Charles Alan Pastrana (November 20, 1944April 8, 2021) was an American

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the Univ ...

from 1965 to 1968. In 1966, he set the

Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the ACC's eighteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athlet ...

record for single-season passing

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

s with 17. At Maryland, Pastrana also played on the lacrosse team and was named a first-team

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

defenseman in 1966. The

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL) selected Pastrana in the 11th round of the 1969 NFL/AFL draft. He played for Denver for two seasons, including three games as the starting quarterback. After his playing career, Pastrana coached football, lacrosse and wrestling at Anne Arundel Community College, where he taught as an associate professor, and coached football at the Severn School.

Early life

Pastrana was born on November 20, 1944, in

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is the county seat of Anne Arundel County and its only incorporated city. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east ...

, to a father from

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

and an American mother of Swiss ancestry.Maybe A Star in the Wings
''Herald-Journal'', September 7, 1966., Database Football, retrieved October 4, 2010. He attended Annapolis High School, where he served as the captain of the football, lacrosse, and wrestling teams.Severn turns to Pastrana, Fowler
, ''The Baltimore Sun'', March 10, 1993. After he graduated from Annapolis High in 1964, Pastrana attended the college preparatory Severn School.

College years

Pastrana enrolled at the

, where he earned three letters on the

football team A football team is a group of players selected to play together in the various team sports known as football. Such teams could be selected to play in a match against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an All-st ...

in 1965, 1966, and 1968, and two on the lacrosse team in 1966 and 1967. He played lacrosse as a

defenseman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from Goal (ice hockey), scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the l ...

under head coach

John Howard John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. His eleven-year tenure as prime min ...

. After the 1966 season, the

United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association The United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association is an association of member institutions and organizations with college lacrosse programs at all levels of competition, including the three NCAA divisions and non-NCAA schools, at both the varsi ...

named him a first-team

. In 1965, he played football on defense as a

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

. The following season,

Lou Saban Louis Henry Saban (October 13, 1921 – March 29, 2009) was an American football player and coach. He played for Indiana University in college and as a professional for the Cleveland Browns of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) between ...

took over as head coach from Tom Nugent, and held open quarterback try-outs, which included everyone who had played the position in high school. Early in the season, Saban dismissed several players "not good enough to play for Maryland", including former starting quarterback Phil Petry, and the job went to Pastrana. Saban employed a pro-style offense. After losses to

Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with ca ...

and

Syracuse Syracuse most commonly refers to: * Syracuse, Sicily, Italy; in the province of Syracuse * Syracuse, New York, USA; in the Syracuse metropolitan area Syracuse may also refer to: Places * Syracuse railway station (disambiguation) Italy * Provi ...

, Pastrana led the underdog Maryland team to a surprising three-game winning streak over

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

, and

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

, which improbably placed the Terrapins atop the

and into the

bowl game In North America, a bowl game, or simply bowl, is one of a number of postseason college football games primarily played by NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams. For most of its history, the FBS did not use a playoff tourname ...

picture. Maryland, however, lost its final four games of the season to finish 4–6 and 3–3 in the ACC. In the penultimate game against

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, Pastrana broke the ACC record with his 13th and 14th touchdown passes of the season.

Florida State Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...

routed Maryland in the season finale, 45–21, where Pastrana's passing accounted for all three Terrapin scores in a failed second-half comeback bid. He finished the year with 102 completions on 195 attempts for 1,499 yards and 17 touchdowns.''2007 Maryland Football Record Book'', "Annual Passing Leaders", p. 31, University of Maryland, 2007. After the season, Saban left to become head coach for the

and he was replaced by former Maryland

guard Bob Ward. In April 1967, Pastrana suffered a serious injury when he tore his

medial collateral ligament The medial collateral ligament (MCL), also called the superficial medial collateral ligament (sMCL) or tibial collateral ligament (TCL), is one of the major ligaments of the knee. It is on the medial (inner) side of the knee joint and occurs in ...

and cartilage in his knee during a spring football practice.Maryland Star Alan Pastrana Injures Knee
''Herald-Journal'', April 23, 1967. The injury required surgery, and he was lost for the 1967 season. Pastrana returned for his final year of eligibility in 1968, but had "only a mediocre season", although he "kept the team spirits high with his never-say-die attitude." Maryland finished with a 2–8 record. Pastrana recorded 81 completions on 172 attempts for 1,053 yards and six touchdowns. During his collegiate career, Pastrana set the school record for season efficiency rating at 131.29 in 1966, which was broken by Bob Avellini in 1974. Pastrana also set school records with 23 career passing touchdowns and 17 single-season passing touchdowns, both of which were later broken by

Boomer Esiason Norman Julius "Boomer" Esiason (; born April 17, 1961) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons, primarily with the Cincinnati Bengals. He played college football for ...

.Passing Records
, University of Maryland, retrieved October 4, 2010.

Professional career

Denver Broncos

The

selected Pastrana in the eleventh round of the 1969 NFL/AFL draft with the 270th overall pick.Chuck Pastrana NFL & AFL Statistics
Pro Football Reference, retrieved October 4, 2010. In

1969 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1969th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 969th year of the 2nd millennium, the 69th year of the 20th century, and the ...

, he saw action in two games and did not attempt a pass, but did have one reception for 15 yards. The following season, he played in five games, including three as starter in relief of Steve Tensi, who had suffered a shoulder injury. Against the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...

, Pastrana drove the team to the opposing 35-yard line and within field goal range, but he was knocked unconscious and could not call a crucial timeout. As the offensive captain, he was the only person authorized to do so under the rules at the time, and the clock expired to result in a 17–17 stalemate.Jack Cox
From 'Foolish Club' to Super Bowl champs
''The Denver Post'', February 1, 2010. The rules regarding timeouts were changed after the season. In 1970, Pastrana completed 29 of 75 pass attempts for 420 yards and one touchdown, rushed 14 times for 89 yards and one touchdown, threw nine

interception In Ball game, ball-playing Competitive sport, competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for ...

s, and was sacked eight times. Five of his interceptions came against the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

. Pastrana suffered a severe concussion that effectively ended his career near the end of the 1970 season and also heavily altered his personality. In the

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...

offseason, head coach

held try-outs with seven quarterbacks. By the end of August, Pastrana made the cut to the final three, alongside

Don Horn Donald Glenn Horn (born March 9, 1945) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Green Bay Packers, Denver Broncos, Cleveland Browns, and San Diego C ...

and Steve Ramsey, and was the only quarterback remaining on the team from the prior season. Pastrana, however, was cut in early September.

After the NFL

Pastrana became an assistant football coach at Anne Arundel Community College in 1973. From 1980 to 1989, he served as the head coach and directed a multiple-I and pro-set offense until the school discontinued the program., ''The Baltimore Sun'', September 3, 1993. He also served as a co-head coach of the Anne Arundel Community College men's lacrosse team alongside former Maryland coach

Bud Beardmore Clayton Albert "Bud" Beardmore (October 26, 1939 – January 20, 2016) was an American lacrosse coach. As head coach at the University of Maryland, Beardmore led the Terrapins to two NCAA tournament championships in 1973 and 1975. He was indu ...

. In 1993, the Severn School hired Pastrana as its football coach, but he resigned after just three games amid complaints from parents and players over his laid-back coaching style. Some were concerned that Pastrana visited with friends in the stands during the halftime of two losses., ''The Baltimore Sun'', September 24, 1993. In 2001, Pastrana was an associate professor of health and education at Anne Arundel Community College,FREQUENT FLIER Racer: A motocross superstar at the age of 17, Travis Pastrana has a zest for winning, and entertaining, that just keeps soaring.; Motocross
, ''The Baltimore Sun'', July 17, 2001. where he was still teaching as of 2006. Pastrana has been inducted into the Anne Arundel County Sports Hall of Fame.

Personal life

Pastrana and his wife Diane (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Laudenslager) had two daughters, Shannon Overend and Lisa Brabazon. He was the uncle of stuntman and

motorsport Motorsport or motor sport are sporting events, competitions and related activities that primarily involve the use of Car, automobiles, motorcycles, motorboats and Aircraft, powered aircraft. For each of these vehicle types, the more specific term ...

s competitor

Travis Pastrana Travis Alan Pastrana (born October 8, 1983) is an American professional athlete known for his success across multiple disciplines, including freestyle motocross, rally racing, NASCAR, and stunt performance. He rose to prominence in the early 2000s ...

. Another nephew, Greg Powell, played football at Maryland as a walk-on in 2005 and 2006., ''The Baltimore Sun'', November 23, 2006. His nephew, Darren Pastrana, entered the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (USNA, Navy, or Annapolis) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as United States Secre ...

in 2008, where he played on the lacrosse team. His niece, Kim Pastrana, played

women's lacrosse Women's lacrosse (or girls' lacrosse), sometimes shortened to lax, is a field sport played at the international level with two opposing teams of ten players each (12 players per team at the U.S. domestic level). Originally played by indigenous ...

Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...

from 2005 to 2007.Kim Pastrana
Duke University, July 30, 2005. Pastrana died on April 8, 2021, of pneumonia that stemmed from

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pastrana, Alan 1944 births 2021 deaths American football quarterbacks Denver Broncos players Denver Broncos (AFL) players College football coaches in Maryland Maryland Terrapins football players Maryland Terrapins men's lacrosse players High school football coaches in Maryland Junior college football coaches in the United States Junior college men's lacrosse coaches in the United States Junior college wrestling coaches in the United States Players of American football from Annapolis, Maryland American sportspeople of Puerto Rican descent Deaths from pneumonia in Maryland Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Maryland Hispanic and Latino American players of American football