#1: NFL MVP & Champions Tour Winner
Dear Pards,
I saw that John Brodie passed away on Friday. I had never heard of him, but he apparently won an MVP in the NFL and won on the Champions tour. I was shocked when I saw this. Do we have any sort of comp to this or is this guy a unicorn?
-Suprised in San Fran
Dear Suprised,
When the Golf Channel is on midday during the week, it’s muzak in the lobby of a dentist’s office. Every now and then though, I’ll hear a violin cover of “Bad Blood” that snaps me out of my trance-like state of semi-productivity. This past Friday, it was Damon Hack using the words “NFL MVP,” “PGA Tour winner,” and “John Brodie” in the same sentence that sent my head over to the corner tube.
After a mini deep dive, I discovered the CliffNotes of his almost century-long life. Hand up, Mr. Brodie. I too, was not really familiar with your game. Which also serves as a humble reminder of how irrelevant we all are in the grand scheme of eternity.
Before I try to put his life in perspective, let me set the record straight on Brodie’s 90-year, multi-act life….
California guy from the jump. Born and raised in Oakland. Not only was he behind center in Silicon Valley, he was also on the golf team at Stanford a quarter-century before the G.O.A.T.
From there, he was the 3rd overall pick in the 1957 NFL Draft. A year later, he won the 1958 Northern California Amateur—the same event later won by Roger Maltbie, Joey Ferrari, Spencer Levin, and Maverick McNealy. (Minus Mav, that’s also a list of heavy dart rippers.) Then the following year he played in the U.S. Open at Winged Foot? Suck on that, Romo.
After 17 seasons in the NFL and dealing with some bad tendinitis, it looks like he made the obvious, natural transition from quarterbacking one of the most storied franchises in football to prominently preaching the Church of Scientology across California. Those damn Dianetics, man.
From there, he made the more unnatural switch to broadcasting from 1977–1987. He even snuck in a Super Bowl call in ’79. Oh, and another U.S. Open in ’81?! (Clock is ticking, Tony.) It turns out he was just counting down the days ’til he turned 50.
The year he did, Brodie dipped out of the booth and spent the next 13 years playing professional golf on the Champions Tour. I’m assuming the highlight of that tenure was taking down Chi-Chi and George Archer in a playoff at the 1991 Security Pacific Senior Classic in his home state. Sprinkled on top were twelve Wiki yellows and $735,000—all before cashing his first Social Security check at age 63.
Brodie then had a stroke in 2000, leaving it hard for him to move the way he was used to. While I imagine it could be easy to throw in the towel and celebrate a life well lived, he fought like hell through intense rehab and even stem cell treatments, which led to another 25 years of active life before his passing this past Friday at age 90.
The closest thing I’ve got is the aforementioned Antonio Romo. While his numbies suggest a slight edge with the pigskin, Brodie is 1up on the MVPs. And while I’ve yet to dive into the tapes from his broadcasting career, I’m willing to bet Brodie talked less than Tony did yesterday as he tried to predict every pass prior to the snap of the AFC Championship. “Get a load of this, Jim!”
As far as golf goes, I’d say he’s 6up at the turn. Romo is known in many circles as one of the biggest ex-(real) athlete golf sickos of our generation. And while he played in a few professional events between 2018–2020, he always managed to be back in the booth come Sunday, missing the cut at every one of them. Sure, he’s a three-time American Century winner—but that’s like saying I’m a three-time club champion. So what.
Sure, there have been multi-sport athletes. Deion Sanders, Jim Thorpe, Danny Ainge, Bo Jackson. To name a few. And although MJ had a small stint in baseball, I’d say the closest he got golf-wise was a 36-hole, dozen-of-Diet-Coors day with Jeremy Roenick, topped off with 52 in a Finals game later that night.
Many ex-jocks have chased scratch and found it. But none have cracked the code of conquering one of the Big Four sports while also winning a professional golf tournament.
Brodie’s story serves as inspiration for not just athletes, but us laymen alike. To pursue our passions and push past the status quo of where we’re at. Minus the Scientology stuff. And while I have zero plans to play the Champions Tour, I just might go pivot down a mid-career second act no one sees coming.
Rest in peace, John Brodie.
P╞r╠℮