RIP Earl Morrall

Last night we lost an NFL legend with the passing of Earl Morrall at the age of 79, former QB for six different teams but most notable were his final two the Baltimore Colts and Miami Dolphins.

 

What is a travesty is the limited coverage of his death, there is almost no mention of it besides a little blurb here or a photo gallery there. He may not be in the Hall of Fame but he won when the team needed him to win. In Baltimore he replaced the injured legend Johnny U and he lead the Colts to Super Bowl III, where they lost to the Jets, but two years later he replaced Johnny U after he was injured during Super Bowl V and won the game. A year later he went to the Dolphins where he replaced an injured Bob Griese and led the 1972 Dolphins to the only undefeated team in NFL history and another win in Super Bowl VII. A year later (again) he led the Dolphins to another win at Super Bowl VIII.

 

So if you are counting that is three Super Bowl wins in four trips, the only undefeated team in NFL history (1972 Dolphins), the 1968 MVP and the 1972 Comeback Player of the Year. This was all after a rather successful college career at Michigan State where he played football and baseball and was the 1956 NFL Draft #2 pick by the 49ers.

 

Morrall’s rookie card, 1957 Topps, can be found around $30-40 range and his autograph can still be picked for $10 or less. His autograph selection is pretty limited; 1997 Upper Deck Legends, 1999 Fleer Sports Illustrated, 1999 SP Signature Edition, 2000 Fleer Greats of the Game and 2005 Topps All-American. The 1999 Fleer Sports Illustrated seems to be the most common and to me seems like the nicest (and cheapest) option.