Sid Luckman
Sid Luckman, born on November 21, 1916, in Brooklyn, New York, is celebrated as one of the most significant quarterbacks in American football history and is notably recognized as a prominent Jewish athlete. His early life was marked by a passion for football, which developed on the streets of New York, leading him to become a standout player at Erasmus High School. Luckman went on to Columbia University, where he excelled as a triple-threat player, earning all-American honors despite his team's struggles.
Drafted by the Chicago Bears in 1939, Luckman became the first quarterback to successfully execute the T-formation, a revolutionary strategy that changed the game. Under his leadership, the Bears enjoyed a golden era, winning four championships in six years, highlighted by a historic 73-0 victory over the Washington Redskins in 1940. Throughout his twelve-year career, he achieved numerous accolades, including five all-pro selections and a record-setting game with seven touchdown passes against the New York Giants.
After retiring in 1950, Luckman continued to contribute to football as an assistant coach for the Bears and later built a successful business career. His legacy is honored through his inductions into the National Football Foundation's College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame, solidifying his place as a transformative figure in the sport.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Sid Luckman
Football Player
- Born: November 21, 1916
- Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York
- Died: July 5, 1998
- Place of death: Aventura, Florida
Sport: Football
Early Life
Sidney Luckman, perhaps the most famous Jewish football player in American sports history, was born on November 21, 1916, in Brooklyn, New York. He was the son of Meyer Luckman, a Jewish immigrant. Growing up on the streets of New York, the short and stocky Sid liked playing football with his friends. No one had a ball, so they made one out of rags. When he was eight, his father bought him a football. The boys in his neighborhood talked constantly about their idol Red Grange, the great Illinois halfback. Young Sid’s idol, however, was Benny Friedman, the Michigan quarterback.
The Road to Excellence
Sid attended Erasmus High School, where he developed his great skills as a passer and all-around player. He became the most publicized high school player in New York City. Sid’s talent caught the eye of Lou Little, the head football coach of Columbia University. Coach Little persuaded Sid to attend Columbia even though he was offered scholarships from many other colleges. Sid worked his way through college washing dishes, running errands, and babysitting.
At Columbia, Sid’s star shone even brighter. Under Little’s guidance, he developed into one of the greatest quarterbacks in college football history. From 1936 through 1938, Sid started at tailback and was a true triple-threat player: a great passer, runner, and kicker. In fact, he once punted a ball 72 yards.
Although the Columbia team never had a winning season during these years, it did have some great moments. In his senior year, Sid led Columbia to a 20-18 victory over a powerful Army team. He completed 18 passes for 2 touchdowns and ran back a kickoff 85 yards for a third. He also kicked 2 extra points. Despite Columbia’s losing record, Sid earned all-American honors in his senior year.
Sid’s college play caught the attention of another great coach. George Halas, coach of the Chicago Bears, wanted Sid. Coach Halas traded for the first choice in the 1939 college draft and chose Sid. Sid was reluctant to play professional football after breaking his nose three times in college, but Halas’s offer of ten thousand dollars persuaded him.
The Emerging Champion
Halas needed a smart athlete for the key position of quarterback in his new T-formation, and he knew that Sid was the man for the job. Sid quickly learned four hundred plays as well as all the quarterback strategies. He studied and mastered the T-formation. Halas later said that Sid never called a wrong play. By 1939, Sid became the first quarterback of the modern T-formation, a strategy that forever changed football.
The Bears had not won a championship since 1933. With Sid at the helm starting in 1939, the Bears achieved their glory years and won four championships in the next six years. The most memorable of these occurred in 1940, when the Bears crushed the powerful Washington Redskins 73-0. Led by Sid, the Bears achieved the most devastating victory of all time and scored the most points ever in an NFL game, a record that still stands.
Sid rivaled the Redskins’ Sammy Baugh as the greatest quarterback of the 1940’s. He was selected as an all-pro five times. Perhaps his greatest game was in 1943, against the New York Giants. The day of that game, Sid’s friends had given him a two-thousand-dollar war bond in honor of “Sid Luckman Day.” Sid responded by throwing a league-record 7 touchdown passes to lead the Bears to a 56-7 pounding of the Giants. During his twelve-year career, Sid threw 1,744 passes and completed 904, for 14,686 yards gained and 137 touchdowns.
Sid also served his country during World War II. In 1943, he enlisted in the U.S. Merchant Marines and played football during shore leave.
Continuing the Story
When the All-American Football Conference was formed in 1946, the Chicago Rockets offered Sid a job as player-coach for twenty-five thousand dollars a year. Sid turned it down out of loyalty to the Bears.
In 1950, Sid was replaced at quarterback, but Halas let him have one last chance to play. Sid managed to lead the team to a touchdown in a game against the Detroit Lions and left the field to a standing ovation. During that year, however, Sid suffered a shoulder injury that ended his career. He retired at the end of the 1950 season.
Following his retirement, Sid served as an assistant coach for the Bears, working closely with the quarterbacks. Halas always sent him a check at the end of the season for his work, but Sid would send it back. He felt he owed to the Bears the success he had achieved and was glad to help them in return. Sid later achieved success in the business world as an executive in a Chicago cellophane company. Sid’s great career in college and professional football was capped with his selection to the National Football Foundation’s College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Summary
Sid Luckman’s combination of athletic skill and football contributed to the Chicago Bears’ greatest years. He will be remembered not only as one of the greatest quarterbacks ever to play football but also as the first quarterback of the modern era. Sid played a key role in modernizing football.
Bibliography
King, Peter. Greatest Quarterbacks. Des Moines, Iowa: Sports Illustrated Books, 1999.
Luckman, Sid. Luckman at Quarterback: Football as a Sport and a Career. Chicago: Ziff-Davis, 1949.
Platt, Jim, and James Buckley. Sports Immortals: Stories of Inspiration and Achievement. Chicago: Triumph Books, 2002.
Whittingham, Richard. What a Game They Played: An Inside Look at the Golden Era of Pro Football. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2002.