Lefties under center? Not many (2024)

Saturday, Aug 12, 2023 1:01 PMUpdated Saturday, Aug. 12, 2023 1:02 PM

Left-handed quarterbacks are anomalies in the NFL

Lefties under center? Not many (1)

Tim Tebow is one of two left-handed quarterbacks who have played for the Denver Broncos. Chris Simms is the other. (Paul Sancya/Associated Press file photo)

Lefties under center? Not many (2)

Tim Tebow is one of two left-handed quarterbacks who have played for the Denver Broncos. Chris Simms is the other. (Paul Sancya/Associated Press file photo)

While hard-throwing lefties are in high demand on the baseball diamond to pitch and give batters a different look, left-handed quarterbacks aren’t nearly as coveted.

Of the 84 pitchers in the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame, 18 of them are left-handed, or 21%.

Out of the 36 quarterbacks in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, in contrast, only two are left-handed: Steve Young and Ken Stabler, 5.5%.

The percentage of quarterbacks currently in the NFL is even lower.

There are 32 teams in the NFL and every team has at least two quarterbacks. Only two quarterbacks currently in the league, however, are left-handed: Tua Tagovailoa of the Miami Dolphins and Seattle Seahawk backup Holton Ahlers.

Tagovailoa threw for 3,548 yards and 25 touchdowns last season. But while Tagovailoa throws the ball with his left hand, he is right-handed outside of football.

Young, a three-time Super Bowl champion and seven-time Pro Bowl player, was the first left-handed quarterback inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005 and is widely considered the best left-handed QB to play the game.

Other lefties have also made big impacts with their backward spirals.

Boomer Esiason was the 1988 league MVP with the Cincinnati Bengals. Michael Vick, Frankie Albert and Mark Brunell were all Pro Bowl selections. Vick, however, is probably more known for his running aptitude than his throwing.

Kellen Moore has the most wins in NCAA Division I FBS history with 50 at Boise State, and then played five seasons in the NFL.

Matt Leinart won the Heisman Trophy in 2004 for Southern California.

Tim Tebow also won a Heisman Trophy, and two national titles at the University of Florida, before the Denver Broncos drafted him in 2010.

Tebow, the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner, replaced Kyle Orton after the Broncos started the 2011 season 1-4 and led Denver to the postseason. Tebow took the Broncos on six game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime that season to help them win the AFC West.

After the Broncos traded for Peyton Manning that offseason, however, Tebow was traded to the Jets and only started two more games.

Chris Simms is the only other left-handed quarterback to suit up for the Broncos. He only played three games for Denver in 2009, completing five passes in 17 attempts. Simms, however, tossed 10 TDs one year for Tampa Bay.

Lefties under center? Not many (2024)

FAQs

Was Matt Leinart left-handed? ›

Matt Leinart, USC

In 2004, USC won the BCS National Championship Game with a 55-19 win over Oklahoma. Leinart saw his production take a slight dip but still threw 33 touchdowns and over 3,300 yards. It was also good enough for Leinart to win the Heisman Trophy, just the 2nd left-handed quarterback to do so at the time.

How many current NFL quarterbacks are left-handed? ›

Tua Tagovailoa, who was drafted in 2020, is currently the NFL's only left-handed quarterback.

How many lefties are in the NFL? ›

Some 10% of the population is left-handed (full disclosure, this writer among them), but of the 75 NFL quarterbacks who've thrown at least one pass this 2023 season, Tua Tagovailoa, of the Miami Dolphins, is the lone lefty. That's a southpaw population of a mere 1.3%.

Who is the only left-handed QB in the Hall of Fame? ›

Out of the 36 quarterbacks in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, in contrast, only two are left-handed: Steve Young and Ken Stabler, 5.5%. The percentage of quarterbacks currently in the NFL is even lower. There are 32 teams in the NFL and every team has at least two quarterbacks.

Was Tim Tebow left-handed? ›

Tim Tebow ranks tenth all-time among NFL left-handed quarterbacks.

Who is the best lefty QB in NFL history? ›

The Top 10 Greatest Left Handed QBs in NFL History
  1. Steve Young. Source:Getty. Years played: 1985-1999. ...
  2. Boomer Esiason. Source:Getty. Years played: 1984-1997. ...
  3. Ken Stabler. Source:Getty. ...
  4. Mark Brunell. Source:Getty. ...
  5. Michael Vick. Source:Getty. ...
  6. Jim Zorn. Source:Getty. ...
  7. Frankie Albert. Source:Getty. ...
  8. Scottie Mitchell. Source:n/a.
Mar 4, 2024

Has a left-handed QB ever won a Super Bowl? ›

But there have only been 3. left handed quarterbacks to ever make a Super Bowl, with those 3 being Boomer A Sizing, Kenny Stabler, and Steve Young. Stabler was the first lefty to win the big game. back in 1977.

Is Patrick Mahomes right or left-handed? ›

Even though he throws right-handed, Mahomes has managed to make a couple of dandy left-handed throws. But, what if Mahomes was a full-time left-handed thrower? Then how would his signature highlight reel plays look?

Who was the big left-handed quarterback? ›

this guy right here was a quarterback legend. aka hefty Lefty. aka Pillsbury throwboy AKA vomitable Throwman. Jerry Lorenzen is his name.

What sport has the most lefties? ›

Studies show that in comparison to the 10 percent of the people who are left-handed in the general population, lefties make up one-third of Major League Baseball players, 20 percent of the top-ranked boxers, and 20-25 percent of the top-ranked fencers.

Is Tua really left-handed? ›

Why Is Tagovailoa Left-Handed? Although Tua throws the football left-handed, he is actually right-handed.

Do lefties have an advantage in football? ›

What is that edge you ask? Well, left-handed batters have an advantage over right-handed pitchers. They are also three feet closer to first base. This could mean the difference between a base hit and an out for a pretty fast runner.

Who is the left-handed active QB? ›

Tua Tagovailoa is the lone active left-handed QB in the NFL

He completed 69.3% of his passes for 4,624 yards, 29 touchdowns to 14 interceptions and a 101.7 QB rating in an electric Miami offense. Tagovailoa has played in 51 career games with a 32-19 record.

Which left-handed QB threw the most touchdowns? ›

1. Steve Young: The BYU star played 15 seasons in the NFL and threw for 33,124 yards and 232 touchdowns and rushed for 4,239 yards and 43 touchdowns before being enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

What left-handed quarterbacks won the Heisman Trophy? ›

Tim Tebow and Matt Leinart won Heismans. Steve Young, Ken Stabler, Mark Brunell and Boomer Esiason went on to successful NFL careers.

Who are the left-handed Heisman winners? ›

Tim Tebow and Matt Leinart won Heismans. Steve Young, Ken Stabler, Mark Brunell and Boomer Esiason went on to successful NFL careers. Michael Vick and Pat White changed the way the quarterback position was played. And all of these QBs have one thing in common: they're left-handed.

Who are the most talented left-handed people? ›

Some famous lefties include great minds, such as:
  • philosopher Aristotle.
  • French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte.
  • baseball legend Babe Ruth.
  • Renaissance artist Leonardo DaVinci.
  • former president Barack Obama.
  • Microsoft founder Bill Gates.
Mar 11, 2021

Who was the left-handed quarterback for the Raiders? ›

Ken Stabler

Nicknamed “The Snake,” Stabler guided the Oakland Raiders to great success during his years as their quarterback (1970-1979).

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