Steve Grogan

Not to be confused with the murderer Steve "Clem" Grogan, member of the Manson Family.

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Steve James Grogan (July 24, 1953, in San Antonio, Texas) is a former American football quarterback for the New England Patriots in the National Football League from 1975 until 1990.

High school and college

After a standout prep career at Ottawa High School where he led his team to state titles in basketball and track and a state runner-up finish in football, Grogan spent his collegiate career at Kansas State University. At Kansas State, he passed for 2,213 yards and ran for 585 yards to rank among the school's all-time passing and total offense leaders.

New England Partriots: 1975-1990

"I hear people say that I was one of the toughest quarterbacks to ever play. But I wish they would say I was pretty good, too."^[1]

—Steve Grogan

Steve Grogan was selected in the fifth round (116th overall) in the 1975 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. Sitting behind team star quarterback and former Heisman Trophy winner Jim Plunkett, head coach Chuck Fairbanks replaced Plunkett with Grogan in midway through the '75 season. Grogan threw for 1,976 yards, 11 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. Eventually, New England would trade Plunkett in the off-season to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for three 1st draft picks; two in 1976, and one in 1977 along with the 49ers 2nd round pick in the 1977 NFL Draft.

Proclaimed the starting QB in 1976, Grogan led the Patriots to an 11-3 record and the franchise's first playoff berth since 1963 after finishing only 3-11 the previous year. The 11 wins was the clubs highest win total at the time. Along the way the Patriots defeated the defending Super Bowl champion, Pittsburgh Steelers (30-27), as well as a thumping of the Oakland Raiders (48-17) in Foxboro. The latter earning Grogan great praise from coach John Madden.

His twelve rushing touchdowns during the 1976 season still stands as the most rushing touchdowns in a season by quarterback.^[2]

In 1978, Grogan led the Pats to an 11-5 record, a division title and the organization's first ever home playoff game, a 31-14 loss to the Houston Oilers. The Pats set the all time single season team rushing record with 3,156 yards (Grogan rushing for 539 yards and 5 touchdowns himself). That record still stands as the most productive rushing team ever in the history of the NFL.

Statistically, Grogan's best season was in 1979, when he completed 206 of 423 passes for 3,286 yards and 28 touchdowns, rushing for 368 yards and 2 touchdowns^[3] while quarterbacking the highest scoring New England offense with 411pts scored^[4] until the franchise's 2007 team surpassed the record.

From 1980-1982, Grogan missed significant time due to injury. The Patriots drafted Tony Eason in 1983 as their new QB. Hall of Fame Guard and Patriots legend John Hannah once said of Grogan, "He was the kind of guy you wanted to protect, the kind of guy you wanted to play for."^[5]

By the 1985 season, Tony Eason had taken the starting quarterback position and led the Patriots to a 2-3 record out of the gate. Coach Raymond Berry benched Eason for Grogan. The Patriots won 6 straight wins behind their old quarterback, only to lose Grogan when he suffered a broken leg in Week 11 against the New York Jets. Filling in again at QB, Eason and the Patriots lost that Jets game 16-13 in overtime, and relinquished 1st place in the AFC East Division. With Easons' return, the Patriots went 3-2 in their remaining five games. Finishing the season with an 11-5 record, the Patriots earned a wild card berth into the playoffs and eventually reached Super Bowl XX. Against the Chicago Bears, Grogan was medically cleared to play on the eve of the Super Bowl and replaced Eason in the second quarter after Eason went 0-6 in passing attempts. The Pats faced an early 13-3 deficit against Buddy Ryan's famous "46" defense, and the pass rush was too much. Grogan went on to connect on 17 of 30 passes for 177 yards and a touchdown in the 46-10 loss.

With his career beginning to wind down, Grogan would again come to the Patriots rescue, this time on December 22, 1986 in the final pro football game ever played in the Orange Bowl in Miami, FL against the Dolphins. Grogan would replace Eason again, and provide the comeback heroics to a Patriots 34-27 victory on Monday Night Football - earning the Pats their second AFC East Division title at the time. In the playoffs, Eason would get the start against the Denver Broncos. The Pats lost 22-17.

After Eason was released later in the decade, Grogan would battle over the starting quarterback job with local hero and Heisman Trophy winner Doug Flutie as well as Marc Wilson. Yet Grogan still led the Patriots in passing yards in 1987 and 1989 before retiring at the conclusion of the 1990 season.

At the time of his retirement, Grogan lead the franchise as the all time leader in passing yards (26,886) and passing touchdowns (182). He is still 2nd in passing yards behind Drew Bledsoe, and third in passing touchdowns behind Bledsoe and Tom Brady. His 16 seasons are the most ever for a Patriots player. He also held the Patriots previous single-game record with a 153.9 quarterback rating, achieved by completing 13-of-18 passes for 315 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions against the New York Jets on September 9 1979, before Tom Brady posted a 158.3 rating against the Miami Dolphins on October 21, 2007.

Grogan rushed for 2,164 yards (4.9 per carry) and 35 touchdowns during his career, a mark which places him as the Patriots' third overall in rushing touchdowns. Those touchdowns also place Grogan tied with Randall Cunningham and Tobin Rote in fourth place all-time among NFL quarterbacks in rushing scores. Under Grogan, the Patriots made the playoffs five times (1976, 1978, 1982, and 1985) as well as in 1986 as a backup. Before Grogan was drafted, the Pats made the playoffs just once from 1960-1974.

Honors

Grogan's high school, Ottawa High School in Ottawa, Kansas has named its football stadium after him.

Kansas State has retired the number Grogan wore for the Wildcats, #11, to jointly honor him and his predecessor, Lynn Dickey. It is the only number retired by Kansas State. He wore #14 with the Patriots.

Grogan is a member of the Patriots Hall of Fame and was named to the Patriots 3512398765432th Anniversary Team in 1994.

Notes and references