Steve Grogan

Steven James Grogan (born July 24, 1953) is a former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for sixteen seasons with the New England Patriots. He played college football at Kansas State University and was selected by the Patriots in the fifth round of the 1975 NFL Draft.

For the murderer and member of the Manson Family, see Steve "Clem" Grogan.

Steve Grogan

Grogan in 2015
No. 14
Position:	Quarterback
Personal information
Born:	(1953-07-24) July 24, 1953 San Antonio, Texas
Height:	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:	210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
College:	Kansas State
NFL Draft:	1975 / Round: 5 / Pick: 116
Career history
New England Patriots (1975–1990)
Career NFL statistics
TD–INT: 182–208 Passing yards: 26,886 QB Rating: 69.6 Rushing yards: 2,176 Rushing touchdowns: 35 Player stats at NFL.com

An agile, durable dual-threat quarterback in an era known for pocket passers, he led the league in both passing and quarterback rushing statistics several times in his career, and ran for a quarterback-record 12 touchdowns in 1976, a record that stood for 35 seasons. Grogan ran for over 500 yards in 1978 and led the team to an NFL record 3,156 rushing yards, eclipsed by the 2019 Baltimore Ravens. When he retired in 1990, he held many of the team's passing and longevity records.

He was inducted into the New England Patriots Hall of Fame in 1995, and currently owns a sporting goods store in Massachusetts.

High school and college

Grogan had a standout prep career in Kansas at Ottawa High School,[1] where he led his team to state titles in track in 1970,[2] basketball in 1971,[3] and a 3A state runner-up finish in football in 1970.[4]

Grogan spent his collegiate career at Kansas State University, where he started as a quarterback for his junior and senior years.[5] He threw for 2,214 yards, completing 166 of 371 pass attempts, with 12 TDs and 26 interceptions.[5] He ran for 585 yards and six touchdowns on 339 attempts, punted 7 times for 279 yards (a 39.9-yard average), and as a senior caught one touchdown pass of 22 yards.[5] Against Memphis in 1973, he had a 100-yard rushing game.[6]

New England Patriots

Grogan was selected in the fifth round (116th overall) in the 1975 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. Although he would start every game for four consecutive seasons early in his career, his career was also marked by injuries and quarterback controversies, with Grogan competing with other quarterbacks for the starting job. His second through his fifth season were the only times he would start every game in a season. Besides taking the starting job from former Heisman Trophy winner Jim Plunkett as a rookie,[7] Grogan would later face competition from Matt Cavanaugh, Tony Eason, Heisman Trophy winner Doug Flutie, and Marc Wilson. (By the time Wilson came to the Patriots, he had spent several years battling the displaced Plunkett for the starting job of the Raiders.)

In his first season, Grogan played in 13 games out of the then-14 game regular season, starting 7 of the last 8.[5] Grogan threw for 1,976 yards, 11 touchdowns and 18 interceptions.[8] The Patriots finished with a 3-11 record, and traded Plunkett, their starter for the previous four years,[7] in the off-season. (Plunkett would eventually lead the Raiders to two Super Bowl victories.)

For the Patriots 1976 season, Grogan led the Patriots to an 11-3 record and the franchise's first playoff berth since 1963. The eleven wins were the most Patriots wins in a season since the club’s inception. Along the way the Patriots defeated the defending Super Bowl champion, Pittsburgh Steelers (30-27). They also handed the Oakland Raiders their only regular season loss that year by defeating them 48-17. However, they lost the divisional playoffs (24-21) to the Raiders. Grogan scored 12 rushing touchdowns in 1976, breaking a quarterback record of 11 previously held by Tobin Rote and Johnny Lujack.[9][10][11] His record would stand for 35 years until broken by Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton's 14 in 2011.[12]

In the Patriots 1978 season, Grogan led the Patriots to an 11-5 record, a division title and the organization's first ever home playoff game, a 31-14 loss to the Houston Oilers. The Patriots set the all-time single season team rushing record with 3,156 yards (Grogan rushing for 539 yards and 5 touchdowns himself), a record that stood until broken by the 2019 Baltimore Ravens.[13] It is also the only season an NFL team has had 4 players rush for over 500 yards apiece.[5]

In the early 1980s, Grogan suffered several injuries,[7] and the Patriots drafted quarterback Tony Eason in the first round of the 1983 NFL Draft.

By the Patriots 1985 season, Eason had taken the starting quarterback position and led the Patriots to a 2-3 record initially. Coach Raymond Berry benched Eason for Grogan. The Patriots won 6 straight games behind their old quarterback, only to lose Grogan when he suffered a broken leg in Week 12 against the New York Jets.[14] Filling in again at QB, Eason and the Patriots lost that Jets game 16-13 in overtime, and relinquished 1st place in the AFC East Division. With Eason's return, the Patriots went 3-2 in their remaining five games. Finishing the season with an 11-5 record, the Patriots earned a wild card berth into the playoffs and eventually reached Super Bowl XX, where they faced the Chicago Bears, who, with their defensive coach Buddy Ryan's "46" defense, had gone 15-1 during the regular season. Eason, who had led the Patriots to victory in the wild card, divisional, and conference playoff games, started the game, but the Patriots could do little against the Bears' defense and Eason went 0-6 in passing attempts; Coach Berry replaced him with Grogan. Grogan went on to connect on 17 of 30 passes for 177 yards, a touchdown, but also two interceptions, in the 46-10 loss.[14] Of little solace was the fact that the Patriots were the only team to score against the Bears in the playoffs that season.[14]

At the time of his retirement, Grogan led the franchise as the all-time leader in passing yards (26,886) and passing touchdowns (182).[15] As of 2019, he is ranked third in passing yards behind Tom Brady and Drew Bledsoe and second in passing touchdowns behind Brady.[15] His 16 seasons are the second most ever for a Patriots player, behind Tom Brady.[16] He also held the Patriots previous single-game record with a 153.9 quarterback rating, achieved by completing 13-of-18 passes for 315 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions against the New York Jets on September 9, 1979, before Drew Bledsoe posted a perfect 158.3 rating against the Indianapolis Colts on December 26, 1993.[17]

Statistically, Grogan's best season was the Patriots 1979 season, when he completed 206 of 423 passes for 3,286 yards and 28 touchdowns, rushing for 368 yards and 2 touchdowns.[18] His 28 touchdown passes led the league, tied with Brian Sipe of Cleveland,[19] and his rushing yards led the league for quarterbacks.[5]

Grogan rushed for 2,176 yards (4.9 per carry) and 35 touchdowns during his career,[20] a mark which places him as the Patriots' fourth overall in rushing touchdowns.[20] With Grogan, the Patriots made the playoffs five times (1976, 1978, 1982, 1985, and 1986 as a backup). Before Grogan was drafted, the Patriots made the playoffs just once from 1960-1974.

Grogan's injuries and his toughness in response to them are also part of his legacy. One sports writer for the Boston Globe, wrote of the "Grogan Toughness Meter" in 2003. The writer, Nick Cafardo, gave a partial listing of Grogan's injuries over his 16-year career: "Five knee surgeries; screws in his leg after the tip of his fibula snapped; a cracked fibula that snapped when he tried to practice; two ruptured disks in his neck, which he played with for 1 1/2 seasons; a broken left hand (he simply handed off with his right hand); two separated shoulders on each side; the reattachment of a tendon to his throwing elbow; and three concussions."[21]

After football

After retiring from the Patriots, Grogan attempted to get a coaching job, but found that no one above the high school level would hire him. He was approached by the then-owner of Marciano Sporting Goods in Mansfield, Massachusetts (a business originally started by Rocky Marciano's brother Peter) to purchase the struggling business from him. Living only five miles from the store, and seeing it as a good investment, Grogan agreed to purchase the store, renamed it Grogan Marciano Sporting Goods, and continues to run the business today. Other than running his business, he also makes appearances at local businesses and civic organizations.[22]

Honors

Grogan's high school, Ottawa High School in Ottawa, Kansas has named its football stadium after him,[23] and he was also inducted into the Kansas State Sports Hall of Fame in 1999.[24]

Kansas State has retired the number Grogan wore for the Wildcats, #11, to jointly honor him and Lynn Dickey, who also wore #11.[25] It is the only number retired by Kansas State.[25] (Grogan wore #14 with the Patriots.)[5][26]

Grogan was named to the Patriots 35th Anniversary Team in 1994,[27] and was elected into the Patriots Hall of Fame in 1995.[28] He was also elected to the Patriot's All-Decade teams of the 1970s and the 1980s.[27]

See also

• Most consecutive starts by a quarterback (NFL)

Statistics

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	Passing								Rushing				Sacked		Fumbles		Notes
				Att	Comp	Pct	Yds	Y/A	TD	Int	Rtg	Att	Yds	Avg	TD	Sack	Yds	Fum	Lost
1975	NE	13	7	274	139	50.7	1976	7.21	11	18	60.4	30	110	3.7	3	22	207	6	2	Rookie season, Patriots go 3-11.
1976	NE	14	14	302	145	48.0	1903	6.30	18	20	60.6	60	397	6.6	12	18	155	6	2	Patriots go 11-3, are the AFC wildcard team.
1977	NE	14	14	305	160	52.5	2162	7.09	17	21	65.2	61	324	5.3	1	14	155	7	5	Final season with 14-game schedule.
1978	NE	16	16	362	182	50.0	2824	7.80	15	23	63.6	81	539	6.7	5	21	184	9	7	Patriots go 11-5, win division. Team rushing record.
1979	NE	16	16	423	206	48.7	3286	7.77	28	20	77.4	64	368	5.8	2	45	341	12	8	Final season Grogan would start all games.
1980	NE	12	12	306	175	57.2	2475	8.09	18	22	73.1	30	112	3.7	1	17	138	4	3	Knee surgery, April. Sprains left knee (9/21), right knee (9/28).
1981	NE	8	7	216	117	54.2	1859	8.61	7	16	63.0	12	49	4.1	2	19	137	5	3	Week 2 neck injury, misses 4 games. Week 11, knee injury, out for rest of season. Patriots go 2-14.
1982	NE	6	6	122	66	54.1	930	7.62	7	4	84.4	9	42	4.7	1	8	48	2	1	Strike-shortened season. Patriots make playoffs.
1983	NE	12	12	303	168	55.4	2411	7.96	15	12	81.4	23	108	4.7	2	29	195	4	3	Highest QB rating playing at least 10 games. Breaks leg (11/20). Patriots go 8-8.
1984	NE	3	3	68	32	47.1	444	6.53	3	6	46.4	7	12	1.7	0	7	45	4	2
1985	NE	7	6	156	85	54.5	1311	8.40	7	5	84.1	20	29	1.5	2	11	86	6	5	Breaks leg and injures medial collateral ligament (11/24). Lose to the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XX.
1986	NE	4	2	102	62	60.8	976	9.57	9	2	113.8	9	23	2.6	1	4	34	2	1	Has (throwing) elbow surgery in off-season. Patriots go 11-5, win division.
1987	NE	7	6	161	93	57.8	1183	7.35	10	9	78.2	20	37	1.9	2	7	55	8	2	Strike-shortened season.
1988	NE	6	4	140	67	47.9	834	5.96	4	13	37.6	6	12	2.0	1	8	77	2	1	Neck surgery in off-season. Head and neck injury (11/15), out three games. Breaks left hand (12/20).
1989	NE	7	6	261	133	51.0	1697	6.50	9	14	60.8	9	19	2.1	0	8	64	3	1	Patriots go 5-11.
1990	NE	4	4	92	50	54.3	615	6.68	4	3	76.1	4	-5	-1.3	0	9	68	1	0	Patriots go 1-15. Grogan starts only win.[29]
Total		149	135	3,593	1,897	52.3	26,886	7.48	182	208	69.6	445	2,176	4.9	35	247	1,986	81	47

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	Passing								Rushing				Sacked		Fumbles		Notes
				Att	Comp	Pct	Yds	Y/A	TD	Int	Rtg	Att	Yds	Avg	TD	Sack	Yds	Fum	Lost
1976	NE	1	1	23	12	52.2	167	7.3	1	1	72.2	7	35	5.0	0	0	0	0	0	Loss to Oakland, 21-24.
1978	NE	1	1	12	3	25.0	38	3.2	0	2	0.7	1	16	16.0	0	1	3	0	0	Loss to Houston, 14-31.
1982	NE	1	1	30	16	53.3	189	6.3	1	2	56.1	0	0	0.0	0	4	29	0	0	Loss to Miami, 13-28.
1985	NE	1	0	30	17	56.7	177	5.9	1	2	57.2	1	3	3.0	0	4	33	0	0	Grogan replaces Eason in Super Bowl.
1986	NE	0	0	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	Grogan DNP in loss to Denver.
Total		4	3	95	48	50.5	571	6.0	3	7	49.1	9	54	6.0	0	9	65	0	0

Stats from Database of Football,[1] the NFL,[18] and Pro-Football-Reference.com.[29] Injury information from New England Patriots.[5]

Notes and references

1. Database of Football, Steve Grogan Archived September 22, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
2. Boys State Indoor Track & Field Meets, KSHSAA http://www.kshsaa.org/Public/Track/PDF/CompleteHistory.pdf
3. History of Boys State Basketball Winners, KSHSAA http://www.kshsaa.org/Public/Basketball/PDF/CompleteHistory.pdf
4. State Champs, Kansas HS Football History http://www.kansasfootballhistory.com/statechamps.cfm
5. Steve Grogan, Official New England Patriots Biography Archived August 13, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
6. K-State Football Records
7. Gill, J. (August 18, 2010). Boston sports, then and now: Steve Grogan. Boston Sports, Then and Now.
8. Steve Grogan, QB at NFL.com
9. Bedard, Greg A. (December 4, 2011), "Grogan reflects on his record-setting feet", The Boston Globe, The New York Times Company and BostonGlobe.com
10. 1976 NFL Rushing Statistics - The Football Database
11. Harrison, E. (October 8, 2010). From Moss to Johnny U, these are the most impressive records. NFL.com.
12. Person, Joe (December 4, 2011), "Newton rushes to record in win", The Charlotte Observer
14. Zimmerman, P. (February 3, 1986). A brilliant case for the defense. Sports Illustrated.
15. New England Patriots, All Time Leaders, Passing Archived January 27, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
16. "Tom Brady is Scorching the NFL and Setting Records Just Two Games Into the Season"
17. "Drew Bledsoe: Game Logs", NFL.com
18. Steve Grogan: Career Stats at NFL.com
19. 2010 NFL Record and Stat Book, Yearly Stat Leaders
20. New England Patriots, All Time Leaders, Rushing Archived September 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
21. Cafardo, N. (September 25, 2003). Brady inspires tough love. Boston Globe.
22. Crippen, Ken. "Where Are They Now: Steve Grogan". National Football Post. NFP Media Group L.L.C. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
23. Ottawa Senior High School student handbook
24. "Kansas Sports Hall of Fame". Kansas Sports Hall of Fame. State of Kanasas. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
25. Haskin, K. (August 7, 2002). Kansas State will unveil a ring of honor at KSU. Topeka Capital-Journal.
26. Gill, J. (December 1, 2010). Patriots Grogan and Bledsoe caught in retired numbers game. Bleacher Report.
27. Patriot's Anniversary Teams Archived December 6, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
28. Patriot's Hall of Fame Archived February 5, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
29. Pro-Football-Reference.com, 1990 New England Patriots