Steve Bartkowski

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Bartkowski attended the University of California, Berkeley. In 1972, he threw for 944 yards with four touchdowns and 13 interceptions. In 1973, he threw for 910 yards with four touchdowns and seven interceptions. As a senior with the Golden Bears in 1974, Bartkowski was a consensus All-American and led the nation in passing. He threw for 2,580 yards, 12 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. He completed 182 passes out of 325 attempts. In addition to playing football, Bartkowski was also an All-American baseball player at first base for the Bears. Bartkowski was chosen with the first overall pick in the 1975 NFL draft by the Atlanta Falcons (after the Falcons acquired the pick in a trade with the Colts). Bartkowski was the NFL Rookie of the Year as well as The Sporting News NFC Rookie of the Year in 1975. He was the first client of sports agent Leigh Steinberg. Bartkowski is one of ten quarterbacks in NFL history who have achieved consecutive 30-touchdown passing seasons (1980 and 1981) at least one time in their career. Bartkowski was selected to the Pro Bowl after both the 1980 and 1981 seasons and was selected 2nd Team All-NFC following the 1980 campaign. Bartkowski led the NFL in passing in 1983 with a passer rating of 97.6. Bartkowski set the record for consecutive games with at least three touchdown passes at home with five which he established over the 1980 and 1981 seasons. The record was held until the 2004 season when it was surpassed by Peyton Manning. In 1984, Bartkowski started the Falcons' first 11 games, but was injured late in the season and replaced by Mike Moroski. Bartkowski began 1985 as the starter, but an 0–5 start led to his benching and losing the job to David Archer. He was placed on the injured reserve list before the eighth game and then released in November. On December 12, 1985, Bartkowski signed with the Washington Redskins on a two-week contract. He was added to their roster as an emergency quarterback, due to the starter, Jay Schroeder, playing with a fractured rib. Bartkowski served as the third-string quarterback for Washington's final two regular season games. The Los Angeles Rams signed Bartkowski in the 1986 pre-season when holdover Dieter Brock suffered a season- (and career-) ending injury. Bartkowski started six of the Rams' first seven games and the team was 4–2 in those games, but Bartkowski was largely ineffective and

In Their Own Story

The trajectory of Bartkowski's career shifted dramatically starting in 1984. He began the season as the starter but suffered an injury late in the year and was replaced by Mike Moroski. The following year, he started the first five games of 1985, but an 0–5 record led to his benching for David Archer. After being placed on injured reserve before the eighth game, he was released in November. He quickly signed a two-week contract with the Washington Redskins on December 12, 1985, serving as an emergency third-string quarterback due to starter Jay Schroeder's fractured rib. His final stop came in 1986 when the Los Angeles Rams signed him after Dieter Brock suffered a career-ending injury. Bartkowski started six of the first seven games for a 4–2 team but lost his job to Steve Dils and eventually retired after that season.

Reader's Guide

Steve Bartkowski was a quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons from 1975 to 1985, also playing for the Washington Redskins and Los Angeles Rams. He was a two-time Pro Bowl selection and the first overall pick in the 1975 NFL draft. He led the NFL in passer rating in 1983 and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2012.

Did You Know?

• Bartkowski was the first client of sports agent Leigh Steinberg.
• He led the NFL in passing in 1983 with a passer rating of 97.6.
• Bartkowski was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame on May 19, 2007.
• He was a consensus All-American in college and also played baseball for the California Golden Bears.