John Brodie

John Riley Brodie (August 14, 1935 – January 23, 2026) was an American professional football player who spent 17 seasons as a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. He excelled at both football and golf at Stanford University, earning consensus All-American honors in football as a senior in 1956. The 49ers selected him in the first round of the 1957 NFL draft with the third overall pick. Brodie started only 17 games across his first four seasons combined; the trade of Y. A. Tittle opened the way for him to become the primary starter beginning in 1962, a role he held for the next decade. He won three passing titles for San Francisco and once led the league in passing touchdowns. In 1970 he was named NFL Most Valuable Player after leading the 49ers to a 10–3–1 record and their first playoff appearance in 13 years. He guided the team to three consecutive NFC West divisional titles but lost in the playoffs each time. Brodie retired in 1973 to devote his time to the Church of Scientology, which he later disavowed. He went on to a second career as a Senior PGA Tour professional golfer and worked as a television broadcaster for both football and golf.