Top 50 NFL Quarterbacks: #5 - Otto Graham

Otto Graham

Otto Graham was the first great quarterback who started his career as a quarterback, an heir to Luckman and Baugh, the creators of the position. Graham is one of the greatest winners in the history of football, advancing to the championship game in all 10 seasons of his career, although the first 4 came in the AAFC, a small league that was eventually absorbed by the NFL.

The NFL does not consider AAFC statistics official, so Graham's first 4 seasons are not usually counted toward his career numbers, but since multiple teams from the AAFC joined the NFL when the league folded, and the Browns won the first title after the two merged, I feel the league should be seen as an equal and the stats should be counted.

When the AAFC and the Cleveland Browns finally joined the NFL in 1950, Graham had already won 4 straight championships in his first 4 seasons as a professional. In that season, Graham's numbers dropped significantly against slightly superior competition, but Cleveland still won their division and advanced to the title game, where they defeated the LA Rams, with Graham throwing 298 yards and 4 touchdowns.

In 1951, he played a little better during the regular season, and Cleveland finished at 11-1, but his 3 picks in the title game caused him to finish his season with a loss for the first time in his career. He bounced back the next season by leading the NFL in yardage, completions, attempts, touchdowns, and interceptions, and Cleveland's 8-4 record was good enough to get them back to the championship game, but he again choked in the championship, going without a touchdown pass.

In 1953 he decreased with pass attempts, but kept his passing yardage at the top of the league, which led to him leading the league in completion percentage, earning him the MVP while the Browns went 11-1. He again went without a TD in the title game, though, which caused their third straight failure to win a title.

He dropped his numbers back closer to the league average the next year, but still pushed the Browns to the title game, where he finally pulled it together, tossing 3 touchdowns as they knocked out the Lions, who had defeated them in 2 previous title games, 56-10.

In 1955, he had his least successful statistical season, yet was rewarded with his 2nd MVP award. He led them to the title game once again, playing just well enough to get them one last title before he retired at the end of the season. After he retired, the Browns missed the playoffs for the first time in their history, finishing with a losing record in 1956.

In all, he played 6 NFL seasons and 10 overall, getting to the championship game every single season and winning the title 7 times, 4 in the AAFC and 3 in the NFL. His overall career winning percentage was 81.4%, the highest of any player in history, and he was twice the league MVP. He is the only player in the history of pro sports to reach the title game in every season of his career (Bill Russell was close), and the only player with more total championships than Tom Brady, but his short career leaves him at #5 among the best of all time.