Sid Luckman

Sid Luckman
refer to caption
Luckman, circa 1950
No. 42
Position:Quarterback
Personal information
Born:(1916-11-21)November 21, 1916
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Died:July 5, 1998(1998-07-05) (aged 81)
Aventura, Florida, U.S.
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:197 lb (89 kg)
Career information
High school:Erasmus Hall
(Brooklyn, New York)
College:Columbia (1936–1938)
NFL draft:1939 / round: 1 / pick: 2
Career history
As a player:
Newark Bears (1939)
As a coach:
  • Chicago Bears (19541969)
    Quarterbacks coach
As an administrator:
  • Chicago Bears (19511953)
    Vice president
Career highlights and awards
As a player
As a coach
NFL records
Career NFL statistics
Passing attempts:1,744
Passing completions:904
Completion percentage:51.8%
TDINT:137–132
Passing yards:14,686
Passer rating:75.0
Military career
AllegianceUnited States United States
Service / branch United States Maritime Service
Years of service1943–1946
Rank Ensign
Battles / warsWorld War II
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Sidney Luckman (November 21, 1916 – July 5, 1998) was an American professional football quarterback who played for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) from 1939 through 1950. During his 12 seasons with the Bears, he led them to four NFL championships in 1940, 1941, 1943, and 1946.

Sportswriter Ira Berkow wrote that Luckman was "the first great T-formation quarterback", and he is considered the greatest long-range passer of his time.[1][2][3] He was named the NFL's Most Valuable Player in 1943. Luckman was also a 3× NFL All-Star (1940–1942), 5× First-team All-Pro (1941–1944, 1947), 2× Second-team All-Pro (1940, 1946), 3× NFL passing yards leader (1943, 1945, and 1946), 3× NFL passing touchdowns leader (1943, 1945, and 1946), 3× NFL passer rating leader (1941, 1943, and 1946), named to the NFL 1940s All-Decade team, had his No. 42 retired by the Bears, and tied the NFL record of 7 touchdown passes in a game. To date, Luckman still holds the all-time NFL record for touchdown percentage,[a] at 7.9 percent.[4]

Luckman was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1965, and in 1988 he was declared a joint winner of the Walter Camp Distinguished American Award.[5][6] Following his retirement from playing, Luckman continued his association with football by tutoring college coaches, focusing on the passing aspect of the game.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference GreatJewsinSport was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Luckman, Sid". jewsinsports.org. Retrieved June 6, 2008.
  3. ^ "Sid Luckman, Legendary Quarterback". The American Jewish Historical Society. Archived from the original on March 1, 2012. Retrieved June 6, 2008.
  4. ^ "NFL Passing Touchdown % Career Leaders". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  5. ^ "Sid Luckman". NFL Internet Network. Retrieved June 6, 2008.
  6. ^ "Walter Camp Football Foundation Awards". Walter Camp Football Foundation Awards Inc. Archived from the original on June 9, 2008. Retrieved June 6, 2008.


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