Sid Luckman

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Sportswriter Ira Berkow wrote that Luckman was 'the first great T-formation quarterback', and he is considered the greatest long-range passer of his time. He was named the NFL's Most Valuable Player in 1943. Luckman was also a 3× NFL All-Star (1940–1942), 5× First-team All-Pro (1941–1944, 1947), 2× Second-team All-Pro (1940, 1946), 3× NFL passing yards leader (1943, 1945, and 1946), 3× NFL passing touchdowns leader (1943, 1945, and 1946), 3× NFL passer rating leader (1941, 1943, and 1946), named to the NFL 1940s All-Decade team, had his No. 42 retired by the Bears, and tied the NFL record of 7 touchdown passes in a game. To date, Luckman still holds the all-time NFL record for touchdown percentage, at 7.9 percent. Luckman was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1965, and in 1988 he was declared a joint winner of the Walter Camp Distinguished American Award.

In Their Own Story

In 1943, Luckman's career reached its statistical zenith. He completed 110 of 202 passes for 2,194 yards and threw 28 touchdowns in just ten games, achieving a 13.9% touchdown rate that remains the best single-season record ever. During one game that year, he threw for 443 yards and seven touchdowns, tying the NFL record and marking the first 400-yard passing game in league history. That same season, he was named the NFL's Most Valuable Player and led the league in passer rating, passing yards, and passing touchdowns. While serving as an ensign with the U.S. Merchant Marine stateside following that season, he received permission to play for the Bears on game days. His versatility extended beyond offense; he recorded 17 interceptions on defense for 310 yards and two touchdowns. Even after his career ended in 1950, Luckman's numbers held firm: he averaged 8.4 yards per attempt (second all-time only to Otto Graham) and maintained a 51.8% completion rate. His dominance was such that he led the NFL in yards per attempt an unprecedented seven times, including five consecutive years from 1939 to 1943.

Reader's Guide

Hearing of Sid Luckman's exploits as a single-wing tailback at Columbia University, Chicago Bears owner and coach George Halas believed Luckman had the ability to become an effective T-formation quarterback, and traveled to New York to watch him play. Halas then convinced the Pittsburgh Pirates (later the Steelers) to draft Luckman second overall and then trade him to the Bears. After initially declining pro football to work for his father-in-law's trucking company, Luckman signed a contract for $5,500 after a dinner with Halas. He mastered the T-formation offense and led the Bears to a 73–0 win over the Washington Redskins in the 1940 NFL championship game. In 1943, he volunteered as an ensign with the U.S. Merchant Marine, playing for the Bears on game days. He returned full-time in 1946 and led the Bears to a fifth NFL championship. After retiring, he remained with the Bears as a vice president and later became the team's quarterbacks coach on a part-time basis through the 1960s.

Did You Know?

• Luckman was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Jewish immigrants from Germany.
• He played both baseball and football for Erasmus Hall High School and led the football team to two all-city championships.
• He attended the New College for the Education of Teachers at Columbia University and was a member of the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity.
• In 1943, Luckman threw for 443 yards and seven touchdowns in one game, the first 400-yard passing game in NFL history.
• He still holds the NFL record for career touchdown percentage at 7.9% and the single-season touchdown rate record of 13.9% in 1943.