 Hadl in 1971 | |||||||||||||||||||
| No. 21, 12 | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Positions | |||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1940-02-15)February 15, 1940 Lawrence, Kansas, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Died | November 30, 2022(2022-11-30) (aged 82) Lawrence, Kansas, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 214 lb (97 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||
| High school | Lawrence | ||||||||||||||||||
| College | Kansas (1959–1961) | ||||||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1962: 1st round, 10th overall pick | ||||||||||||||||||
| AFL draft | 1962: 3rd round, 24th overall pick | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||
Playing | |||||||||||||||||||
Coaching | |||||||||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
| Career NFL/AFL statistics | |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
| Head coaching record | |||||||||||||||||||
| Regular season | 13–23 (.361) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Postseason | 1–1 (.500) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career | 14–24 (.368) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Coaching profile at Pro Football Reference | |||||||||||||||||||
John Willard Hadl(Pronounced: HAY-dull) (February 15, 1940 – November 30, 2022) was an American professionalfootball player who was aquarterback for 16 years in theAmerican Football League (AFL) andNational Football League (NFL). He won anAFL championship with theSan Diego Chargers in 1963. Hadl was named anAFL All-Star four times and was selected to twoPro Bowls. He was inducted into theChargers Hall of Fame.
Hadl playedcollege football for theKansas Jayhawks. A two-timeAll-American, he was elected to theCollege Football Hall of Fame. Hadl played in three AFL title games with San Diego before theleague's merger with the NFL. He finished his career with theLos Angeles Rams, theGreen Bay Packers and theHouston Oilers. He also played as apunter for five seasons.
Hadl was born inLawrence, Kansas, to Jess and Judy Hadl. His father was a mechanic. Hadl attendedLawrence High School, where he was an all-statehalfback.[1]
Hadl enrolled at theUniversity of Kansas, where he played for his hometownJayhawks.[2] After playing halfback on bothoffense anddefense as a sophomore, he playedquarterback for his last two years, and was selected as the school's Player of the Century.[3] He was anAll-American at halfback in 1960 and at quarterback in 1961.[4]
Hadl was the first Kansas player to be picked twice for All-America (1960 and1961) honors.[5] Hadl also excelled as adefensive back,punt returner, andpunter; he led the country with a 45.6-yard punting average in 1959.[3] Hadl's No. 21 jersey is one of only three Kansas hasretired.[2][5] Hadl was picked for the all-conference team for three seasons, and wound up with 1,345 yards passing and 1,041 yards rushing.[6] Hadl still holds two Kansas records: longest interception return, a 98-yard run againstTCU and longest punt, 94 yards versusOklahoma.[3]
With Hadl running the offense, the Jayhawks were ranked in the top 20 during his junior and senior years, finishing 15–5–2.[7] He wrapped up his Kansas career leading his team to a 33–7 win overRice in theBluebonnet Bowl.[8] He was also named MVP in theEast–West Shrine Game and the College All-Star Game.[9]
Hadl played at 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) and 210 lb (95 kg).[10] He joined theAmerican Football League'sSan Diego Chargers in1962, having decided to play with them over theDetroit Lions (who selected him in the first round (tenth overall) of theNFL draft).[2]
Hadl played in each game of his first season, although his use was more often in the second half than the first despite starting ten of fourteen games.[10] His first pass in the AFL was a fifteen-yard touchdown pass toBobby Jackson near the end of a 30–21 loss to theDenver Broncos.[11][12] He made his first start with the September 23 game against the Houston Oilers, although he went 1-of-4 for six yards before being taken out forDick Wood.[13] The Chargers had three quarterbacks during that season, includingJack Kemp. Hadl had his highs and lows during this time, such as throwing three touchdowns along with three interceptions (the first of three games with three interceptions) on 7-of-14 passes againstOakland in a 42–33 win. He won just one of his nine starts, doing so in a 11-of-24 effort for 161 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception game versus Oakland on December 2, 1962.[14]
Although the Chargers won four games that year, they improved to eleven in1963, owing to the acquisition of 35-year oldTobin Rote as the new starting quarterback.[15] While Rote started each game, Hadl did take action in mop-up duty, throwing 28-of-64 for 502 combined yards and six touchdowns and interceptions. Inthe AFL championship game, Rote and Hadl both got to play substantially againstBoston, as they blew out the Patriots 51–10, with Hadl going 7-of-11 for 132 yards with both a passing and a rushing touchdown. Hadl also made two punts for the Chargers, kicking two of them for 75 yards.[16][17]
The following year, Hadl started eight of the fourteen games while Rote did the other six. Hadl went 6-2 while throwing for 2,157 yards on eighteen touchdowns and fifteen interceptions with a 53.6 completion percentage, and he was named an AFL All-Star. However, in the1964 AFL championship game, it was Rote who started against theBuffalo Bills and old teammate Kemp, now quarterbacking the opponent. After Rote threw a miserable 10-of-26 for 118 yards and a touchdown with a hobbled receiving corps (Lance Alworth andKeith Lincoln each suffered injury), Hadl was put in, but he went 3-of-10 for 31 yards and an interception as the Chargers lost 20–7.[18][19] Hadl's punting duties increased, as he punted 62 times for 2,447 yards, with one of the kicks going 71 yards.[20]
In1965, he was named San Diego'sstarting quarterback and led the team to a 9–2–3 record while throwing 2,798 yards (a league high) for twenty touchdowns and 21 interceptions and a 50.0 completion percentage, all good for a second straight AFL-All Star appearance. Hadl made his third and final appearance in theAFL championship game that year. In his only start in said game, facing theBills again, Hadl threw 11-of-23 for 140 yards and two interceptions as the Chargers were trounced 23–0.[21] Hadl made punts for the second and last regular time, punting 38 times for 1,544 yards. Hadl would punt just three times for a hundred yards over the course of two separate seasons.[20]
Thefollowing year, he started twelve of fourteen games (Steve Tensi started the other two).[22] Hadl went 7–4–1 while throwing 2,846 yards for 23 touchdowns and fourteen interceptions for a 53.3 completion percentage, although the Chargers third-ranked offense was not enough for a playoff spot for the first time in four years.[22] Hadl began a streak during the fifth game of the season. On October 8, he threw a touchdown pass against theNew York Jets. For the rest of the season, Hadl would throw for at least one touchdown pass, and the streak would continue into the next season - his nineteen-game streak (October 8, 1966 - November 19, 1967) with at least one touchdown pass would be the longest streak by a quarterback in theAmerican Football League. Hadl played in each game of the1967 season, going 8–5–1 for 3,365 yards with 24 touchdowns and 22 interceptions while having a 50.8 completion percentage, and he led the league in yards gained per pass completion with 15.5. He improved further in1968, leading the league in completions, attempts, yards (3,473), touchdowns (27), and interceptions (32, which was a career high) while having a 47.3 completion percentage and an All-Star selection. Despite going 9–5, it was only good enough for third place in the Western Division. In the final season of the AFL in 1969, the Chargers were a team in turmoil. Famed coach (and future member of thePro Football Hall of Fame)Sid Gillman resigned due to health problems after going 4–5. Hadl played in ten games whileMarty Domres started four games, and Hadl won five of his starts. He passed for 2,253 yards with ten touchdowns and eleven interceptions for a 48.8 completion percentage, and Hadl was named an AFL All-Star once again.[23] In theAFL All-Star Game, he was named Most Valuable Player.
The Chargers had their fortunes dwindle in the prevailing years after theAFL–NFL merger, as they did not have another winning season until1978. Hadl quarterbacked San Diego for the first three of those seasons. In 1970, he went 4–5–3 while passing for 2,388 yards with 22 touchdowns and fifteen interceptions for a 49.5 completion percentage. He had prime numbers in the following year, as he led the league in completions, attempts, yards (3,075), touchdowns (21), and yards per game (219.6) while throwing for 25 interceptions and a 54.1 completion percentage with a 6–8 record. Hadl became the second quarterback in history to lead two different leagues in passing yards (the first wasOtto Graham), and it was third time in six years (1965, 1968) that he had led in passing.
In his final year with the Chargers in1972, he went 4–9–1, passing for 2,449 yards with fifteen touchdowns and 26 interceptions (a league high) while having a 51.4 completion percentage and a Pro Bowl selection.
Hadl was traded to theLos Angeles Rams in January1973 fordefensive endCoy Bacon and running backBob Thomas.[24][25] In his only full season with the Rams, he had his first winning season since 1968 and first playoff appearance since 1965 as he led them to a 12–2 record, passing for 2,008 yards with 22 touchdowns and eleven interceptions while having a 52.3 completion percentage. He was named theNational Football Conference (NFC) Player of the Year byUPI and selected to thePro Bowl that season.[1] In theplayoffs that year, the Rams faced theDallas Cowboys (10–4) atTexas Stadium, as the NFL playoffs at the time only included eight teams with rotated hosting duties. He went 7-of-23 for 133 yards with an interception as they lost 27–16; a late fourth quarter rally in which the Rams cut a 17 point deficit to one point was blunted whenDrew Pearson caught a short pass and went 83 yards for a touchdown when two Ram defenders collided.[26]
Thefollowing year was a turning point for two franchises. Hadl started the first five games for the Rams, then was replaced byJames Harris during an upset loss to theGreen Bay Packers inMilwaukee to fall to 3–2.[27][28] The next game, a 37–14 home win overrivalSan Francisco, was the first NFL start for Harris,[29] and 34-year-old Hadl was traded two days later to Green Bay for five draft picks—first and second round picks for 1975 and 1976, as well as a third round pick in 1975.[30]
Reportedly, head coach and general managerDan Devine felt that an experienced quarterback was the only thing standing between the Packers and only their second playoff appearance since1967, and it came about after an attempted trade forArchie Manning and theNew Orleans Saints fell through.[31] The trade turned out to be an unmitigated disaster; it is reckoned as one of the worst (if notthe worst) trades for a starting quarterback in NFL history, at least in terms of relevance. Devine had led them to a combined record of 19—19–4 in his first three seasons, which included a playoff loss in1972. The Packers finished 6–8 in 1974 and Devine left forNotre Dame, which left the door open forBart Starr to take over as head coach. While he would lead them to one playoff win as a coach, Starr had just three of nine seasons with eight wins.
At the same time, the Rams used the picks acquired in the trade to acquire many of the players that allowed them to dominate theNFC West for the rest of the 1970s and lead them to an appearance inSuper Bowl XIV.[32] In later years, when asked for his thoughts on the infamous deal, Hadl himself expressed the surprise he felt, in 1974, at being sent to Green Bay: "I really didn't believe it... I didn't think anyone would be that desperate."[33]
Meanwhile, with a combined record of 6–5 on two teams, Hadl threw for 1,752 yards with eight touchdowns and fourteen interceptions and a 47.5 completion percentage. His only full season with the Packers was in 1975, and with a miserable front line, he threw for six touchdowns and 21 interceptions for 2,095 yards and a 54.1 completion percentage while being sacked 35 times in a 4–9 season.
Hadl moved to theHouston Oilers in1976, mostly in mop up duty for starterDan Pastorini. He started six games over two seasons and won just once while throwing seven total touchdowns to eleven interceptions for 710 yards.
Despite his tenure with Green Bay, Hadl finished with astarting record of 82–76–9 in his professional career. At the time of his retirement, Hadl was sixth all time in wins at the quarterback position with 82. With the exception ofRoman Gabriel, each of those quarterbacks are in thePro Football Hall of Fame. He ranks 40th in all-time wins, although he has more wins than Hall of Famers that played in his era such asSonny Jurgensen,Joe Namath, andGeorge Blanda.
Hadl holds the NFL record for the most tied games (nine) by a starting quarterback. Hadl wore No. 21 for nearly his entire NFL career, aside from his first season with Green Bay when he briefly wore No. 12. He was the last regular starting quarterback to wear a uniform number greater than No. 19 before the NFL adopted a rigid uniform numbering system in 1973. Hadl was still on the top ten of most touchdowns thrown by a quarterback as late as 1999 (over twenty years after retirement), with him and two others in that list not being members of the Hall of Fame (Dave Krieg andBoomer Esiason being the others), as his former peak of fifth has receded to 26 with the advent of increased passing in subsequent years.[34]
Hadl was inducted into theChargers Hall of Fame in 1983.[35] TheProfessional Football Researchers Association named him to the PFRA Hall of Very Good Class of 2006.[36]
Upon retiring as a player after the 1977 season, Hadl returned to his alma mater and served as quarterback coach underBud Moore at the University of Kansas in 1978. From 1979 to 1981, he remained at KU, moving up to offensive coordinator under new head coachDon Fambrough. At this time, he was pegged as the "unnamed assistant football coach" who provided improper benefits to Kansas recruits in the early 1980s, resulting in theNCAA imposing sanctions on the football program. Hadl consistently denied any wrongdoing and his tenure with Kansas athletics hasn't yielded any suggestion of rules violations.[37][38]
Unable to return to the program after 1981, he moved on to theLos Angeles Rams as an assistant coach in 1982. In 1983, he joined theDenver Broncos as the quarterback coach, where he was tasked with turning highly touted draft pickJohn Elway into a franchise quarterback.[1]
After one season, Hadl decided to move on and became the head coach of theLos Angeles Express of theUnited States Football League (USFL) during 1984 and 1985, compiling a record of 13–23 in the regular season, 1–1 in the postseason. Hadl would later call this decision a "career blunder."[10]
Hadl ended his career as associateathletic director at the University of Kansas.[39]
Hadl died on November 30, 2022, at the age of 82.[40]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Won theAFL Championship | |
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Avg | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
| 1962 | SD | 14 | 10 | 1–9 | 107 | 260 | 41.2 | 1,632 | 6.3 | 15 | 24 | 43.3 | 40 | 139 | 3.5 | 1 |
| 1963 | SD | 14 | 0 | — | 28 | 64 | 43.8 | 502 | 7.8 | 6 | 6 | 63.4 | 8 | 26 | 3.3 | 0 |
| 1964 | SD | 14 | 8 | 6–2 | 147 | 274 | 53.6 | 2,157 | 7.9 | 18 | 15 | 78.7 | 20 | 70 | 3.5 | 1 |
| 1965 | SD | 14 | 14 | 9–2–3 | 174 | 348 | 50.0 | 2,798 | 8.0 | 20 | 21 | 71.3 | 28 | 91 | 3.3 | 1 |
| 1966 | SD | 14 | 12 | 7–4–1 | 200 | 375 | 53.3 | 2,846 | 7.6 | 23 | 14 | 83.0 | 38 | 95 | 2.5 | 2 |
| 1967 | SD | 14 | 14 | 8–5–1 | 217 | 427 | 50.8 | 3,365 | 7.9 | 24 | 22 | 74.5 | 37 | 107 | 2.9 | 3 |
| 1968 | SD | 14 | 14 | 9–5 | 208 | 440 | 47.3 | 3,473 | 7.9 | 27 | 32 | 64.5 | 23 | 14 | 0.6 | 2 |
| 1969 | SD | 14 | 10 | 5–5 | 158 | 324 | 48.8 | 2,253 | 7.0 | 10 | 11 | 67.8 | 26 | 109 | 4.2 | 2 |
| 1970 | SD | 14 | 12 | 4–5–3 | 162 | 327 | 49.5 | 2,388 | 7.3 | 22 | 15 | 77.1 | 28 | 188 | 6.7 | 1 |
| 1971 | SD | 14 | 14 | 6–8 | 233 | 431 | 54.1 | 3,075 | 7.1 | 21 | 25 | 68.9 | 18 | 75 | 4.2 | 1 |
| 1972 | SD | 14 | 14 | 4–9–1 | 190 | 370 | 51.4 | 2,449 | 6.6 | 15 | 26 | 56.7 | 22 | 99 | 4.5 | 1 |
| 1973 | LA | 14 | 14 | 12–2 | 135 | 258 | 52.3 | 2,008 | 7.8 | 22 | 11 | 88.8 | 14 | 5 | 0.4 | 0 |
| 1974 | LA | 6 | 5 | 3–2 | 53 | 115 | 46.1 | 680 | 5.9 | 5 | 6 | 57.9 | 11 | 28 | 2.5 | 0 |
| GB | 8 | 6 | 3–3 | 89 | 184 | 48.4 | 1,072 | 5.8 | 3 | 8 | 54.0 | 8 | -3 | -0.4 | 0 | |
| 1975 | GB | 14 | 13 | 4–9 | 191 | 353 | 54.1 | 2,095 | 5.9 | 6 | 21 | 52.8 | 20 | 47 | 2.4 | 0 |
| 1976 | HOU | 14 | 4 | 1–3 | 60 | 113 | 53.1 | 634 | 5.6 | 7 | 8 | 60.9 | 7 | 11 | 1.6 | 0 |
| 1977 | HOU | 14 | 2 | 0–2 | 11 | 24 | 48.5 | 76 | 3.2 | 0 | 3 | 13.9 | 3 | 11 | 3.7 | 1 |
| Career | 224 | 166 | 82–75–9 | 2,363 | 4,687 | 50.4 | 33,503 | 7.1 | 244 | 268 | 67.4 | 351 | 1,112 | 3.2 | 16 | |
| Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Avg | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
| 1963 | SD | 1 | 0 | — | 7 | 11 | 63.6 | 132 | 12.0 | 1 | 0 | 135.4 | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 |
| 1964 | SD | 1 | 0 | — | 3 | 10 | 30.0 | 31 | 3.1 | 0 | 1 | 0.4 | 1 | 13 | 13.0 | 0 |
| 1965 | SD | 1 | 1 | 0–1 | 11 | 23 | 47.8 | 140 | 6.1 | 0 | 2 | 31.1 | 8 | 24 | 3.0 | 0 |
| 1973 | LA | 1 | 1 | 0–1 | 7 | 23 | 30.4 | 133 | 5.8 | 0 | 1 | 33.4 | 2 | 10 | 5.0 | 0 |
| Career | 4 | 2 | 0–2 | 28 | 67 | 41.8 | 436 | 6.5 | 1 | 4 | 44.1 | 12 | 48 | 4.0 | 1 | |