Bobby Garrett
Encyclopedia
Robert Driscoll "Bobby" Garrett (born August 16, 1932 in Los Angeles, California
) was an American football
quarterback
who played one season in the National Football League
.
Garrett was an All-American quarterback at Stanford University
, where he also starred as a defensive back
. In 1953, he became the third person to receive the W.J. Voit Memorial Trophy
as the outstanding football player on the Pacific Coast. After being was named most valuable player
of the Hula Bowl
, he was drafted by the Cleveland Browns
as the first overall selection in the 1954 NFL Draft
. The Browns had needed someone to take over for the veteran Otto Graham
, but they soon discovered that Garrett had a liability as a quarterback: he stuttered
, which made calling plays difficult.
Garrett never played a game for the Browns, who traded him along with halfback
Don Miller and linemen Johnny Bauer and Chet Gierula to the Green Bay Packers
for quarterback Babe Parilli
and offensive tackle Bob Fleck. The Packers wanted a backup for veteran Tobin Rote
, but did not learn of Garrett's stuttering problem before making the trade. Garrett played just nine games in the NFL.
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
) was an American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
who played one season in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
.
Garrett was an All-American quarterback at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, where he also starred as a defensive back
Defensive back
In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
. In 1953, he became the third person to receive the W.J. Voit Memorial Trophy
W.J. Voit Memorial Trophy
The W. J. Voit Memorial Trophy was awarded by the Helms Athletic Foundation from 1951 to 1978 to the outstanding college football player on the Pacific Coast. The recipient was determined based on votes cast by West Coast football writers and later broadcasters as well. Award recipients include...
as the outstanding football player on the Pacific Coast. After being was named most valuable player
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
of the Hula Bowl
Hula Bowl
The Hula Bowl was an independently administered post-season invitational college football game held each year in Hawaii from 1947 to 2008. The game was last played at Aloha Stadium in the Hālawa district of Honolulu, Hawaii. At one point the longest-running sporting event in Hawaii, it had been...
, he was drafted by the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
as the first overall selection in the 1954 NFL Draft
1954 NFL Draft
The 1954 National Football League Draft was held on January 28, 1954.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:-Round eight:-Round nine:-Round ten:-Round eleven:...
. The Browns had needed someone to take over for the veteran Otto Graham
Otto Graham
Otto Everett Graham, Jr. was a professional American football and basketball player who played for the Cleveland Browns in both the All-America Football Conference and National Football League, as well as the Rochester Royals in the National Basketball League.-Early life:Born in Waukegan,...
, but they soon discovered that Garrett had a liability as a quarterback: he stuttered
Stuttering
Stuttering , also known as stammering , is a speech disorder in which the flow of speech is disrupted by involuntary repetitions and prolongations of sounds, syllables, words or phrases, and involuntary silent pauses or blocks in which the stutterer is unable to produce sounds...
, which made calling plays difficult.
Garrett never played a game for the Browns, who traded him along with halfback
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
Don Miller and linemen Johnny Bauer and Chet Gierula to the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
for quarterback Babe Parilli
Babe Parilli
-Biography:Parilli was born in the Pittsburgh industrial suburb of Rochester, Pennsylvania. He attended the University of Kentucky as an All-American starting quarterback for the Wildcats under Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant....
and offensive tackle Bob Fleck. The Packers wanted a backup for veteran Tobin Rote
Tobin Rote
Tobin Cornelius Rote was an American college and professional football player who played quarterback for the NFL's Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions, the Canadian Football League's Toronto Argonauts, and the American Football League's San Diego Chargers and Denver Broncos.-Early life:Rote...
, but did not learn of Garrett's stuttering problem before making the trade. Garrett played just nine games in the NFL.