Norm Van Brocklin is one of the most important quarterbacks in Rams history. He made it to the team in the 1949 NFL Draft, a fourth-round pick, and after a long career there and then with the Philadelphia Eagles, he finally made it into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
He played in several big games and threw a lot of big touchdown passes. Here’s a look at five interesting facts about Norm Van Brocklin’s touchdown passes.
#1 The first TD pass Norm Van Brocklin threw in the NFL came in the first game of his rookie season. It was a game-tying fourth-quarter touchdown en route to a 27-24 comeback over the Detroit Lions. It went for 19 yards and was caught by Elroy Hirsch.
#2 No one had more touchdown receptions by Hall of Famer Norm Van Brocklin than fellow Hall of Famer Elroy “Crazy Legs” Hirsch with 32.
#3 When it comes to who Van Brocklin threw the most touchdown passes against, it’s a tie. He threw 22 touchdown passes against the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions. That’s more than he’s pitched against any other team in the league.
#4 Norm Van Brocklin completed TD passes to four eventual Pro Football Hall of Famers during his career: Elroy Hirsch, Tom Fears, Andy Robustelli and Tommy McDonald.
#5 Van Brocklin threw 171 touchdown passes during his career. He threw the first 116 as a member of the Los Angeles Rams for nine seasons. He played the last three years of his career with the Philadelphia Eagles and threw another 55 touchdown passes there. Even though he only played a third of the time in Philadelphia as he did in Los Angeles, he was able to throw nearly half as many touchdown passes.
