Earl Morrall

Earl Edwin Morrall (May 17, 1934 – April 25, 2014) was an American professional football player who served as a quarterback in the National Football League for 21 seasons. He was the last remaining player from the 1950s still active in the NFL, and started for six teams, most notably the Baltimore Colts and the Miami Dolphins. Morrall became known as one of the finest backup quarterbacks in NFL history, having served in that role for two Hall of Fame quarterbacks, Johnny Unitas and Bob Griese.

An injury to Unitas in 1968 saw Morrall step in as the starter; he guided the Colts to a 13–1 record and won the league's Most Valuable Player award. He also led Baltimore to its first NFL Championship in nine years before ineffective play in Super Bowl III saw him benched for Unitas. Two years later, in Super Bowl V, Morrall came off the bench for an injured Unitas and kept the Colts in the game before they won on a last-second field goal.

In his first season with Miami in 1972, he again came off the bench when Griese was injured early in the year, winning all nine of his starts. Morrall started the first two playoff games, with Griese appearing in each before being named the starter for the Super Bowl.