A version of this post first appeared on TheGreatRabbino.com. It is reposted here with permission.
The greatest Jewish quarterback of all time was Sid Luckman. I’m not saying that just because I’m a Chicago Bears fan. Luckman is still considered by many to be one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, period. Benny Friedman is probably number two. He is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and is a four-time All-Pro. Then I’d say comes Jay Fiedler or Harry Newman. All four have long since retired from the league, and now Sage Rosenfels, the fifth greatest Jewish quarterback of all time, has called it quits as well.
Being a Jewish quarterback is not a common thing, especially at the NFL level. Most of the MOTs in NFL history have been Offensive Lineman (ironic because Jews are usually portrayed with a lack of size). So, the fact that Rosenfels has retired from the NFL is pretty upsetting.
State Rosenfels was drafted out of Iowa State in fourth round of the 2001 NFL draft by the Washington Redskins, but he never played for them. The Redskins traded him to the Miami Dolphins and from there he became, like Fiedler and Jews of old, a journeyman. A backup most of his career, Rosenfels had one season during his 2006-2008 stint with the Houston Texans where he got a legitimate shot to star. He showed signs of becoming a NFL starter, tossing 15 touchdowns one season, but eventually the Texans moved on and traded Rosenfels to Minnesota. He was supposed to battle for the starting job with the Vikings, but a quarterback by the name of Brett Favre joined the team that season and Rosenfels never got his shot. Rosenfels clung to the Giants, Dolphins (again), and Vikings (again) but eventually could not make a roster. He officially retired on July 15th.
Hats off to Rosenfels on his career and giving hope to Jewish boys everywhere! You can follow him on twitter @SageRosenfels18.
(Photo: Wikimedia Commons)
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