Riley Nelson’s top five left-handed QBs of all time (2024)
Dave McCann
·3 min read
Riley Nelson was named the Deseret News “Mr. Football” in 2005 after throwing for over 4,000 yards and accounting for 84 touchdowns his senior year at Logan High. He played one season at Utah State in 2006 before transferring to BYU in 2009 following his Latter-day Saint mission.
In Provo, Nelson saw action in 32 games, including 19 starts. He threw for 4,032 yards and 35 touchdowns while running for 858 yards and six touchdowns between 2009-2012. As a left-handed quarterback, Nelson believes his list of the best southpaws of all-time is right on the money.
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. “There is no other alternative. He could be argued for top-five all time, no matter what hand (he threw with). We love him. He’s our guy. It’s not even close.”
2.Michael Vick: After college, Vick played 13 years in the NFL and amassed 22,464 passing yards and 133 touchdowns. He also rushed for 6,109 yards and 36 touchdowns. “I was in middle school when he was at Virginia Tech. I bought his cleats. I ran around and had that lefty arm and lefty cannon. The (dog fighting) controversy was tough to see, but he made right by that. He paid his debt to society, and he changed his ways. He came back and with Andy Reid had a second life there with the Eagles.”
3.Scott Mitchell: After starring at Springville High and the University of Utah, Mitchell played 10 years in the NFL and threw for 15,692 yards and 95 touchdowns. “For little kids like me growing up in Logan, it’s great to see that someone growing up in Utah, which is so often overlooked from a prep football standpoint, so when they make it to the league, you gotta have their back. As a kid, I played more video games with Scott Mitchell at quarterback than anyone else.”
4.Tim Tebow: A star at Florida, the dual-threat quarterback combined for 12,232 total yards and 145 touchdowns. He led the Gators to a pair of national championships and won the Heisman Trophy. “When you take into account the hype, notoriety, attention and results, he was the king of college football for the better part of three years.”
5.Mark Brunell: The Washington Huskies graduate played 17 seasons in the NFL and threw for 32,072 yards and 184 touchdowns. “Growing up an Aggies fan, I couldn’t like Steve Young. That wasn’t acceptable on the playground because he went to BYU. So, in the league at that time, there was another lefty running around playing for the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars — Mark Brunell.”
Nelson’s honorable mentions: Ken Stabler, Kellen Moore, Kevin Feterik and Boomer Esiason.
Dave McCann is a contributor to the Deseret News and is the studio host for “BYU Sports Nation Game Day,” “The Post Game Show,” “After Further Review,” and play-by-play announcer for BYUtv. He is also co-host of “Y’s Guys” atysguys.com.
According to an article from the Durango Herald in August 2023, two left-handers are among the 36 NFL Hall of Fame quarterbacks: Steve Young and Ken Stabler.
Originally Answered: How many left-handed quarterbacks won a Super Bowl? Three left-handed quarterbacks have played in the Super Bowl - Boomer Esiason, Ken Stabler and Steve Young. Stabler and Young both led their respective teams to Super Bowl victories.
Of the 38 quarterbacks to win the Heisman trophy, just three—Oregon State's Terry Baker in 1962, Matt Leinart of USC in 2004, and Tebow in 2007—are southpaws. The last NFL left-hander to start a game before Tagovailoa's NFL debut in 2020 was Kellen Moore, in 2015, for the Dallas Cowboys.
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.
Only 33 left-handed quarterbacks have appeared in an NFL game, and only two have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Steve Young was a two-time NFL MVP and threw the most touchdown passes in a single Super Bowl. Ken Stabler was an NFL MVP and a Super Bowl winner with the Oakland Raiders in the 1970s.
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.
“Since football is so right-handed, being lefty is an advantage,” says Young. That split second of a defensive thinking “oh, that's different” can make all the difference. “Everything's run right-handed,” says Young. “Every practice is run right-handed.
Stabler became the first left-handed quarterback to win the Super Bowl in '76 when he managed to finally beat the mighty Steelers and bring a championship to Oakland.
Young is probably the best lefty QB of all time. He was a 3× Super Bowl champion (XXIII, XXIV, XXIX), Super Bowl MVP (XXIX), 2× NFL Most Valuable Player, and a 7× Pro Bowler. He was also the first left-handed QB inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame (2005).
After 14 years, Reggie Bush will be reunited with his Heisman trophy. He forfeited it after an NCAA investigation found that he and his family received improper monetary benefits during his USC time.
Bush, who went on to become an NFL star and TV broadcaster, forfeited his award in 2010 after an NCAA investigation found that he accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars while in college.
Although Tua throws the football left-handed, he is actually right-handed. His father, Galu Tagovailoa, changed him from throwing the ball with his right hand to his left while Tua was a child. Galu himself is left-handed, so it came naturally to teach Tua how to throw with his left hand when he was young.
Esiason is the first of three left-handed quarterbacks to play in the Super Bowl and is the only one to lose the game. In 1988 the Bengals led the league in scoring at 28 points per game and had a 12-4 record.
Denver Broncos draft Ducks star QB Bo Nix. Bo Nix is a Denver Bronco. The Oregon Ducks signal-caller is headed to the Broncos after being selected 12th overall. He'll now get the chance to work with Sean Payton as the Broncos look to build a team around him in their quest to compete inside the AFC West.
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