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Before Joe Montana and Steve Young led the 49ers to a combined five Super Bowl titles, John Brodie was the quarterback every San Franciscan, and every 49ers fan, adored.
Brodie, an Oakland Tech star, a multi-sport athlete at Stanford, and a member of the 49ers for 17 seasons, died Friday at age 90.
The longest-tenured player in 49ers history, Brodie joined his hometown team as the 3rd overall pick in the 1957 NFL Draft. By the time he played his last game in 1973, the league had grown from 12 to 26 teams, the franchise had moved from Kezar Stadium to Candlestick Park, and Brodie had become the first 49er to win an MVP Award when he led San Francisco to a 10-3 season in 1970.
“The 49ers family is saddened to learn of the passing of one of the franchise’s all-time great players, John Brodie,” cochairman Dr. John York said in a team statement. “As a kid, my 49ers fandom began by watching John play quarterback on television.
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“He displayed an incredible commitment toward his teammates, and his support of the organization never wavered after his playing days. John became a dear friend of mine, and he will always be remembered as an important part of 49ers history. We express our deepest condolences to his wife, Sue, and the entire Brodie family.”
Brodie was Bay Area through and through. He was born in the region and grew up in Oakland’s Montclair district. At Stanford, Brodie played football — he was a unanimous All-American — and golf. He played in several PGA Tour events before choosing football. After his retirement from the NFL, Brodie played on the Senior PGA Tour.
The No. 3 overall NFL Draft pick in 1957, Brodie succeeded Y.A. Tittle as the 49ers’ starting quarterback in 1961. The high-water mark of Brodie’s career came in 1970, when he won the league’s MVP Award. That year, he led the 49ers to the first playoff victory in franchise history, a 17-14 road win in 8-degree weather over the heavily favored Minnesota Vikings.
That began a run of three seasons that ended in heartbreak at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys — who beat the 49ers in the conference championship game at Kezar Stadium the week after the win against the Vikings. Brodie and the 49ers again lost the title game to Dallas in 1971 before blowing a last-minute lead to the Cowboys in the 1972 divisional playoff at Candlestick Park.
Brodie’s breakout 1965 season, in which he led the NFL in passing yards (3,112) and touchdowns (30), spurred interest from the Houston Oilers of the AFL, who reportedly offered the quarterback an annual salary of $750,000. An Associated Press report from June 6, 1966, quoted Oilers owner Bud Adams, who confirmed the team’s interest in luring Brodie away from San Francisco.
Two days later, the AFL and NFL agreed to a merger, and Brodie remained with the 49ers.
The 49ers drafted Steve Spurrier with the No. 3 pick in 1967 with the expectation that the Florida quarterback would eventually replace Brodie, but Brodie kept a firm grip on the job until 1972, when he suffered an ankle injury.
Brodie began the 1973 season as the 49ers’ starter but was benched in the middle of the season. At the urging of fans, Dick Nolan named Brodie the starter for the team’s final game, a matchup with Pittsburgh, and the 49ers retired his No. 12 jersey that day. Despite intentions to play the entire game, Brodie exited in the second quarter with a sore arm.
Brodie retired at age 38. He was NBC Sports’ lead football analyst for two seasons and also called golf. He joined the Senior PGA Tour in 1985, competing for three years.
Brodie is survived by his wife, Sue, and his five children and 12 grandchildren.
