Best College QB of All Time

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Dec 1, 2008

Best College QB of All Time

Jim Plunkett

Who is the best college quarterback of all time? Here are some of the leading candidates, beginning with Plunkett. (Cast your vote at the end.) The 1970 Heisman winner led Stanford to an 8-3 regular-season record his senior season, throwing 18 touchdowns, running for three others and amassing 2,898 yards total offense in the process, and 7,887 in three years, then an NCAA standard.

John Elway

Elway led the nation with 24 touchdown passes in 1982, the same season that he finished second to Herschel Walker for the Heisman. He passed for 9,349 yards and 77 touchdowns while with the Cardinal.

Tommie Frazier

When Husker coach Tom Osborne needed athleticism to compete with the likes of Florida State and Miami, he poached Frazier from the Sunshine State and won back-to-back national titles on his ability to run the option effectively. Frazier ran for 36 touchdowns and threw for 47 while compiling a 33-3 record as a starter.

Doug Flutie

The 1984 Heisman winner's "Hail Mary" touchdown pass against Miami in 1984 is one of the greatest plays in college football history. While at BC, Flutie set the NCAA's all-time passing yards record (10,579).

Jim McMahon

McMahon led the nation in passing and total offense in 1980 and '81. His 47 scoring throws in '80 were a NCAA Division I-A record for 10 years. He also threw for 4,571 yards that season.

Charlie Ward

Ward failed to beat Notre Dame in 1993, but still delivered the Holy Grail to Florida State coach Bobby Bowden later that season. Couple the national title with Ward's 1993 Heisman Trophy and one can argue that the former NBA guard had his best days on the gridiron.

Dan Marino

Marino led the Panthers to three consecutive 11-1 seasons and finished fourth in the Heisman voting as a junior. In his final season, he threw for 2,251 yards and 17 touchdowns, bringing his career totals to 7,905 yards and 74 touchdowns.

Vinny Testaverde

The 1986 Heisman winner was the first person to win the Heisman, Walter Camp, Maxwell and Davey O'Brien awards in a single season. He set a school record with 46 career touchdown passes.

Roger Staubach

The 1963 Heisman Trophy winner completed 292 of 463 passes at Navy, with only 19 interceptions. He led the 9-1 Midshipmen to the Cotton Bowl his junior season, where they lost to Texas.

Peyton Manning

Though he never beat Florida or won the Heisman, the Super Bowl winner owns Volunteer records for all-time passing yards (11,201) and touchdowns (89). He also won 39 of 45 games as a starter.

Sammy Baugh

Slingin' Sammy was a two-time All-America at TCU, where he threw 39 touchdown passes during three seasons with the Horned Frogs. He finished fourth in the voting for the 1936 Heisman and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951.

Matt Leinart

The 2004 Heisman winner amassed 10,963 passing yards with 99 touchdowns while going 37-2 as USC's starter and helping the Trojans win two national championships.

Steve Young

The runnerup to Mike Rozier for the 1983 Heisman, Young ended his career with 56 passing touchdowns, 18 rushing and 7,733 passing yards.

Danny Wuerffel

The 62nd Heisman winner led the Gators to four SEC titles and the 1996 national championship. He finished his career with 114 touchdown passes, the second-highest in major college history, and with a passer efficiency rating of 163.56, the best in history.

Davey O'Brien

The 1938 Heisman winner led the Horned Frogs to an undefeated record his senior season, throwing for 1,733 yards and 19 touchdowns.

Joe Montana

Buried at first as the seventh quarterback on the Irish depth chart, Montana eventually began to burnish his last-second heroics reputation with quick-strike drives, especially during the 1979 Cotton Bowl win over Houston.

Vince Young

After finishing second to Reggie Bush in voting for the 2005 Heisman, Young took it out on USC in the national championship game, helping Texas to a 41-38 victory. He had three touchdowns in that game, including a nine-yard scamper with 19 seconds left to clinch the win.

Joe Namath

Dubbed the "greatest athlete I've ever coached" by no less than Alabama legend Bear Bryant, the flashy slinger was 29-4 as a starter in Tuscaloosa and brought home the 1964 national title.<br><br>Send comments to siwriters@simail.com.

Best College QB of All Time