Steve Bartkowski
Atlanta Falcons
Steve Bartkowski attended the University of California at Berkeley. In
1975 he was the #1 Draft Choice in the NFL and was drafted by the
Atlanta Falcons. He was the NFL Rookie of the Year as well as The
Sporting News NFC Rookie of the Year in 1975. He started at quarterback
for the Falcons for 11 years. He was the NFL's highest rated quarterback
for three years and he earned All-Pro honors for his efforts in the 1980
and 1981 campaigns. He was the most valuable player in the NFC in 1980.
Steve led the Falcons to their first ever playoff game in 1978 and again
in 1980 and 1982. Steve still holds virtually all the passing records
for the Atlanta Falcons. Bartkowski played his last season in the NFL
for the Los Angeles Rams before 6 operations on his right knee forced
him to retire in 1987.
Bartkowski is one of only six quarterbacks in NFL history that have
achieved two consecutive (back-to-back) 30-touchdown passing seasons
(1980 & 1981) at least one time in their career. The others are Brett
Favre, Dan Fouts, Jeff Garcia, Dan Marino and Y.A. Tittle. Bartkowski
was selected to the Pro Bowl after both the 1980 and 1981 seasons and
was selected 2nd Team All-NFC following the 1980 campaign. He led the
NFL in passing in 1983 with a passer rating of 97.6.
