Charlie Conerly

Lore & Background

Conerly attended and played college football at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss). He started at Ole Miss in 1942, but left to serve as a Marine in the South Pacific during World War II where he fought in the Battle of Guam. He returned to Mississippi in 1946 and led the team to their first Southeastern Conference (SEC) championship in 1947. During that season, he led the nation in pass completions with 133, rushed for nine touchdowns and passed for 18 more, was a consensus All-American selection, and was named Player of the Year by the Helms Athletic Foundation. Conerly's 1947 squad had upset wins over Kentucky, Florida, LSU, and Tennessee. He placed fourth in the Heisman Trophy balloting and was a two-time All SEC performer. He was named Player of the Year and Back of the Year of the SEC in 1947. He set numerous school records and still ranked 12th in 2008 in career total offense with 3,076 yards. He was ranked 12th in career passing with 2,313 yards and 26 TDs. Conerly also played baseball at Ole Miss, where he hit .467 in 1948 and was offered a professional contract.

Reader's Guide

Conerly was drafted in the 13th round of the 1945 NFL draft by the Washington Redskins. He played his entire career with the New York Giants as a quarterback, where he was a two-time Pro Bowl selection in 1950 and 1956 and was NFL's Most Valuable Player in 1959 by the Newspaper Enterprise Association. Conerly was named NFL 'Rookie of the Year' in 1948, a season when he set many Giants rookie franchise records that still stand. He led the Giants to three NFL Championship games in four seasons (1956, 1958–1959), including a 47–7 victory over the Chicago Bears in the 1956 NFL Championship Game. During his professional career, he earned the alliterative nickname 'Chucking Charlie Conerly'. Conerly held at least 10 Giants franchise records, including most completions (rookie season): 162 (1948); most pass attempts (rookie season): 299 (1948); most passing yards (rookie season): 2,175 (1948); most passing touchdowns (rookie season): 22 (1948); most intercepted (game): 5 (1951-10-14 CRD and 1953-12-13 DET; tied with Jeff Rutledge and Eli Manning); highest passer rating (rookie season): 84.0 (1948); most yards/pass attempt (season): 8.79 (1959); most yards/pass attempt (playoff career): 8.53; most yards/pass attempt (playoff season): 10.48 (1958); most passing yards/game (rookie season): 181.3 (1948); most passing touchdowns by a quarterback vs. The Washington Redskins/Football Team/Commanders.

Did You Know?

• Conerly portrayed the 'Marlboro Man' in commercials after playing for the Giants.
• Conerly and his wife, Perian (author of the book, Backseat Quarterback), retired to his hometown of Clarksdale, Mississippi, where he spent his final days.
• Conerly owned shoe stores throughout the Mississippi Delta.
• On December 13, 1959, Perian appeared on an episode of What's My Line?; her line was she wrote a football column for newspapers.
• Conerly was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 1966 and the Ole Miss Athletic Hall of Fame in 1987.