Tobin Cornelius Rote (January 18, 1928 – June 27, 2000) was an American professional

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 ...

player who was a

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for the

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and

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

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), the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Argonauts compete in the East Division (CFL), East Division of t ...

of the

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(CFL), and the

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and

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

American Football League The American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, AFL–NFL merger, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Foot ...

(AFL). He played

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for the

Rice Owls The Rice Owls are the sports teams representing Houston's Rice University in college sports. The name comes from the owls in Rice's crest. Rice participates in NCAA Division I athletics. A member of the American Athletic Conference, Rice sponsors ...

. He was arguably the first dual-threat quarterback in NFL history.

Early life

Born in

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

, to William Pemberton Rote Jr. (1891–1950) and Augusta Marie (Tietschert) Rote (1896–1969). Rote attended Harlandale High School in San Antonio and graduated in 1946. He was named "most athletic boy" by his classmates. He is the cousin of former

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

receiver and sportscaster Kyle Rote, sharing paternal grandparents.

College career

Rote played

at Rice Institute in

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, quarterbacking the

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under head coach Jess Neely. As a senior in

1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2025 * January 2 – Luis ...

, Rote led the Owls to a 10–1 season, capped by a 27–13 win over

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

in the Cotton Bowl in

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

on January 2. During the fourth game of the season in mid-October against rival SMU (that featured cousin Kyle Rote), he led the Owls back from a 14–0 deficit to a 41–27 win at the Cotton Bowl. The next week saw Rote lead a comeback against

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, turning a 9–0 halftime deficit into a 17–15 win at

Austin Austin refers to: Common meanings * Austin, Texas, United States, a city * Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...

. With a flawless conference record, the Owls were outright

Southwest Conference The Southwest Conference (SWC) was an NCAA Division I college athletic conference in the United States that existed from 1914 to 1996. Composed primarily of schools from Texas, at various times the conference also included schools from Oklaho ...

champions for the third time.

Professional career

Green Bay Packers

The

selected Rote in the second round of the 1950 NFL draft, the 17th overall pick. He spent a total of seven seasons in Green Bay under head coaches Gene Ronzani and

Lisle Blackbourn Lisle William "Liz" Blackbourn (June 3, 1899 – June 14, 1983) was an American football coach in Wisconsin, most notably as the third head coach of the Green Bay Packers, from 1954 Green Bay Packers season, 1954 through 1957 Green Bay Packers se ...

, leading the hapless Packers' offense while the defense annually ranked among the league's worst. On November 18, 1951, he set a record for rushing yards in one game by a quarterback (150) against the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

that wasn't surpassed until 2002. Besides his passing duties, Rote led the Packers in rushing yards three times and rushing touchdowns five times. During the span of his Green Bay career, Rote ranked third in the NFL in passing touchdowns, trailing only Bobby Layne and

Norm Van Brocklin Norman Mack Van Brocklin (March 15, 1926 – May 2, 1983), nicknamed "the Dutchman", was an American professional football player, coach and executive. He played as a quarterback and punter in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. ...

. He also ranked first in the league in rushing yards by a quarterback and second in touchdowns. He was inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in 1974.

1956 season

Rote's

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan after 57 years. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, E ...

season ranks among the greatest in NFL history. On a 4–8 team, he led the league in passing yards (by 294) and passing touchdowns (18 to Ted Marchibroda's 12). In addition, his 11 rushing touchdowns were second in the league behind only those of

' Rick Casares. His 29 total touchdowns were the highest single-season total of his career, and the highest total in the era of the twelve-game schedule. The entire Packers' offense outside of Rote accounted for just five touchdowns. Among quarterbacks, he led the league in pass completions, pass attempts, passing yards, passing touchdowns, rushing attempts, rushing yards, and rushing touchdowns.

Detroit Lions

In late July

1957 Events January * January 1 – The Saarland joins West Germany. * January 3 – Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch. * January 5 – South African player Russell Endean becomes the first batsman to be Dismissal (cricke ...

, Rote and defensive back Val Joe Walker were traded to the

for four players (halfback Don McIlhenny, offensive tackles Ollie Spencer and

Norm Masters Norman Donald Masters (September 19, 1933 – April 19, 2011) was an American football offensive tackle for the Green Bay Packers. Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, Masters graduated from its St. Mary of Redford High School, and played col ...

, and offensive guard Jim Salsbury). Rote split time in

with hall of famer Bobby Layne, although it was Rote who ended up with more passing touchdowns, fewer interceptions, more rushing yards, more rushing touchdowns, and a better won-lost record as a starter. Layne broke his ankle midway through the eleventh game, leaving Rote to guide the team to an NFL title. Detroit tied

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

for the division title, forcing a one-game playoff. Facing a 27–7 deficit in the third quarter, Rote led the Lions to a 31–27 comeback win and a date with the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

. In one of the greatest playoff performances in history, Rote led Detroit to a 59–14 thumping of the Browns. He completed 12 of 19 passes for 280 yards and 4 touchdowns, adding another touchdown on the ground. As for the 1957 Green Bay Packers, they averaged four points per game fewer than the year before in spite of the addition of future hall of famers Bart Starr and Paul Hornung. Fourth-year head coach Blackbourn was replaced with Scooter McLean for

1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the thir ...

, the Packers' worst-ever season. Layne was traded to the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

after the second game of the

season, leaving Rote to guide the aging and rapidly declining Lions. Rote led the team in rushing, making it the fourth time in his career that he did so (an NFL record for quarterbacks). After a disastrous

1959 Events January * January 1 – Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance. * January 2 – Soviet lunar probe Luna 1 is the first human-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reaches the ...

season (3–8–1), the Lions informed Rote that he would be released. Rather than retire, the ten-year veteran headed north of the border to the

of the

(CFL).

Toronto Argonauts

Rote's three seasons in the

with the

were quite eventful. He completed 662 of 1,187 passes for 9,872 yards and 62 TDs. His 38 TD passes in

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Janu ...

was an all-time CFL record. In Rote's first season with the Argos he became the CFL's second quarterback to exceed 4,000 yards passing in a season with 4,247. He also threw 38 touchdowns that season which was then a league record. Thanks to Rote's leadership the 10–4 Argonauts in 1960 accomplished something they had not done since 1937: finish in first place. However, they lost the conference final series to

Ottawa Rough Riders The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded on September 19, 1876. Formerly one of the oldest and longest-lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup cham ...

who went on to win the

Grey Cup The Grey Cup () is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested between the winners ...

. Rote's 108 yard pass to Jim Rountree in

1961 Events January * January 1 – Monetary reform in the Soviet Union, 1961, Monetary reform in the Soviet Union. * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and cons ...

is still a team record, and in 1960 he threw seven touchdown passes in a game twice, a CFL record at the time. After the 1962 season, the Argonauts traded for future hall-of-fame QB Jackie Parker and Rote moved to the fledgling AFL.

CFL Career passing statistics

San Diego Chargers

Looking for a quarterback to lead the team in

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cove ...

while a young John Hadl developed, the

of the

(AFL) came calling. Rote was in his 14th pro season at age 35, but led the Chargers to an 11–3 record and the Western division title. For his part in directing the league's top offense, Rote was named first-team All-AFL and captured the

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Player of the Year award. Proving that his 1957 NFL title performance was no fluke, he led the Chargers to a 51–10 win over the

Boston Patriots Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and financial center of New England, a region of the Northeastern United States. It has an area of and a ...

in the 1963 AFL championship game. Individually, he accounted for 173 yards and 2 touchdowns on 10/15 passing, plus another 15 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground. In

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...

, Hadl began receiving more playing time. The Chargers won the West again but with an 8–5–1 record, and the offense fell from first in the AFL to fourth; and lost three of four to finish the regular season. Rote was the starter for the AFL championship game on the road against the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

, but neither he nor Hadl could do much against the swarming defense without Hall of Fame receiver

Lance Alworth Lance Dwight Alworth (born August 3, 1940), nicknamed "Bambi", is an American former professional football wide receiver who played for the San Diego Chargers of the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL), and the Dal ...

(knee hyperextension) and running back Keith Lincoln, injured in the first quarter with a broken rib. Buffalo won 20–7, and Rote announced his retirement.

Denver Broncos

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

, Rote briefly came out of retirement to play for the

. Signed in late September after the winless Broncos lost their third game, he appeared in three games for a total of five minutes, completing three of eight passes; he was waived by the team after three games in mid-October.

NFL/AFL career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Single-season milestones

* Led the NFL in rushing yards by a quarterback six times (1951, 1954–58) * Led the NFL in passing yards once (1956) * Led the NFL in passing touchdowns twice (1955 and 1956)

Career milestones

* Rote was the only quarterback to lead his team to both an NFL and AFL championship. * At the time he retired, Rote had more rushing yards than any quarterback in NFL history. As of 2024, he ranks fourteenth all-time. * Rote's 21.0 yards/game rushing average is seventh all-time among quarterbacks with at least 2,000 career passes. * Rote's 37 career rushing touchdowns ranks sixth all-time among quarterbacks. * Rote is one of two quarterbacks to lead his team in rushing four times. In 2005, he was named to the

Professional Football Researchers Association The Professional Football Researchers Association (PFRA) is an organization of researchers whose mission is to preserve and, in some cases, reconstruct professional American football history. It was founded on June 22, 1979 in Canton, Ohio by w ...

Hall of Very Good in the association's third HOVG class.

Death

Rote died at age 72 in

Saginaw, Michigan Saginaw () is a city in Saginaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. It had a population of 44,202 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located along the Saginaw River, Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township, ...

from a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

on June 27, 2000. In his last 18 months, he had undergone open heart surgery and back surgery. He was survived by wife Julie, former wife Betsy Todd and children Tobin Jr, Robin, Toni and Rock.

References

External links

StatsCrew profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rote, Tobin 1928 births 2000 deaths American football quarterbacks Canadian football quarterbacks Denver Broncos (AFL) players Detroit Lions players Green Bay Packers players Rice Owls football players San Diego Chargers players Toronto Argonauts players American Football League All-Star players American Football League Most Valuable Players Western Conference Pro Bowl players Harlandale High School alumni Players of American football from San Antonio Players of Canadian football from San Antonio American Football League players Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame

Early life

College career

Professional career

Green Bay Packers

1956 season

Detroit Lions

Toronto Argonauts

CFL Career passing statistics

San Diego Chargers

Denver Broncos

NFL/AFL career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Single-season milestones

Career milestones

Death

See also

References

External links