Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Autograph Tales:Don Strock

When naming the better backup quarterbacks of my youth, Don Strock has to be near the top of that list.  Actually, Strock might very well be the #1 backup quarterback of my youth.
Ironically, Strock started his career backing up veteran backup Earl Morrall, who was backing up Bob Griese.  Make sense?  Strock spent 17 seasons in the NFL (15 with the Dolphins, one with the Cleveland Browns and one with the Indianapolis Colts).  Strock would definitely be a member of the Backup QB Hall of Fame, if there was such a thing.
After playing, he coached in the Arena League, the World League, college and also in the NFL.  Strock also authored the book Behind the Lines: A Veteran Quarterback's Look Inside the NFL.
One of the biggest signs of how valuable Strock was can be found in him having several football cards.  It was unusual for a backup qb to have any cards.  Strock had five, two of which are shown below.  Extra points for having Earl Morrall lurking in the background of the top card.
We have all heard of Hall of Famer Bob Griese, Hall of Famer Dan Marino and Bernie Kosar.  Now, hopefully you know a bit more about Don Strock.

2 comments:

Jim from Downingtown said...

Strock is a good choice for an all-time backup.

I think Earl Morrall would have to be the first inductee (2 Super Bowls), followed by Billy Kilmer.

Johngy said...

Jim-
Thanks for stopping by.
Definitely on Morrall...first class unanimous choice.
I think Kilmer might have started too much to make the cut as a Backup QB HOF er (but that's just my vote).
I like Bob Lee, Bobby Scott, David Humm, but they don't have the titles like Morrall.