Earl Morrall
American football player, quarterback (1934-2014) · United States · On the map · Athletes · Died at 79
Earl Edwin Morrall was an American professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 21 seasons. He was the last remaining player from the 1950s still active in the NFL. He started for six teams, most notably the Baltimore Colts and Miami Dolphins.
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He became known as one of the greatest backup quarterbacks in NFL history, having served in the capacity for two Hall of Fame quarterbacks in Johnny Unitas and Bob Griese. An injury to Unitas in 1968 saw Morrall step in to become the starter; he guided the Colts to a 13-1 record and won league MVP. He also led them to their first NFL Championship win in nine years before ineffective play in Super Bowl III saw him benched for Unitas. Two years later, in Super Bowl V, Morrall came off the bench for an injured Unitas and kept the Colts in the game before they ultimately won on a last-second field goal. In his first season with Miami in 1972, he came off the bench when Griese became injured early in the year, with Morrall winning all nine starts; Morrall started the first two playoff games, with Griese playing in each game before being named the starter for Super Bowl VII, where the Dolphins completed the only perfect season in NFL history.