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The knock on Seattle rookie quarterback Russell Wilson is that at 5-foot-11, he’s too short to be successful in the NFL. But there were some effective quarterbacks who were 6 feet or shorter. The Observer ranks them:
1 Drew Brees, 6-0: Brees has a Super Bowl ring and is the NFL’s single-season passing leader after breaking Dan Marino’s mark last season. .
2 Fran Tarkenton, 6-0: Before Steve Young and Michael Vick, Tarkenton was the top scrambling quarterback. Tarkenton took the Vikings to three Super Bowls, won 124 games and retired with many of the significant passing records.
3 Sonny Jurgensen, 5-11: Jurgensen, the former Duke great who played for Philadelphia and Washington, won three passing titles and has a spot in Canton.
4 Michael Vick, 6-0: Revolutionized the quarterback position with his running ability after the Falcons drafted him No. 1 overall in 2001. Vick missed two seasons while in prison for a dogfighting ring, and injuries have taken a toll.
5 Doug Flutie, 5-10: Yes, Flutie’s NFL career was unremarkable. But no list of short quarterbacks would be complete without the Boston College quarterback who threw the miraculous Hail Mary at Miami.
Runners-up: Joe Theismann, Billy Kilmer, Pat Haden, Len Dawson.
Joseph Person
