Daily Dose of Crimson Tide: Richard Todd

Richard Todd is not listed among Alabama’s all-time passing leaders (he completed 101 of 189 passes for 1,642 yards), but from 1973 to 1975 he never lost a conference game as Alabama won three of five straight Southeastern Conference titles.

For his collegiate career, Todd passed for 16 touchdowns and ran for 16 more and had a knack for winning. He was named the Most Valuable Player of the 1976 Sugar Bowl, a 13–6 victory against Penn State, and was MVP of the South Team at the subsequent Senior Bowl.

After being the sixth-overall selection in the 1976 NFL Draft, Todd led the New York Jets to their first winning record since 1969, 10–5–1 in 1981, and to the playoffs the following year.

After 10 years with the Jets and New Orleans Saints, Todd retired having completed 1,610 of 2,967 passes for 20,610 yards and 124 touchdowns, with 161 interceptions. He also rushed for 932 yards and 14 touchdowns. In a 1980 game against San Francisco, he set a National Football League record with 42 completions. The record stood until Drew Bledsoe completed 45 in 1994.

Heading into the 2020 NFL Draft, Todd is the answer to two very big Alabama trivia questions, although one is likely about to go by the wayside:

1) He's the last Alabama quarterback selected in the first round.

2) He was the replacement for two of the biggest names in Crimson Tide history at the NFL level.

When Todd was drafted by the Jets he called it a "dream come true" to play with Joe Namath. Following the 1976 season, Namath was released and Todd was named the starter. He was 23 at the time.

After the 1983 season, Todd was traded to the New Orleans Saints, where he took the place of Kenny Stabler.

Richard Todd's Alabama statistics

1973: 18-for-33 for 325 yards, 4 TDs, 2 interceptions; 560 yards and 2 TDs rushing
1974: 36-for-67 for 656 yards, 5 TDs, 2 interceptions; 265 yards and 5 TDs rushing
1975: 47-for-89 for 661 yards, 7 TDs, 3 interceptions, 429 yards and 9 TDs rushing

Todd was known for being an efficient quarterback, having completed 54.3 percent of his attempts, and with a passer rating of 146.9. He also finished with 1,254 rushing yards, averaging 4.1 yards per carry.

He had the same number of passing touchdowns as rushing: 16.

Some of this post originated from "100 Things Crimson tide Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die," published by Triumph Books