John's Biography

John and his wife Sue, of 50 years.

The Early Years

John Riley Brodie was born on August 14 in 1935, in San Francisco, California.  He grew up in the Montclair district of Oakland and attended Montclair Grammar (later Elementary) School and Oakland Technical High School and was a standout athlete even then. As a child in Oakland, he was a state youth tennis champion.  

 

The College Years

John Brodie, a 6-1, 190-pounder, played for coach Chuck Taylor at Stanford from 1954 through 1956. During that final season he served as team co-captain with Paul Wiggin. He was named first team All-American quarterback by the American Football Coaches, Football Writers of America, International News Service and the National Enterprise Association. These were his best games: 1954, completed 21 passes against UCLA; 1955, had a 62-yard pass play against California; 1956, completed 19 passes against Oregon State. In 1956 he led the nation in passing and total offense.  He was Enshrined in the College Football Hall of fame in 1986. He was also admitted to the Zeta Psi fraternity.

http://www.collegefootball.org/famersearch.php?id=50042

 

Professional Football

Brodie was a NFL first-round draft pick. and the longest-tenured 49er ever, playing for 17 years, with the team.  He first appeared with the 49ers as a rookie in 1957, seeing limited action. He got more playing time in 1958 through 1960, sharing time with Y.A. Tittle, and became the starter in 1961, holding that role through 1973.

He was among the leading passers in the league throughout the 1960s. His best statistical year was 1965 when he led the League in passing average (3,112 yards) and touchdowns (30). He appeared in the Pro Bowl in 1965 and 1970. Also, in 1970, he received the NFL's Most Valuable Player Award. When Brodie retired from the NFL, he ranked third in career passing yards, behind only Johnny Unitas and Fran Tarkenton.

 

Family Life

John Brodie and his wife now make their home in La Quinta, California.  They have 5 children,  Four daughters (Kelly, Cammie, Diane, Erin,) and one son (Billy,) and ten grandchildren.  One of his daughters is Erin Brodie, who found fame on television in 2003, on the NBC show, "For Love or Money," while another daughter is married to former NFL quarterback Chris Chandler.

 

Senior Golf Tour and Broadcasting

     

After he retired from his football career, Brodie served as an NFL football and golf analyst for NBC Sports and competed as a professional golfer on the Senior PGA Tour from 1985 to 1998. He had one win and 12 top-10 finishes.  John joined the Senior Tour in 1985, earning more than $735,000 from 1985 to 1998.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Brodie

 

The Stroke

On Oct. 23, 2000, John Brodie's life changed forever.  While watching the longest ever football game, on "Monday Night Football," John suffered a massive stroke.  The doctors were able to save his life, despite almost total blockages in his cartoid arteries, but his life had many new challenges.  His speech is greatly impaired and he has limited use of his right arm, but he still gets out on the golf course, and gives his grandkids golf lessons from his golf cart.  He also still follows sports closely, especially his old team.  Brodie is still working on regaining his lost abilities and is making strides, he still has the spirit he displayed for so many years on the football field. 

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/01/04/SPGT5438DO1.DTL

http://www.tahoecelebritygolf.com/features/2007/brodie.html