About Norm Van Brocklin
Norman Mack Van Brocklin (March 15, 1926 – May 2, 1983), was an American professional football quarterback and coach who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. Nicknamed "the Dutchman", he spent his first nine seasons with the Los Angeles Rams and his final three with the Philadelphia Eagles. Following his playing career, he was the inaugural head coach of the Minnesota Vikings from 1961 to 1966 and the second head coach of the Atlanta Falcons from 1968 to 1974. Van Brocklin played college football for the Oregon Webfoots, earning All-America honors in 1948. Due to concerns over his professional availability, he was not selected until the fourth round of the 1949 NFL draft by the Rams. During his first three seasons, he and teammate Bob Waterfield alternated as the starting quarterback, culminating with them leading Los Angeles to victory in the 1951 championship game. After Waterfield retired, Van Brocklin served as the Rams primary starter from 1952 to 1957, concluding his tenure with six consecutive Pro Bowl selections and a passing-yards leading season in 1954. He joined Philadelphia in 1958, extending his Pro Bowl selections to nine. In his final season, he was named NFL Most Valuable Player en route to winning the 1960 championship. As the head coach of the expansion Vikings and Falcons, Van Brocklin was unable to reach the postseason with either franchise, but recorded the first winning season for both. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1966 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971. Van Brocklin was a three-sport standout at Acalanes High School in Lafayette, where he quarterbacked the football team to a 5–3 record as a sophomore and a 4–2–2 record as a junior. He became the starting quarterback in 1947 under first-year head coach Jim Aiken, and led the Ducks to a 16–5 record in his two seasons as a starter.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.