Browning Nagle, who began his NFL playing career as the Jets’ top selection in the 1991 draft and started 13 of their 16 games in 1992, including the season opener, has died after a battle with colon cancer. He was 57.
“Browning was a great guy,” former Jets QB Boomer Esiason said Friday of his Green & White teammate of 1993. “He had an infectious laugh and was so much fun to be around. We often competed against each other while also showing respect for one another. I will always remember the laughter and infectious spirit Browning had and how much he enjoyed out-driving me on the golf course. May he rest in peace knowing he lived an impactful life.”
Nagle, born in Philadelphia, moved with his family to the Tampa, FL, area at 13 and was a scholastic star at Pinellas Park HS. He was an all-state QB and also an outstanding pitcher, being drafted by the Red Sox out of high school and the Angels after his Louisville career, even though he didn’t play any college baseball.
Nagle’s heart was in football. The 6-3, 225-pounder began his college career at West Virginia, then transferred to Louisville and started his last two seasons with the Cardinals, in 1989-90. His performance on New Year’s Day 1991 for Louisville’s 10-1-1 team, crowned by an MVP performance in the 34-7 Fiesta Bowl win over Alabama, caught the eye of pro scouts.
“Unbelievable, unimaginable,” Nagle said after that game as he became the toast of Louisville at least for a while. “I had a lot of dreams about this game and this season, but none of them were as beautiful as this turned out.”
The Jets, having used their first-round pick to draft WR Rob Moore in the 1990 NFL Supplemental Draft, were waiting for a quarterback at No. 34 overall early in the second round of the ’91 draft. At No. 33, Atlanta selected Brett Favre. The Green & White went with Nagle, and soon saw him, as he saw himself, as the potential successor to Ken O’Brien. He was described in the Jets’ contemporaneous media guides as “a strong-armed QB who won the starting job in 1992.”
Indeed, that’s how the start of his career unfolded. After playing in only one game in relief of O’Brien in 1991, Nagle, wearing No. 8, was named the ’92 starter by HC Bruce Coslet. He got all four preseason starts, and after going 3-0 in the first three summer games, he told Tim Smith of The New York Times:
“I’ve had the feeling and I’ve enjoyed that feeling, because I’m the guy who has started the last three games. … That’s a neat feeling, to get suited up and know you’re starting the football game and know that you have an initial impact on the tone of the game. People are relying on you to get things started. I’ve had that feeling. I want to keep that feeling. But I know I have to work to keep that feeling.”
Then Nagle started impressively in the opener at Atlanta, completing 21-of-37 passes for 366 yards and touchdown passes to Al Toon and Chris Burkett, in the 20-17 loss. His yardage total at the time was 2 yards shy of the league record for a QB making his first NFL start, the mark of 368 being set by Vinny Testaverde, who would come to the Jets later in the Nineties.
Nagle started Game 2, a loss at Pittsburgh, but was injured late in the game and sat out the Week 3 home opener against San Francisco. He returned to start in Week 4 at the Los Angeles Rams and Week 5, getting his first pro starting victory in the 30-21 victory over New England.
There were precious few green highlights for Nagle after that. He finished the 1992 season with a 3-10 starting record, then returned to the bench when the Jets brought in hometown hero Esiason who took the starting reins in 1993 with Nagle seeing relief action in only three more games with the team.
The Jets released Nagle in May 1994, and he went to Indianapolis to serve behind Jim Harbaugh and Don Majkowski for the Colts in the ’94 season. The Colts then released him in June 1995, and he traveled to Atlanta to back up Bobby Hebert and Jeff George and play five games with no starts in his two Falcons seasons..
Nagle’s Jets career stat line reads: 18 games, 13 starters, 3-10 record, 403 attempts, 199 completions (49.4%), 2,361 yards, 7 TD, 17 INTs, 30 sacks and a 55. 9 passer rating, plus 25 carries for 56 yards.
Nagle kept his hand in the large and smaller versions of the game, ultimately getting a call from Orlando of the Arena Football League. He played for the Predators in 1999 and the Buffalo Destroyers in 2000, throwing 74 TDs and 18 INTs in his AFL career.
In his spare time, Nagle was an accomplished singer. He surprised many fans when he stepped to the mic and sang the National Anthem before some Louisville football games and also at the Kentucky Derby Festival’s “They’re Off Luncheon” in front of 2,000 people.
Louisville Football Friday today tweetedt on X: “We are saddened by the passing of Browning Nagle. … His leadership on the field and passion for the game left a lasting mark on our program. Our thoughts are with his loved ones and teammates during this difficult time.”
