of college. Maybe my memories of the exhibition game footage in the movie Paper Lion gave me the idea that he was a top NFL prospect. It's been a while since I've seen it, but I think in Paper Lion Hart is show as a hot shot rookie carving up the Lions defense.
I need to watch that movie and read that book in their entirety. Thanks for bringing that up!
@@markgardner9460 No problem, and thank you for these videos. The quality of the videos, narration, editing and choice of music are all top notch.
Thanks. I really appreciate that!
Hart got knocked out of that preseason game too.
Pat Haden, road Scholar??
He was a Rhodes Scholar, but I did not choose him because he did not conduct his studies simultaneously with the WFL's Southern California Sun. He took time away from the time in which to do so.
@markgardner9460 ok, thanks. I was just throwing him out there as one of the "smartest". A Rhodes Scholar I am not!! Lol
Neither am I.....not by a long shot! It's fine to have the smarts when playing pro ball, but ya also need the physical skills along with it in order to make it happen. Charley definitely had both.
Frank Ryan (1936 - 2024) QB for the Browns the last time they won it all had a PhD in math. They asked of Ryan: How smart is too smart? Charley Johnson would obtain a PhD in chemical engineering. As a physics professor and one time minor league pitcher (I threw a football 83 yards while working out with the Miami Hurricanes in 1988 before Jimmy Johnson saw me at the other end of the field) I taught both advanced math and physical chemistry to chemical engineering students. The best of both academic worlds. BTW that was several years before Johnson (i.e., Jimmy) would say, "How about them Cowboys!"