Word: brocklin
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...stood at a Hertz counter in Eugene, Ore., waiting to rent a car. The man who broke Norm Van Brocklin's records at the University of Oregon, who only two days earlier had set a National Football League record by passing for 300-plus yds. in four consecutive games, had to cool his heels while a clerk called the San Diego Chargers to determine if Daniel Francis Fouts was indeed one of their employees...
...quarterbacks. Its circle is limited, and members tend to be intolerant, even contemptuous, of nonmembers, no matter what their claims to greatness. Bobby Layne, the roistering old Lion, quarterbacked teams that won championships in the N.F.L. He belongs. So do Bart Starr, who won five, Johnny Unitas, Norm Van Brocklin and Joe Namath. Francis Asbury Tarkenton, 36, is not a member. Though he has won three conference championship games, Tarkenton...
...freckle-faced redhead. At 28, Lee had been an N.F.L. quarterback for four years, but had started in only eleven games. He came to Atlanta from the Minnesota Vikings confident that he "could win the starting job." But a training-camp injury slowed him down, and Coach Norm Van Brocklin went with well-traveled N.F.L. Veteran Dick Shiner...
When Shiner was hurt in the 49ers contest, Lee was the man Van Brocklin turned to, and he promptly moved the team downfield for two quick field goals. Though the Falcons lost once more (13-9), Lee somehow seemed to have turned them into a team. The next week, with Lee still calling signals, Atlanta buried the Chicago Bears 46-6. The Falcons have been soaring ever since. Going into last weekend, they had won seven in a row and were challenging the Los Angeles Rams for first place in the Western Division of the National Football Conference...
Just as important, Lee has lifted Falcon morale. Originally nicknamed "Howdy Doody" by Van Brocklin, Lee is now called "the General" by his teammates. He claps his hands with infectious enthusiasm before the team huddles and after he calls the plays (all sent in by Van Brocklin, a former quarterback). When Lee is tackled he hops up off the ground and claps again. "I'm not afraid to admit it when I've made an error," he says in his low-key way. His teammates appreciate that style. "Lee never eats us out when he gets sacked," marvels...