Dieter Brock: The Oldest Rookie Quarterback in NFL History
Although he was older, the QB’s experience helped him have a successful first and only season in American professional football.
Rookie NFL quarterbacks are typically young and eager to show their talent. If they don’t prove themselves early on, teams will quickly move on to look for the next tantalizing prospect. Therefore, it’s with little surprise that the likelihood of emerging in the league directly correlates to age. That didn’t stop Dieter Brock, who at 34, was the oldest rookie signal caller in the history of the NFL.
Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Brock was a talented football player with a big arm that earned him the nickname of The Birmingham Rifle. During his career, stories attesting to his cannon included throwing a ball so fast that it stuck in his receiver’s helmet grid and had to be pried out; and a pass that went 93 yards in the air. His production was solid but not enough to get noticed by the NFL and he went unchosen in the 1974 17-round draft.
While football’s biggest stage wasn’t beckoning, a professional career was in the cards for Brock. The Canadian Football League did come calling and it found itself a star. Spending the next decade with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, he won back-to-back…
