Top 10 NU Quarterbacks per SI

[CatManTrue]

was this ever shared here? Two summers ago, SI ranked our top 10 QBs of all time. The results are a different from our own poll but their list is more comprehensive.

1. Schnur
2. Thorson
3. Basanez
4. Kustok
5. Persa
6. Bacher
7. Len Williams
8. Otto Graham (way too low!)
9. Siemian
10. Sandy Schwab

The Top 10 Greatest Northwestern Quarterbacks of All Time

Northwestern has a long history of fielding out some of the best that the Big Ten has ever seen.

www.si.com

 

[NCPurplecat]

Otti Graham for his era was an all time great and should be first. Schnur had a lot of talent around him and did not have to run as much as a few others. The 10 all did well competing against much larger schools. Omitted may have been player from early 1960s. Ara had sime good teams.

 

[Catreporter]

Dick Thornton, who led the "58 and '59 teams (with Ron Burton) and Tommy Myers, who quarterbacked the '62 team which ranked number one in the nation for a good while could be in that group somewhere. Mitch Anderson who quarterbacked the last good team the Cats had before the Dark Ages (6-1 in the Big Ten), could also be in there.

 

[DarkSide576]

What is crazy, to me, is that I graduated a little over thirty years ago and I have seen eight of these quarterbacks, play, either as an undergraduate, or an alumnus. The Dark Ages were indeed dark. I hope our future continues to be a bright one.

 

[DaCat]

Dick Thornton, who led the "58 and '59 teams (with Ron Burton) and Tommy Myers, who quarterbacked the '62 team which ranked number one in the nation for a good while could be in that group somewhere. Mitch Anderson who quarterbacked the last good team the Cats had before the Dark Ages (6-1 in the Big Ten), could also be in there.

Good point. There are some pretty good QBs not on the SI top ten list.

Thornton
Myers
Anderson
Kafka
Ramsey
Kerrigan
Colter

 

[Frabjous]

Good point. There are some pretty good QBs not on the SI top ten list.

Thornton
Myers
Anderson
Kafka
Ramsey
Kerrigan
Colter

Yep. Mitch Anderson did pretty well, under the circumstances…

 

[julescat]

Dick Thornton, who led the "58 and '59 teams (with Ron Burton) and Tommy Myers, who quarterbacked the '62 team which ranked number one in the nation for a good while could be in that group somewhere. Mitch Anderson who quarterbacked the last good team the Cats had before the Dark Ages (6-1 in the Big Ten), could also be in there.

I think you are confusing Mitch Anderson with Maurie Daigneau.
Mitch A. was good but those teams, not so much....

 

[NURoseBowl]

was this ever shared here? Two summers ago, SI ranked our top 10 QBs of all time. The results are a different from our own poll but their list is more comprehensive.

1. Schnur
2. Thorson
3. Basanez
4. Kustok
5. Persa
6. Bacher
7. Len Williams
8. Otto Graham (way too low!)
9. Siemian
10. Sandy Schwab

The Top 10 Greatest Northwestern Quarterbacks of All Time

Northwestern has a long history of fielding out some of the best that the Big Ten has ever seen.

www.si.com

Loved watching all these guys play. Well, other than Otto. But great memories, huh?

 

[wicker]

Someone tell SI
NU has played ball for years.
Not just since nine-six

 

[ajr938]

Any list that does not have Dan Persa as the best QB in NU history is flawed. All those QBs were great and we were lucky to have them, but until Persa got hurt he was the best I ever saw at NU. If he did not get hurt our fortunes would have been much different. He was recruited by Walker and as much as I love Fitz, he is not as good at identifying talent as Walker and his crew were. I am hopeful that Fitz with his new staff additions can start identifying good college talent.

 

[phatcat]

Persa and Baz #1 and 1A

Colter belongs here. All he did was win

 

[hdhntr1]

Otti Graham for his era was an all time great and should be first. Schnur had a lot of talent around him and did not have to run as much as a few others. The 10 all did well competing against much larger schools. Omitted may have been player from early 1960s. Ara had sime good teams.

Meyer was supposedly pretty good and Daigneau was pretty solid. But it was a far different time and the QB role was not the same

 

[hdhntr1]

Persa and Baz #1 and 1A

Colter belongs here. All he did was win

He was successful at his role

 

[hdhntr1]

Dick Thornton, who led the "58 and '59 teams (with Ron Burton) and Tommy Myers, who quarterbacked the '62 team which ranked number one in the nation for a good while could be in that group somewhere. Mitch Anderson who quarterbacked the last good team the Cats had before the Dark Ages (6-1 in the Big Ten), could also be in there.

That was Maury Daigneau in 70 and 71. Never saw Meyers play but all indications are that he belonged

 

[hdhntr1]

Someone tell SI
NU has played ball for years.
Not just since nine-six

They had a couple guys in the list that played before then. Otto Graham seemed like they felt they had to include him and the others were dark ages guys that put up big numbers but teams were not good

 

[No Chores]

That was Maury Daigneau in 70 and 71. Never saw Meyers play but all indications are that he belonged

I have been attending NU games since my freshman year in 1961, and Tommy Myers was one of the best, if not the best, that I have ever seen. He led the 'Cats to the #1 ranking in 1962 after they beat undefeated OSU in Columbus. No other NU QB, to my knowledge, has accomplished that feat.

 

[No Chores]

They had a couple guys in the list that played before then. Otto Graham seemed like they felt they had to include him and the others were dark ages guys that put up big numbers but teams were not good

With the exception of Tommy Myers and the 1962 'Cats.

 

[CatManTrue]

Any list that does not have Dan Persa as the best QB in NU history is flawed. All those QBs were great and we were lucky to have them, but until Persa got hurt he was the best I ever saw at NU. If he did not get hurt our fortunes would have been much different. He was recruited by Walker and as much as I love Fitz, he is not as good at identifying talent as Walker and his crew were. I am hopeful that Fitz with his new staff additions can start identifying good college talent.

Here’s what hurts Persa’s case for #1: what was his biggest win? Clearly it was his last in 2010 (ranked Iowa in an upset), but while his style of play was exciting he didn’t start many games for us pre-Achilles. Once he lost his mobility, he wasn’t nearly as fun or good. It really sucks but he has one of the least impressive resumes in the W column compared to most of the QBs.

For me, it’s about championships, stats, and leadership. Here’s my very tentative top 3:

#1 Schnur
#2 Thorson
#3 Kustok

 

[Catreporter]

It was Daignieu, my bad. Mitch came right after him and helped win some games right before the big dry spell set in.

 

[hdhntr1]

With the exception of Tommy Myers and the 1962 'Cats.

But Tommy Meyers was not on the original list. He has been sort of added to the conversation by people here

 

[AsburyArchive]

Maurie Daigneau was described (I don't remember where or by whom) as "The Premier Quarterback of the Big Ten".

 

[DaCat]

I have been attending NU games since my freshman year in 1961, and Tommy Myers was one of the best, if not the best, that I have ever seen. He led the 'Cats to the #1 ranking in 1962 after they beat undefeated OSU in Columbus. No other NU QB, to my knowledge, has accomplished that feat.

Yes. Hard to argue against the only #1 ranked NU football team.

 

[No Chores]

But Tommy Meyers was not on the original list. He has been sort of added to the conversation by people here

My understanding was that we were trying to identify the top 10 ever, which is why I nominated Tommy Myers, who in my opinion was better than everyone else with the exception of Otto Graham, who was before my time. All of the rest I have personally seen. Of course I did see Otto with the Cleveland Browns, and he was one of the greatest of all time.

 

[ohiovalleycat]

I think if these evaluations are not going to go back deep to the beginning of a team's history, then they should simply qualify their rankings. For example, the best quarterback since 1980 or 1960 or the best team since the 1990s. Don't pretend to have conducted a comprehensive review of the full history of a team or sport, but then make proclamations that cover a long period, including years that were not really considered for inclusion in the final assessment of who was the greatest.

 

[CatManTrue]

I think if these evaluations are not going to go back deep to the beginning of a team's history, then they should simply qualify their rankings. For example, the best quarterback since 1980 or 1960 or the best team since the 1990s. Don't pretend to have conducted a comprehensive review of the full history of a team or sport, but then make proclamations that cover a long period, including years that were not really considered for inclusion in the final assessment of who was the greatest.

The advances in the game over the past 50-60 years have been incredible, ergo it makes sense that the best QBs would all come from that timeframe.

Our 1-11 team this year would have absolutely wrecked the 1962 or 1971 teams.

 

[phatcat]

The advances in the game over the past 50-60 years have been incredible, ergo it makes sense that the best QBs would all come from that timeframe.

Our 1-11 team this year would have absolutely wrecked the 1962 or 1971 teams.

This is disingenuous. Of course current athletes are bigger/stronger/faster. But it doesn't diminish the achievements of prior eras. Personally, I think Wilt Chamberlain was the best basketball player ever. Likewise Babe Ruth in baseball. Saying that Ryan Hilinski, for instance, is "better" than Otto Graham is just silly.

 

[NUCat320]

I hate FanNation so much.

It’s not Sports Illustrated. This is written by some jabroni. It’s worthless. It’s ‘content’.

Every time you follow an SI.com article and land at a FanNation site, you’ve been duped.

Also, this article was published 2021, so take it with a grain of salt. Where might Hilinski and Sullivan rank?

Wildcats Daily last published on September 1, 2022.

 

[hdhntr1]

My understanding was that we were trying to identify the top 10 ever, which is why I nominated Tommy Myers, who in my opinion was better than everyone else with the exception of Otto Graham, who was before my time. All of the rest I have personally seen. Of course I did see Otto with the Cleveland Browns, and he was one of the greatest of all time.

I don't have a problem with you nominating him as I suggested him as well but my comment was in response to someone suggesting that SI did not seem to recognize that NU had played before 1996. My comment was just about people on that list that were before 1996 and Tommy Meyer was not on their list

 

[hdhntr1]

I hate FanNation so much.

It’s not Sports Illustrated. This is written by some jabroni. It’s worthless. It’s ‘content’.

Every time you follow an SI.com article and land at a FanNation site, you’ve been duped.

Also, this article was published 2021, so take it with a grain of salt. Where might Hilinski and Sullivan rank?

Wildcats Daily last published on September 1, 2022.

Not in the top 10.

 

[No Chores]

I don't have a problem with you nominating him as I suggested him as well but my comment was in response to someone suggesting that SI did not seem to recognize that NU had played before 1996. My comment was just about people on that list that were before 1996 and Tommy Meyer was not on their list

My comment was intended not only to nominate Tommy Myers, but also to point out that he was not a dark ages guy as your post suggested. This can be excused, however, because you're probably much too young to remember Tommy Myers, Paul Flatley, Jack Cvercko and many of the other great players on that 1962 team.

 

[hdhntr1]

My comment was intended not only to nominate Tommy Myers, but also to point out that he was not a dark ages guy as your post suggested. This can be excused, however, because you're probably much too young to remember Tommy Myers, Paul Flatley, Jack Cvercko and many of the other great players on that 1962 team.

Because he was not on the list I was responding to. If you look at that list, other than guys who played 95, the rest of the list included Dark ages guys AND Otto Graham and no one else. I was not responding suggesting him (TM)to be a Dark Ages guy. Neither was Daigneau who I also suggested should be on that list.

Again I have no problem with you suggesting that TM should have a place on the list (an no, I don't think he was a Dark Ages QB) . Likely others such as Daigneau and whoever took us to the RB should have a hearing as well. But that was not the list I was responding to. And while I did not see Meyers play I was there for Daigneau and Adamly and the initiation of the Dark ages with the hiring of Johnny Pont.

 

[Katatonic]

Agree that the list is pretty useless, seemingly based on stats and team accomplishments and not actually having seen the QBs play (which is why Otto is mind-numbingly ranked too low).

Here’s what hurts Persa’s case for #1: what was his biggest win? Clearly it was his last in 2010 (ranked Iowa in an upset), but while his style of play was exciting he didn’t start many games for us pre-Achilles. Once he lost his mobility, he wasn’t nearly as fun or good. It really sucks but he has one of the least impressive resumes in the W column compared to most of the QBs.

For me, it’s about championships, stats, and leadership. Here’s my very tentative top 3:

#1 Schnur
#2 Thorson
#3 Kustok

Stats and championships (team accomplishments) are heavily predicated on the talent surrounding the QB (on both sides of the ball) and the coaching/scheme.

I mean, would you reall put these SB-winning QBs - Jim McMahon, Phil Simms, Doug Wiliams, Jeff Hostetler, Mark Rypien, Joe Flacco, Nick Foles, Matthew Stafford over Dan Marino?

And that list can easily get longer.

For me, it's seeing how the QBs play while taking into account the level of talent and coaching around them, basically a de facto ranking if they played with the same level of players and coaching (basically, how they each would do leading the exact same team).

On that basis, this would be my tier rankings...

Williams, Baz, Persa, Siemian
Kustok, Bacher
Schnur, Kafka, Ramsey
Colter, Thorson


As bad as that list is, this one (SI ranking of NFL backup QBs) is way worse (complete trash).

https://www.si.com/nfl/2023/05/26/ranking-all-32-quarterbacks-worst-best#gid=ci02c02566400024be&pid=15