Ron Jaworski, Brad Johnson, Michael Vick to be Inducted into National Quarterback Hall of Fame
The National Quarterback Club (NQBC) announced today that Ron Jaworski, Brad Johnson, and Michael Vick will be inducted into the National Quarterback Club Hall of Fame at the 2022 NQBC Awards Dinner and Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on February 24, 2023. NQBC will also name the National Quarterback of the Year in professional, college, and high school ranks. The reception will begin at 5 p.m. at The Scottsdale Resort at McCormick Ranch, with the awards dinner and induction ceremony commencing at 6:30 p.m.
The National Quarterback Club honors uniquely courageous actions and believes that telling the stories of those who act with leadership and courage inspires future generations to follow that example. “These awards represent not just great quarterbacks for performances on the field, but great men who have made a difference in their communities off the field since retiring from the game,” said Don Kile, NQBC President. “For as long as we have known them, these men have demonstrated unstoppable determination in every aspect of their lives. They teach us, every day, that kindness is the most admirable of human qualities, and, in their own way, that success has no expiration date and success is no accident... that perseverance and courage matter."
About the Class of 2022 Hall of Fame Inductees
Ron Jaworski
Ron Jaworski’s athletic life began in Lackawanna, New York, as a three-sport high school letterman. After graduating from high school, he passed on an MLB draft selection by the St. Louis Cardinals to attend Youngstown State University (YSU). At YSU, he set every school passing record and earned himself a selection to the Senior Bowl as well as honors in the Youngstown State Athletic Hall of Fame.
Drafted in the second round of the 1973 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams, Jaworski was originally an overlooked third-string quarterback behind John Hadl and James “Shack” Harris. Due to injuries sustained by Hadl and Harris, Jaworski began to see playing time in 1975, when he led the Rams to win his first-ever playoff game over the St. Louis Cardinals, throwing 12-of-23 for 203 yards while running for a touchdown in the 35-23 win. Jaworski’s performance sent the Rams to their second straight NFC Championship Game.
After four years in Los Angeles with Hadl, Harris, and Pat Haden, Jaworski was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in the spring of 1977. Under Coach Dick Vermeil, Jaworski was given the opportunity to start for the up-and-coming Eagles. Things were not easy for the young quarterback but Vermeil stood by his developing signal caller. Soon the Eagles became a playoff-worthy team. Slowly, Jaworski and Vermeil built the Eagles into a Super Bowl team with wide receiver Harold Carmichael and running back Wilbert Montgomery.
The 1980 season was, perhaps, Jaworski’s most spectacular season. He led the Eagles to an 11-1 record in the regular season, including defeating the Oakland Raiders, the eventual Super Bowl champions. In the post-season, the Eagles won the NFC Eastern Division Championship for the first time since 1960 by defeating the Minnesota Vikings in the division round with a brilliant come-from-behind 31-16 victory. This propelled the Eagles to the NFC Championship Game with division rivals, the Dallas Cowboys. In 12-degree weather, Jaworski pocketed the Eagles’ passing game and pulled off a rushing attack for 13 unanswered points in the second half after being tied at halftime to win 20-7. The win advanced the Eagles to their first-ever Super Bowl. The Eagles would lose to the Oakland Raiders in a thrilling 27-10 battle. Jaworski’s 1980 performance resulted in many honors, including UPI Player of the Year, the Bert Bell Award, Maxwell Football Club’s Professional Player of the Year, and Dunlop Professional Athlete of the Year.
In 1981, Jaworski led the Eagles to a fourth straight playoff appearance. Following a shaky performance in the 1985 season opener, Jaworski was benched and replaced by rookie Randall Cunningham. Jaworski subsequently regained the starting role and performed well, earning NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors in Week 7.
Jaworski suffered an injury in 1986, making Cunningham the starting quarterback for the rest of the season. The Eagles did not re-sign Jaworski at the end of the season and he was released. He finished with a record of 69 wins, 67 losses, and one tie as the Eagles starting quarterback. Jaworski would play three more seasons in the NFL with stints with the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs.
When Jaworski retired from the game in 1989, he finished his 17-season career with 2,187 completions on 4,117 attempts for 28,190 yards, 179 touchdowns, and 164 interceptions. He rushed for 859 yards and 16 touchdowns. At the time of his retirement, he held the record for most consecutive starts by a quarterback with 116. At his retirement, Jaworski was the Eagles' all-time leader in wins, passing yards, pass completions, pass attempts, and passing touchdowns, until those totals were broken by Donovan McNabb.
Brad Johnson
Brad Johnson’s 17-year professional football career and athletic life is an unlikely and likable story that begins with High School All-American football honors and a walk-on basketball start for Florida State University. It includes a Super Bowl championship with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, two Pro Bowls, and a list of performance records.
Born in Marietta, Georgia, Johnson attended Charles D. Owen High School in Black Mountain, North Carolina, where he received high school All-American honors as a quarterback on the football team and all-state honors as a member of the basketball team. After graduating high school in 1987, Johnson attended Florida State University where he would start 11 basketball games as a freshman walk-on for the Seminoles during his football red-shirt year. A year later, Johnson joined the football team with Coach Bobby Bowden and served as a holder in every game, plus two games as quarterback.
Johnson was not a big star at Florida State. In fact, he never spent an entire season as a starting quarterback. But there is no denying his game sense and arm talent. He would prove himself to be a determined and reliable asset off the bench at crucial points in big games – foreshadowing an outstanding career full of determination and perseverance.
In the 1992 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings drafted Johnson in the 9th round as the 227th overall pick. As third-string quarterback behind starter Rich Gannon and backup Sean Salisbury, Johnson would dress for only for one game as a rookie in 1992, but did not play. In 1993, Johnson continued to be the third-string quarterback for the first 10 games of the season and was inactive for the final six.
In 1994, as a backup to Warren Moon, Johnson played his first NFL regular season game in a Week 3, 42-14 win over the Chicago Bears. Johnson would play in three more games in 1994 to post a win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and a loss to the Detroit Lions.
It was in the spring of 1995, during the NFL off-season, when Johnson truly broke away from the inveterate role of the “NFL Red Shirt,” as the backup quarterback behind Gannon, Salisbury, Moon, and Jim McMahon. It was this bold and brave move that begins the story of this extraordinary career for this extraordinary man.
Johnson joined the London Monarchs of the World League, an American football league based in Europe. In his one season in the World League, he completed 194 of 328 passes for 2,227 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. Johnson logged the most completions of all World League quarterbacks in 1995. This brought a much-needed kickstart to Brad’s career where he honed his game management skills and proved himself as a worthy starting quarterback.
Back with Minnesota in the fall of 1995, Johnson would get five games in for the Vikings. In 1996, Johnson started eight of 12 games. Twice, Johnson earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors, and he finished third in the NFC with an 89.4 passer rating.
Starting the first 12 games of 1997, Johnson would set a team record with 15 straight games with a touchdown pass. In four consecutive games, he posted no interceptions in 109 consecutive passes before a neck injury ended his season.
In 1998, Vikings coach Dennis Green formally named Randall Cunningham as the Vikings starting quarterback and traded Brad Johnson to Washington where he would post career-high stats including 4,005 yards passing, 24 touchdowns, 13 interceptions, and a 90.0 passer rating. His 316 completions set a Washington team record and his 4,005 passing yards ranks fifth all-time in team history.
Johnson would spend two years in Washington and earn his first Pro Bowl honor before joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2001, with former Vikings Assistant Coach Tony Dungy for Dungy’s last season with the Buccaneers. That year, Johnson broke the Buccaneers team records with 3,406 yards passing on 340 completions and 540 attempts.
In the 2002 season, he led the Buccaneers to their first Super Bowl championship and earned his second Pro Bowl appearance. Johnson would play six more years in the NFL with a second stint in Minnesota and two years in Dallas. Johnson’s career would play out in a familiar fashion coming off the bench to relieve a struggling Daunte Culpepper to lead the Vikings to end the 2005 season on a six-game winning streak. And, off the bench to replace an injured Tony Romo.
When Brad Johnson retired from his 17-year professional career, he left the tote board full having completed over 60% of his passes for 13 straight seasons, the first quarterback in NFL history to do so. Johnson eclipsed the 3,000-yard passing mark five times, including the career high of 4,005 yards in 1999. He had the top passer rating in the NFC in 2002, and he has earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors seven times in his career. He had also broken almost every passer record at Tampa Bay.
Michael Vick
Michael Vick’s athletic life began in Newport News, Virginia. Growing up, Vick learned his early football lessons from Aaron Brooks, an older second cousin. Brooks kept Vick focused on activities that would hone his athletic skillset and introduced him to the watchful eyes of coach and mentor, Tommy Reamon, who had gained the family’s trust by guiding Brooks through high school. Coach Reamon would mentor Vick for three years starting at Warwick High School, where he would log 4,846 yards passing and 43 touchdowns in the air. On the ground, Vick was a formidable opponent with 1,048 yards rushing and 18 touchdowns.
Vick departed his home in Newport News with a Virginia Tech scholarship in his hand. In his first collegiate game as a redshirt freshman in 1999, Vick scored three rushing touchdowns in just over one quarter of game. That year, he would lead the Hokies to an 11–0 undefeated season and into the national title championship game in the Sugar Bowl against Florida State. Although Virginia Tech would lose the game and the championship 46–29, Vick brought the team back from a 21-point deficit to take a brief lead.
As a freshman, Vick led the NCAA and set the NCAA record for passing efficiency for a freshman with a staggering 180.4 passer rating and the third-highest all-time mark. Vick won the ESPY Award as the top collegiate player. He was the first-ever recipient of the Archie Griffin Award, naming college football’s most valuable player. He was invited to the 1999 Heisman Trophy presentation and finished third in the voting, the highest finishing position ever by a freshman up to that point.
Vick would play just two years of college football before opting to enter the 2001 NFL Draft. The desire to create a better life for his family in Newport News was the foundation of that decision. Although football was where Vick had seen his recent success, a few months before the 2001 NFL Draft, he was taken in the 30th round of the 2000 MLB Draft by the Colorado Rockies, despite not playing any baseball since the 8th grade. Staying on the gridiron path, Vick was selected first in the 2001 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons, becoming the first Black quarterback to be selected as the top NFL pick.
He saw limited action in his rookie year but honed his skills and took the starting role in Atlanta in 2002, where he would make 15 starts, throw for 2,936 yards, and 16 touchdowns. He also set the then-NFL record for most rushing yards by a quarterback in a single game and throwing 177 passes without an interception. Vick would receive his first of four Pro Bowl honors that season.
In August 2007, Vick's NFL career came to a halt after he plead guilty to federal charges in the widely publicized Bad Newz Kennels dog fighting investigation. His arrest, subsequent conviction, and 21 months in a federal prison garnered Vick a notoriety that lasted throughout the rest of his playing career. The NFL suspended him indefinitely without pay for violating its player conduct policy and the Falcons released Vick shortly before leaving prison.
After serving his sentence, Vick signed with the Philadelphia Eagles for the 2009 season with the support of Eagles quarterback, Donovan McNabb and the mentorship of Coach Tony Dungy. As a member of the Eagles for five years, he enjoyed his greatest statistical season in 2010, earning him Comeback Player of the Year honors and his fourth Pro Bowl selection. He would also win the Bert Bell Award, finished second with 11 first-place votes for the NFL MVP, and be recognized by the Eagles in 2011 with their franchise tag. In his final two NFL seasons, Vick played one year each with the New York Jets and Pittsburg Steelers.
Michael Vick officially retired in 2017, after 13 playing years in the NFL. His career concluded with 22,464 yards passing and 133 touchdowns. He also ran for 6,109 yards and an additional 36 touchdowns, making him, arguably the Number 1 dual-threat quarterback in the history of the game. Vick joined Fox Sports in 2017 as an analyst and co-host of an NFL pregame show and continues to contribute to NFL coverage across all studio programming.
About the National Quarterback Club
The National Quarterback Club is guided by a comprehensive mission, a clear vision, and consistent values. Through its various award programs, the club recognizes outstanding athletes for their qualities and achievements on and off the playing field and serves as a model for comprehensive excellence in athletic achievement, academic success, and greater social affinity. In 1985, the National Quarterback Club began a tradition of hosting annual fundraising events to honor the National Quarterback of the Year in professional, collegiate, and high school ranks. Annual awards dinners have been hosted in great sports cities such as Washington D.C., Miami, Tampa Bay, Jacksonville, Charlotte, Green Bay, Denver, St. Louis, Minneapolis, Houston, and Scottsdale, Arizona.
For more information about the National Quarterback Club, the awards dinner, and the Hall of Fame induction ceremony visit www.nationalqbclub.com. A limited number of media credentials can be reserved by emailing info@nationalqbclub.com.