Niners Nation
Legendary 49ers QB, Bay Area native John Brodie dies at 90, team announces
“Brodie played his entire 17-year NFL career with the 49ers after being the No. 3 overall pick in the 1957 NFL Draft out of Stanford.
He played in 201 games with the 49ers, second-most in franchise history behind only Jerry Rice. Brodie ranks No. 2 in all-time franchise passing yards (31,548) behind only Joe Montana (35,124).
Brodie (214), Montana (244) and Steve Young (221) are the only quarterbacks in 49ers history with 200 or more passing touchdowns.
He was known for having a strong throwing arm but also great touch on his passes to connect on throws at every level, including intermediate passes that had to be layered over a linebacker and in front of a safety.
The 49ers retired Brodie’s No. 12 in 1973 after leading the NFL in touchdown passes three times in his career. He was a two-time Pro Bowl player and led the 49ers to consecutive playoff appearances in 1970, ’71 and ’72…..The late Bill Walsh said Brodie would often stop by the Stanford football offices when Walsh was head coach there before he became coach of the 49ers in 1979.
“He would take time to sit and talk football with me,” Walsh said of Brodie. “I learned a lot of the mechanics, the footwork and techniques of the quarterback position from John.
“Later, we were able to transfer those to many other quarterbacks. But I didn’t have a clue about the position until I talked to John over a period of time.”
After his football was over, Brodie earned a spot in the Senior PGA Tour and recorded 12 top-10 finishes with one victory in 14 years.“
Former 49ers QB John Brodie, second-leading passer in team history, dies at 90 (paywall) “Much like illustrious predecessors Frankie Albert and Y.A. Tittle, Brodie couldn’t find a way to win a championship. And because of his propensity to throw interceptions, he may have been the most maligned quarterback in 49ers history.
He averaged 17½ interceptions during one eight-year stretch from 1964 through ’71 (and finished with a franchise-record 224 for his career), which didn’t sit well with rowdy fans at Kezar Stadium. They repeatedly booed him, and sometimes worse.
Brodie had to wear his helmet after games, as he ducked into the tunnel that led from the field to the Kezar locker rooms, because of the bottles and other objects spectators tossed at him.
“If we lost, you knew not to walk off the field with Brodie,” teammate Dave Wilcox once said. “One year, one of the officials was walking off the field with John, and someone threw a bottle. It missed John, but it hit the official and knocked him out. So they built a barrier.’’
The protective screen didn’t stop the beer, but it did keep out the cans and bottles. Brodie persevered, enduring a stint as one of three quarterbacks (Bill Kilmer and Bobby Waters were the others) in Red Hickey’s then-revolutionary...
