Young, Vick, Tebow, Stabler — 20 memorable lefty quarterbacks (2024)

Tim Tebow and Matt Leinart won Heismans.

Steve Young, Ken Stabler, Mark Brunell and Boomer Esiason went on to successful NFL careers.

MORE: QBs who switched positions | SN Top 25: Best/worst cases

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.

To celebrate National Left Handers Day, we're looking at 20 of the most interesting lefty quarterbacks to play college football.

Young, Vick, Tebow, Stabler —20 memorable lefty quarterbacks (1)

Mark Brunell, Washington

Brunell was part of a run for Washington in the early 1990s and was MVP of the 1991 Rose Bowl. He started in two Rose Bowls for the Huskies.

MORE: SN picks most iconic players by school

Young, Vick, Tebow, Stabler —20 memorable lefty quarterbacks (2)

Armanti Edwards, Appalachian State

Edwards was one of the game's most dynamic players, regardless of division. He led the Mountaineers to three consecutive Division I-AA national titles. In four seasons, he threw for 10,392 yards with 74 passing TDs while rushing for 4,361 yards and 65 more scores.

MORE: SN Preseason Top 25

Young, Vick, Tebow, Stabler —20 memorable lefty quarterbacks (3)

Boomer Esiason, Maryland

Esiason totaled 6,259 yards and 42 TDs and went on to a successful career in the NFL. He earned NFL MVP honors in 1988.

MORE: Top 15 programs since 2000

Young, Vick, Tebow, Stabler —20 memorable lefty quarterbacks (4)

David Greene, Georgia

Greene finished his Bulldog career as the all-time leader in wins (42) and SEC all-time leader in passing yards (11,528). Both those records later were broken. He threw 72 TD passes during his career in Athens, Ga., and completed 59.0 percent of his throws.

Young, Vick, Tebow, Stabler —20 memorable lefty quarterbacks (5)

Josh Heupel, Oklahoma

Heupel helped usher in the Bob Stoops era at Oklahoma. He led the Sooners to the national championship in 2000 and finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting.

Young, Vick, Tebow, Stabler —20 memorable lefty quarterbacks (6)

Brock Huard, Washington

He followed his brother, Damon, as the Huskies quarterback. He threw for 5,742 yards in three seasons with 51 touchdown passes from 1996 to 1998.

MORE: Bowl projections for 2015-16 season

Young, Vick, Tebow, Stabler —20 memorable lefty quarterbacks (7)

Stefan Lefors, Louisville

After seeing little of the field his first two seasons, Lefors threw for 3,145 and 2,596 yards as a junior and senior with the Cardinals. He also ran for 738 yards those final two seasons and scored six times on the ground.

Young, Vick, Tebow, Stabler —20 memorable lefty quarterbacks (8)

Matt Leinart, USC

In three seasons in L.A., Leinart threw for 10,693 yards, 99 TDs, just 23 picks, won the Heisman Trophy in 2004 and the Trojans were 37-2 with a BCS championship in 2004.

Young, Vick, Tebow, Stabler —20 memorable lefty quarterbacks (9)

Jared Lorenzen, Kentucky

The “Hefty Lefty” tossed for 10,354 yard and 78 TDs at Kentucky from 2000-03 and continues to be a hit on social media to this day.

Young, Vick, Tebow, Stabler —20 memorable lefty quarterbacks (10)

Todd Marinovich, USC

One of the most-decorated high school players of all time, Marinovich played two seasons at USC before the Los Angeles Raiders selected him in the first round of the 1991 NFL Draft.

Young, Vick, Tebow, Stabler —20 memorable lefty quarterbacks (11)

Cade McNown, UCLA

McNown put up huge numbers for the Bruins. He totaled 10,708 career passing yards with 68 TD passes and another 16 on the ground. He threw for 3,116 and 3,470 in his final two seasons, accumulating 49 touchdown passes.

MORE: SN's 10 greatest all-time Bruins

Young, Vick, Tebow, Stabler —20 memorable lefty quarterbacks (12)

Scott Mitchell, Utah

Mitchell broke out at Utah with 4,322 yards and 29 TDs in 1988. He passed for 31 TDs the following season and played 11 years in the NFL.

Young, Vick, Tebow, Stabler —20 memorable lefty quarterbacks (13)

Kellen Moore, Boise State

Moore is the face of Boise State’s run in the BCS era. He won 50 games in four seasons and threw for 142 TDs from 2008-11.

MORE: SN's 10 greatest Broncos

Young, Vick, Tebow, Stabler —20 memorable lefty quarterbacks (14)

Mike Shula, Alabama

As the team's starter in 1985 and 1986, Shula threw for 3,495 yards and 29 TDs as the Crimson Tide compiled a 19-5-1 record. Shula later would become head coach at Alabama and was 26-23 although 16 wins later were vacated.

Young, Vick, Tebow, Stabler —20 memorable lefty quarterbacks (15)

Chris Simms, Texas

The son of Phil Simms, Chris Simms threw for 7,097 yards during his Longhorn career, including a 3,207-yard performance as a senior with 26 TD passes as Texas finished 11-2.

Young, Vick, Tebow, Stabler —20 memorable lefty quarterbacks (16)

Ken Stabler, Alabama

Stabler led Alabama to an 11-0 record in 1966, which included a 34-7 win against Nebraska in the Sugar Bowl. He went on to become a Super Bowl champion with the Oakland Raiders. “The Snake” passed away on July 8, 2015.

MORE: SN's 10 greatest Alabama players

Young, Vick, Tebow, Stabler —20 memorable lefty quarterbacks (17)

Tim Tebow, Florida

Tebow tossed 88 TDs and ran for 57 more scores as a two-time national champion and Heisman Trophy winner at Florida. Don’t forget about “The Speech.”

MORE: 10 memorable college games for Tebow

Young, Vick, Tebow, Stabler —20 memorable lefty quarterbacks (18)

Michael Vick, Virginia Tech

Vick remains one of the most-exciting college football quarterbacks of all time. He led Virginia Tech 2000 Sugar Bowl with an endless selection of highlight-reel plays.

MORE: SN's 10 greatest Hokies

Young, Vick, Tebow, Stabler —20 memorable lefty quarterbacks (19)

Pat White, West Virginia

One of the game's best dual-threat quarterbacks, White completed 64.8 percent of his career passes for 6,049 yards and 56 TDs. He ran for 4,480 yards and 47 scores as well.

Young, Vick, Tebow, Stabler —20 memorable lefty quarterbacks (20)

Steve Young, BYU

Young, another link to the long line of quarterbacks at BYU, passed for 33 TDs and completed 71.3 percent of his passes. That foreshadowed a Hall of Fame career in the NFL.

Young, Vick, Tebow, Stabler — 20 memorable lefty quarterbacks (2024)

FAQs

Young, Vick, Tebow, Stabler — 20 memorable lefty quarterbacks? ›

Tim Tebow and Matt Leinart won Heismans. Steve Young, Ken Stabler, Mark Brunell and Boomer Esiason

Boomer Esiason
Norman Julius "Boomer" Esiason (/əˈsaɪ.əsən/; born April 17, 1961) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons, primarily with the Cincinnati Bengals.
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Boomer_Esiason
went on to successful NFL careers. Michael Vick and Pat White changed the way the quarterback position was played.

Who is the greatest left-handed quarterback of all time? ›

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

Who are the only left-handed quarterbacks to win the Heisman? ›

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.

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

who have had some semi recent success. 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.

What NFL quarterbacks throw left-handed? ›

List
NameCareerTeams
Kellen Moore2012–2017Boise State (college) Dallas Cowboys (NFL) Detroit Lions (NFL)
Tua Tagovailoa2020–presentAlabama (college) Miami Dolphins (NFL)
Holton Ahlers2022–presentEast Carolina (college) Seattle Seahawks (NFL)
Michael Penix Jr.2024–presentWashington (college) Atlanta Falcons (NFL)
33 more rows

Who is the only lefty QB in the Hof? ›

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.

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.

Was Mike Vick left-handed? ›

Both Young and Vick are two of the most notable names on the list of left-handed quarterbacks to make it to the NFL.

Who are the two left-handed quarterbacks to win the Super Bowl? ›

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.

How many left-handed quarterbacks are in the Hall of Fame? ›

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. Before Tagovailoa entered the league as the No.

Was Tim Tebow left-handed? ›

Tim Tebow, Florida

To many, Tim Tebow is the greatest college football player ever. By default, that makes him one of the best left-handed quarterbacks we've seen at the college level. Tebow became an icon with the Gators during his time in Gainesville and was yet another polarizing figure in college and the NFL.

Why are lefty QBs so rare? ›

“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.

Did Brett Favre throw left-handed? ›

Favre would throw across his body or underhanded — left- or right-handed to a receiver. His first completion as a Packer was to himself — deflected off an onrushing lineman.

How many left-handed quarterbacks have won the Heisman Trophy? ›

College Football on FOX - Only three lefty QBs in college football history have won the Heisman 🏆🙌 | Facebook.

Who was the first left-handed quarterback in the NFL? ›

Frankie Albert

Albert was the first notable left-handed quarterback in NFL history. He went 10th overall in the 1942 NFL Draft to the Chicago Bears, but he didn't debut in the league until 1946 because of WWII.

Are any left-handed quarterbacks drafted first round? ›

The only other left-handed QB to be taken first in their draft class is Steve Young. After a stellar career at BYU, Young embarked on one of the most successful NFL careers who will find.

Who is the all time leading left-handed scorer in the NBA? ›

James Harden holds the record for most points by a left handed NBA player at 24,693.

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