Quarterback, Los
Angeles Rams
Age: 33
12th
season in pro football, 1st with Rams
College: Kansas
Height: 6’1” Weight: 214
Prelude:
Hadl was
taken by the San Diego Chargers in the third round of the 1962 AFL draft (and
first round by Detroit in the NFL, who had visions of converting him into an
option halfback) and, with the injury and subsequent waiver departure of QB
Jack Kemp, saw considerable action as a rookie. With the signing of veteran
Tobin Rote for 1963, Hadl learned from the bench for a year but gradually saw
more action in ’64 and took over as the starting quarterback in 1965 – a season
in which he led the AFL in passing yards (2798) and yards per attempt (8.0).
With a strong arm, he fit well in Head Coach Sid Gillman’s passing offense,
although he was prone to throwing interceptions. In 1968, Hadl led the league
in pass attempts (440), completions (208), yards (3473), TD passes (27), but
also interceptions (32). Following the 1970 AFL/NFL merger, he led the NFL in
pass attempts (431), completions (233), yards (3075), and TD passes (21) in
1971, a year when he also was picked off 25 times, and in 1972 he led the
league in interceptions thrown with 26. Still, he was selected to four AFL
All-Star games and one Pro Bowl with the Chargers through ’72, passing for a
total of 26,938 yards and 201 TDs in 11 seasons. Dissatisfied with changes to
the post-Gillman offense, Hadl was traded to the Rams for 1973 and, with the
dispatch of veteran QB Roman Gabriel to Philadelphia, he took over as the
starting quarterback in LA.
1973 Season Summary
Appeared and
started in all 14 games
[Bracketed
numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]
Passing
Attempts
– 258 [12]
Most
attempts, game – 26 at New Orleans 11/25
Completions – 135 [12]
Most
completions, game – 13 vs. New Orleans 11/11
Yards
– 2008 [8]
Most yards,
game – 279 vs. Dallas 10/14
Completion
percentage – 52.3 [16]
Yards per
attempt – 7.8 [2, tied with Bob Lee]
TD passes – 22
[3]
Most TD
passes, game – 4 vs. Dallas 10/14
Interceptions
– 11 [15]
Most
interceptions, game – 2 Dallas 10/14, at Minnesota 10/28, at New Orleans 11/25,
vs. NY Giants 12/10
Passer rating
– 88.8 [3]
200-yard
passing games – 3
Rushing
Attempts – 14
Most
attempts, game – 2 on 5 occasions
Yards – 5
Most yards,
game – 6 yards (on 1 carry) vs. New Orleans 11/11
Yards per
attempt – 0.4
TDs – 0
Postseason: 1
G (NFC Divisional playoff at Dallas)
Pass attempts
– 23
Pass
completions – 7
Passing
yardage – 133
TD passes – 0
Interceptions
– 1
Rushing
attempts – 2
Rushing yards
– 10
Average gain
rushing – 5.0
Rushing TDs –
0
Awards & Honors:
NFC Player of
the Year: Sporting News
1st
team All-NFL: AP, PFWA, Pro Football Weekly
2nd
team All-NFL: NEA
1st
team All-NFC: AP, UPI, Pro Football Weekly, Sporting News
Pro Bowl
Rams went 12-2
to finish first in NFC West while leading NFL in total offense (4906 yards) and
scoring (388 points) and the conference in rushing (2925 yards). Lost NFC
Divisional playoff to Dallas Cowboys (27-16).
Aftermath:
With his
performance declining in 1974, the Rams traded Hadl to Green Bay at midseason.
He took over as starting quarterback for the Packers and stayed through ’75,
but passed for just 9 TDs with 29 interceptions for a losing team. Hadl was
traded again, to the Houston Oilers for QB Lynn Dickey, and finished out the
last two seasons of his 16-year career as a backup. Overall, he threw for
33,503 yards (which ranked third all-time in AFL/NFL history at the time) and
244 touchdowns with 268 interceptions (second all-time) and had an 82-76-9
record as a starting quarterback in the AFL and NFL.
--
MVP Profiles feature players who were named MVP or
Player of the Year in the NFL, AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974), or
USFL (1983-85) by a recognized organization (Associated Press, Pro Football
Writers Association, Newspaper Enterprise Association, United Press
International, The Sporting News, Maxwell Club – Bert Bell Award, or the league
itself).
