Norm Van Brocklin
Norm Van Brocklin
Head Coach - Quarterback

Norm Van Brocklin

"He had no personal skills whatsoever but he was brilliant." - Fran Tarkenton

Norm Van Brocklin was a crewcutted and hot-tempered quarterback for the Rams and Eagles in the 1950s who earned nine Pro Bowls and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1971. Born in Eagle Butte, South Dakota on March 15, 1926, Van Brocklin played college ball at Oregon and was drafted 37th overall by the Rams in 1949. During one game in 1951, he threw for 554 yards – still a record today – against the New York Yanks. Nicknamed “The Dutchman,” the 6-foot-1, 190-pound Van Brocklin is one of 2 quarterbacks to lead two different franchises to a championship. "He had a temper,” Sonny Jurgensen, Van Brocklin’s Eagles teammate, said of him. “He wanted it done the right way. And he didn’t like people screwing around in practice. He was tough but fair, and a smart, smart football player.” After retiring, Van Brocklin coached the Vikings and Falcons during 13 seasons in the 1960s and 70s. A disciplinarian who on the sidelines alternately chomped on gum and smoked a cigarette, Van Brocklin finished his coaching career with a 66-100-7 record.