 Laufenberg at the2010 World Series | |||||||||||
| No. 12, 15, 16, 11 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Quarterback | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born | (1959-12-05)December 5, 1959 (age 66) Burbank, California, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||
| Listed weight | 195 lb (88 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school | Crespi Carmelite(Encino, California) | ||||||||||
| College | Indiana | ||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1983: 6th round, 168th overall pick | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
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* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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Brandon Hugh "Babe" Laufenberg (born December 5, 1959) is an American former professionalfootball player who was aquarterback in theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theIndiana Hoosiers and was selected in the sixth round of the1983 NFL draft. He played in the NFL for theWashington Redskins,San Diego Chargers,New Orleans Saints,Dallas Cowboys, andKansas City Chiefs. He also was a member of theOhio Glory in theWorld League of American Football (WLAF).
Laufenberg grew up inEncino, California and was dubbed Babe by his brother Jeff because he was the youngest in the family. He attendedCrespi Carmelite High School, where he was a two-year starter atquarterback and left as the school's all-time leading passer with 2,678 yards on 184 completions.
As a senior, he received ParadeAll-American and All-Southern Section honors, after leading his team to the playoffs. He also playedbaseball and was drafted by theSan Francisco Giants.
Laufenberg accepted a football scholarship fromStanford University, whereBill Walsh was the head coach at the time. He wasredshirted as a freshman behindSteve Dils. The next yearJohn Elway enrolled at the school, so Laufenberg decided to transfer to theUniversity of Missouri after being listed third-string on the depth chart. At the time, Missouri had just implemented theveer offense andPhil Bradley was the starting quarterback, so he opted to transfer at the end of his first semester toLos Angeles Pierce College near his home.[1]
In 1980, Laufenberg passed for 1,590 yards and received offers fromBig Ten Conference schools. He accepted a scholarship from head coachLee Corso atIndiana University Bloomington, where he became a two-year starter atquarterback for theHoosiers.[2]
As a junior, Laufenberg had a 3–8 record, registering 1,788 passing yards, 8touchdowns and 11interceptions. In his final year, he posted a 5–6 record, 2,468 passing yards, 11touchdowns and 14interceptions, receiving honorable-mentionAll-Big Ten honors.[3]
Laufenberg finished his college career with school records for single-season passing yards (2,468), single-game passing yards (390), career pass completions (361), single-season pass completions (217), single-game pass completions (34), single-season attempts (364), career completion percentage (.586), single-season completion percentage (.596). He also was 2–0 againstPurdue University.
Laufenberg was selected by theWashington Redskins in the sixth round (168th overall) of the1983 NFL draft. He was also selected by theChicago Blitz in the 20th round (235th overall) of the1983 USFL draft. As a rookie, he was declared inactive for every game as the third-string quarterback, on a team that reachedSuper Bowl XVIII. The next year, he was placed on theinjured reserve list with a strained shoulder.
In1985, he competed withJay Schroeder for the backup position behindJoe Theismann. He was waived on September 2, after the team decided to keep only two quarterbacks on the roster.
On October 1,1985, Laufenberg was signed by theSan Diego Chargers to backupMark Herrmann after starterDan Fouts suffered a knee injury,[4] but was cut on October 15, to make room forquarterbackJoe Dufek.[5]
On November 21,1985, Laufenberg was signed to back upJay Schroeder for the final five games of the season, afterlinebackerLawrence Taylor broke Theismann's right leg onMonday Night Football.[6]
In1986, he competed for a backup position in preseason against the recently signedDoug Williams and rookieMark Rypien. He was released on August 26.[7]
Though he never appeared in a regular season or playoff game during his time with the Redskins, Laufenberg was a very popular player with the fans and the media. He was called "Mr. August" for his come-from-behind wins in preseason.[8]
On August 28,1986, Laufenberg was claimed off waivers by theNew Orleans Saints, but was released four days later, when the team decided to keep only two quarterbacks.[9] On September 22, he was brought back afterBobby Hebert suffered a broken foot and got a chance to play in his first regular-season game, coming in to run out the clock in a 38–7 win against Tampa Bay.[10][11]
On May 28,1987, Laufenberg was signed as afree agent by theKansas City Chiefs and was released on September 1.[12]
On September 14,1987, he was signed to serve as Williams' backup after Schroeder sprained his right shoulder in the season opener. The players would go on a strike on the third week of the season, those games were canceled (reducing the 16-game season to 15) and theNFL decided that the next games would be played with replacement players.
Although he didn't cross the picket line, he was released when Schroeder returned to the lineup on October 27.[13] Because he was on the roster for only two games, he missed out on getting aSuper Bowl share by one game.
On April 21,1988, he was signed as afree agent by theSan Diego Chargers, reuniting with new offensive coordinatorJerry Rhome who was his quarterback coach with the Redskins. Presented with an opportunity to compete for the starter job that was left open with Fouts retirement,[14] he beat outMark Malone and got a chance to record his first start and thrown pass in theNFL.[15]
Laufenberg started the first 6 games of season, before suffering 3 broken ribs against theNew Orleans Saints.[16] He appeared in 8 games, registered 2 wins, while completing 69 of 144 passes for 778 yards with 4 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. He was cut on April 17,1989.[17]
In1989, he signed with theDallas Cowboys, reuniting with Rhome who was the team's quarterback coach. He would also make the roster by beatingScott Secules for the third-string quarterback job.[18]
In1990, he was moved to the backup quarterback position afterSteve Walsh was traded to theNew Orleans Saints, 3 games into the season. The Cowboys had a 7–8 record and needed one win to secure a playoff berth, when Laufenberg was forced into action afterquarterbackTroy Aikman injured his right shoulder against thePhiladelphia Eagles, resulting in a 17–3 loss.[19] Facing theAtlanta Falcons (4–11) in the last game of the year as the starter, he completed 10 passes in 24 attempts for 129 yards and one touchdown, in a 26–7 loss that positioned the Saints for the final playoff wild card spot.[20]
The next season, the team went intotraining camp with Aikman, Laufenberg,Cliff Stoudt and fourth-round draft choiceBill Musgrave at quarterback. He was cut on July 30,1991.[21] On August 25, the Cowboys traded forSteve Beuerlein to improve the backup position and released Stoudt and Musgrave, opting to keep just 2 quarterbacks.
Laufenberg is also credited with givingDaryl Johnston the nickname "Moose". In the offensive meetings, Johnston towered over the other fullbacks and Laufenberg said that he looked like, "A moose in a herd of deer".[22]
In1992, he was working as a sportscaster for the Cowboys' flagship radio station KVIL, when he was drafted number 2 overall by theOhio Glory of theWorld League of American Football.[23] He started the first 2 games before being passed on the depth chart byPat O'Hara. He later got a chance to start in one additional game for an injured O'Hara.[24] He posted 622 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, 6 interceptions and was sacked 14 times.
Laufenberg was the lead sports anchor and Sports Director forKTVT television inFort Worth, from 1997 to January 14, 2015, but continues to serve as acolor analyst on theDallas Cowboys Radio Network. His co-host,Brad Sham, has called him the best color analyst in the business. The National Sports Media Association has named him 'Texas Sportscaster of the Year' three times.[25]
In 2019, Laufenberg's son, Luke, died at age 21 oflymphoma.[26]