Bob Waterfield

Football Player

• Born: July 26, 1920
• Birthplace: Elmira, New York
• Died: March 25, 1983
• Place of death: Burbank, California

Sport: Football

Early Life

Robert Waterfield was born on July 26, 1920, in Elmira, New York. Bob spent his early boyhood playing ball in the vacant lots of his upstate New York hometown. Later on, his family moved to Van Nuys, California. When he entered high school, he weighed less than 150 pounds. For an aspiring football player, he was considered underweight.

Bob was determined to go to college following his high school graduation. His parents did not have enough money to pay his tuition, so Bob decided to take a job in an aircraft factory in order to earn enough money to attend the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). His factory job was a tedious one, but it paid well enough. Bob worked diligently at this job, in addition to keeping up with his schoolwork. Somehow, he still found the time and energy to play high school football in his off-hours.

The Road to Excellence

In time, all that football practice paid off. His talent for the sport became obvious to everyone who watched him play. When he finally graduated from high school, UCLA made him its first-string quarterback. Bob played so well that year that his team won the conference title and played in the Rose Bowl. By then, Bob had become a gifted athlete.

In 1943, Bob decided to leave college and become an officer in the United States Army. He enlisted in the Army’s Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia. He did not stay long with the Army, though, as he suffered an injury to his knee. When he was given a medical discharge, he went back to finish his degree at UCLA. Before long, the Cleveland Rams heard that Bob Waterfield was back in the quarterback business. They quickly signed him in 1945.

The Emerging Champion

Bob’s first year with the Rams was sensational: He led his team to a NFL Championship. The highlight of that season was Cleveland’s defeat of the Washington Redskins. Bob’s contribution to that victory was immeasurable. He threw 2 touchdown passes and completed 14 of 17 passes. As a result, he made all-pro in his first year as a professional football player. In addition, another remarkable award was presented to him: He won the coveted most valuable player award, the Carr Trophy, which, for the first time ever, was presented to a first-year player.

In 1945, after the football season was over, the Cleveland Rams moved to Los Angeles. There, Bob continued to demonstrate his remarkable versatility on the playing field. By 1946, he was the highest-paid NFL player of the time, with a yearly salary of $20,000. From 1949 through 1951, Bob led the Rams to the Western Conference title. His abilities as a field general, as well as a talented runner, passer, and kicker, were crucial to these victories. In 1946, Bob demonstrated his exceptional abilities as a passer, leading the league in completions. He was one of the first quarterbacks to throw the long pass consistently on third down.

Bob’s NFL career spanned eight years. In that time, he scored 98 touchdowns and kicked 60 field goals. He threw 1,617 passes and completed 813 of them, for a total of 11,849 yards. His remarkable ability to boot 88-yard punts gave a career total of 315 punts for 13,382 total yards. On defense, he made 127 interceptions. As a result of these achievements, Bob was recognized with all-pro honors for two years during his eight seasons.

Punting was a specialty of Bob, whose lifetime punting average was 42.4 yards. In 1951, during the Western Conference championship, Bob performed his greatest punts and field-goal kicks ever. Eighty thousand fans watched the Rams play the Detroit Lions. During that game Bob did not let the fans down. From positions all over the field, Waterfield kicked five field goals—an NFL record at the time.

Continuing the Story

Bob’s versatility made him successful on the field. Early on, he proved to be an exceptional passer and an adept runner. He was superb at punting, at kicking field goals, and at leading his team. Because of this, he has been described as the most versatile quarterback ever. He is generally credited with introducing the “bomb,” a long pass that results in a touchdown. The bomb is now a standard NFL play. In Bob’s day, most teams were reluctant to use this long pass. When Bob came on the scene, however, he used it often, lofting 40- and 50-yard passes that caught the defense off guard.

Bob retired from professional football in 1952. In 1965, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. He died on March 25, 1983, in Burbank, California.

Summary

Bob Waterfield was the first football player ever to receive most valuable player recognition in his first year as a professional. Remembered as the most versatile of quarterbacks, Bob was a superb punter, passer, and team leader. He was one of the first quarterbacks to throw the long pass consistently on third down. Bob was able to do more things better than most any other football player—and it was this versatility that made him so successful on the field.

Bibliography

Carroll, Bob. Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League. New York: HarperCollins, 1999.

Cohen, David. Rugged and Enduring: The Eagles, the Browns, and Five Years of Football. Philadelphia: Xlibris, 2001.

Frostino, Nino. Right on the Numbers. Victoria, B.C.: Trafford, 2004.

Porter, David L., ed. Biographical Dictionary of American Sports: Football. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1987.