Age: 32
10th
season in pro football, 5th with Bears (4th complete)
College: Southern
California
Height: 6’1” Weight: 205
Prelude:
Bukich, who
came off the bench to star in the 1953 Rose Bowl, was chosen by the Los Angeles
Rams in the second round of the ’53 NFL draft. While he impressed with his
strong passing arm, Bukich saw little action as a rookie and then went into the
military for two years. He won a National Service Championship as quarterback
for Fort Ord and then returned to the Rams in 1956, going back to the bench.
After throwing 55 passes in two seasons in LA, Bukich was traded to Washington
in 1957 and continued to be a little-used backup. He moved on to the Bears
during the ’58 season and continued to sit before being dealt to Pittsburgh in
a “lend-lease” arrangement. He sat behind Bobby Layne but, when the aging
veteran was injured during 1961, Bukich saw his first extended action, starting
seven straight games. After having thrown a total of 157 passes over six years,
he tossed 156 and completed 89 (57.1 %) for 1253 yards and 11 TDs, and despite
16 interceptions, made a favorable impression. The Bears brought him back in
1962 as the “player to be named” in the original deal that sent him to
Pittsburgh and he returned to a backup role behind Bill Wade, which continued
during the ’63 NFL Championship season. With the team and Wade slumping in
1964, Bukich was inserted into the starting lineup and performed well before
being sidelined by a shoulder separation.
1964 Season Summary
Appeared in 9
of 14 games
[Bracketed
numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]
Passing
Attempts – 160
[15]
Most
attempts, game – 37 at LA Rams 11/15
Completions –
99 [15]
Most
completions, game – 23 at LA Rams 11/15
Yards – 1099 [16]
Most yards,
game – 271 at LA Rams 11/15
Completion
percentage – 61.9 [1]
Yards per
attempt – 6.9 [10]
TD passes – 12
[11, tied with Ed Brown]
Most TD
passes, game – 3 vs. Baltimore 11/8, at LA Rams 11/15, at Detroit 11/26
Interceptions
– 7 [13]
Most
interceptions, game – 2 at Green Bay 9/13, at Detroit 11/26, vs. Green Bay 12/5
Passer rating
– 89.0 [4]
200-yard
passing games – 3
Rushing
Attempts – 12
Most
attempts, game – 3 (for 12 yds.) vs. Dallas 11/1, (for 9 yds.) at Detroit 11/26
Yards – 28
Most yards,
game – 12 yards (on 3 carries) vs. Dallas 11/1
Yards per
attempt – 2.3
TDs – 0
Bears went 5-9
to finish sixth in the NFL Western Conference while leading the league in
passing yards (2841) – but ranking last in rushing yards (1166).
Aftermath:
Bukich
followed up with his finest season in 1965, leading the league in passing as he
threw for 2641 yards and 20 touchdowns while giving up just 9 interceptions.
The Bears went 9-5 but dropped back to a losing record in ’66. Bukich nearly
reversed his TD-to-INT ratio, throwing for 10 touchdowns and being intercepted
21 times. He returned to a backup role for his last two seasons in 1967 and
’68. Overall, Bukich started just 41 games in the course of 14 seasons and
passed for 8433 yards and 61 TDs with 74 interceptions. His most productive
years came with the Bears, where he accounted for 6254 passing yards and 46 TD
passes against 45 interceptions.
--
Highlighted Years features players who were consensus
first-team All-League* selections or league* or conference** leaders in the
following statistical categories:
Rushing:
Yards, TDs (min. 10)
Passing:
Yards, Completion Pct., Yards per Attempt, TDs, Rating
Receiving:
Catches, Yards, TDs (min. 10)
Scoring: TDs,
Points, Field Goals (min. 5)
All-Purpose:
Total Yards
Defense: Interceptions,
Sacks
Kickoff
Returns: Average
Punt Returns:
Average
Punting:
Average
*Leagues
include NFL (1920 to date), AFL (1926), AFL (1936-37), AAFC (1946-49), AFL
(1960-69), WFL (1974-75), USFL (1983-85)
**NFC/AFC
since 1970
