Notre Dame Football: 15 best quarterbacks in Fighting Irish history
By John Buhler
Joe Theismann would go on to achieve great success in the NFL as the starting quarterback for the Washington Redskins. He was a two-time Pro Bowler, won an NFL MVP, won a Super Bowl and Man of the Year. Of course, his playing career ended when New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor destroyed his leg in 1985.
But before he was a great quarterback for Washington, Theismann starred on the collegiate gridiron for Notre Dame. Theismann would emerge as the Irish’s starting quarterback late in his sophomore season after the incumbent signal-caller Terry Hanratty suffered an injury. From there, Theismann put together a College Football Hall of Fame career for Notre Dame.
In his first full season as a starter in 1969, Theismann completed 56.3 percent of his passes for 1,531 yards, 13 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. Notre Dame would finish ranked No. 5 in the country, but couldn’t get it done against the Texas Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl Classic.
Building off his strong junior campaign, Theismann put together his best season with the Golden Domers in 1970. He completed 57.8 percent of his passes for 2,429 yards, 16 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Theismann even changed his surname’s pronunciation to rhyme Heisman in his quest to win the award. He finished second in Heisman Trophy voting to the Stanford Cardinal’s Jim Plunkett but would be named an All-American that season for the Irish.
In total, Theismann completed 57.0 percent of his passes for 4,411 yards, 31 touchdowns and 35 interceptions. Decades after he last played for the Irish, Theismann still ranks in the top 10 in most statistical passing categories in Notre Dame history.
Theismann was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2003. Since his infamous leg injury, Theismann has worked in broadcasting, primarily with ESPN for the network’s NFL coverage. He is not just an all-timer for Notre Dame but remains one of the greatest quarterbacks to play professionally for Washington. Only one quarterback put together a better college career at Notre Dame than did Theismann.