List Of Left Handed QB To Win Heisman

Left Handed QB to win Heisman Trophy include Terry Baker, Matt Leinart, and Tim Tebow. Only three southpaw quarterbacks have won the award in college history.

In any part of the world, the right hand is considered the dominant hand. Only 10 percent of individuals are left-handed, and even a smaller percentage of people are ambidextrous.

College football has witnessed some of the greatest quarterbacks and a small percentage of them have been left signal callers. An even small number of left-handed QBs have gone on to win the prestigious award.

Even the NFL has seen very little of quarterbacks that pass the ball with their left hand.

A lefty quarterback in the NFL is always a rare commodity. Only two QBs who throw with their left hand are inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame out of a total of 36. Only Steve Young and Ken Stabler have made it.

In the history of the NFL, only 33 left-handed quarterbacks have played in the league. Such is the rarity and only Tua Tagovailoa is currently playing in 2023.

Terry Baker – 1962

Terry Baker became the first among the left handed quarterbacks to win the Heisman Trophy in 1962. He had completed 112 passes that year for 15 TDs.

Baker was also part of Oregan State’s basketball team but football was his dominating sport.

In addition to being a great football and basketball player, Baker also excelled in baseball. An interesting fact about him is that he throws the baseball with his right hand.

Born on May 5, 1941, in Pine River, Minnesota, Baker grew up in Portland, Oregon. He attended Jefferson High School where he played all three sports and was excellent in all.

1960

His collegiate football career started in 1960 and he played 10 games that season. He completed 60 of the 117 passes he attempted for 863 yards. He had a 3-12 TD-INT record.

 1961

In his second year, Baker had 134 attempts and completed 61 of those for 875 yards. He had a much better TD-INT record this year after having 5 TDs and 8 interceptions.

1962

His final year in college football was a breathtaking season for Baker. His performance on the field was exceptional and rightfully earned him the Heisman Trophy.

  • Passes Attempted – 203
  • Completed – 112
  • Passing Yards – 1,738
  • TD-INT – 15-5

NFL

After an amazing college football career, Baker was drafted as the first overall pick in the 1963 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams. He played as a QB in his rookie season and later transitioned into a running back.

Matt Leinart – 2004

Mathew Stephen Leinart is one of the best southpaw quarterbacks to have played college football. The 2004 Hesiman Trophy winner played for the USC Trojans.

The Mater Dei High School letterman in football and basketball was born in Santa Ana, California, on May 11, 1983. Leinart helped and led his team to a CIF Division I co-championship as a junior.

He was one of the top college recruits and decided to commit to USC. Leinart was redshirted in his first season in 2001 and only played 3 games the following season as a backup to Carson Palmer and recorded no statistics.

2003

Leinart started all 13 games and had completed 255 passes out of 402 passes he attempted for 3,556 yards. It included 38 TDs and just 9 interceptions. He finished sixth in the Heisman Trophy voting that year.

2004

The year he won the award for the most outstanding player in college football recorded 412 attempted passes and completed 269 of those for 3,322 yards. He had 33 TDs and a mere 6 interceptions. Leinart also had 3 rushing TDs this season and started all 13 games once again.

He also went on to win the Rose Bowl MVP, Walter Camp Award, Manning Award, ESPN.com Player of the Year, and many more awards for his on-field performance.

2005

In his final year of college, he had attempted 431 passes and completed 283 of them for 3,815 yards. He had 28 TDs and 8 interceptions in addition to 6 rushing touchdowns and finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting.

In just three full seasons, Leinart managed a total of 807 complete passes for 10,693 yards and 99 touchdowns, and only 23 interceptions.

NFL

Matt Leinart was bound to be a round-one pick since he had such amazing performances in his collegiate career. He was selected by the Arizona Cardinals as the tenth overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft.

Tim Tebow – 2007

Tim Tebow tops the list of the best left handed quarterbacks in college football. In addition to his passing, Tebow is regarded as one of the greatest running QBs.

Tebow was born on August 14, 1987, in Makati, Philippines, and moved to Jacksonville, Florida,  when he was three years old. He began his football career while in high school.

He first played for Trinity Christian Academy as a tight end. He later played for Allen D. Nease High School where he played as the quarterback.

He was a top college prospect and almost considered accepting a scholarship from the University of Alabama. However, he committed to the University of Florida, the same school where his parents first met as students.

2006

Tebow played for the Gators under head coach Urban Meyer as a backup quarterback in his first season. He played 14 games and completed 22 passes out of the 33 he attempted for 358 yards and 5 TDS. He had only one of his passes intercepted and had 8 rushing touchdowns.

2007

In the 13 games he played this season, he had attempted 350 passes and completed 234 of them for 3,286 yards. He had 32 touchdowns and only 6 interceptions.

When it came to rushing, he had 819 rushing yards for 23 TDs this season. All this contributed to Tebow winning the Heisman Trophy and becoming the first underclassman to win the prestigious award.

He was also named the Walter Camp Award finalist, Sporting News Player of the Year, Manning Award, and the ESPY for Best Male College Athlete among the other several awards and honors.

2008

Tebow continued his excellent form the following season as well. He had completed 192 passes of the 298 he attempted for 2,747 yards. He recorded 30 touchdowns and just 4 interceptions. His rushing game was as strong as ever and once again ran 673 yards for 12 TDs.

He was third in the Heisman Trophy voting and once again won the ESPY for Best College Male Athlete.

2009

In his final year, he had 304 attempted passes and completed 213 of those for 2,895 yards. He had 21 passing touchdowns and 5 interceptions in addition to his 910 rushing yards and 14 rushing TDs.

He ended his spectacular collegiate football career with 88 passing TDs and 57 rushing touchdowns.

NFL

Tebow was selected 25th overall by the Denver Broncos in the 2010 NFL Draft. He did not make it big in the NFL as he only played for three seasons.

Left Handed Quarterbacks NFL

Some of the notable left handed QBs to have played in the NFL are:

  • Steve Young
  • Ken Stabler
  • Mark Brunell
  • Micahel Vick
  • Boomer Esiason
  • Jim Zorn
  • Tua Tagovailoa

Steve Young left handed quarterback is considered the best southpaw to have played in the NFL. He has 3x Super Bowl championships and is a 2x NFL MVP.

Young played in the NFL for 15 seasons majority of it for the 49ers and has won numerous team and personal accolades in his illustrious career. He has earned the Pro Bowl seven times in his career and his impeccable records speak for his greatness.

Ken Stabler left handed quarterback is a Super Bowl winner and also the 1974 NFL MVP. He played in the NFL for 17 seasons and is an all-time great.

Stabler has earned the Pro Bowl four times in his career and was the NFL passing touchdowns leader in 1974 and 1976. He has 194 passing TDs in his career.

The current Detroit Lions quarterbacks coach Mark Brunell played in the NFL from 1993 and last played in 2011. He won the Super Bowl in 2009 and is a 3x Pro Bowl selection. He was also the NFL passing yards leader in 1996.

The left-handed quarterback Michael Vick can be credited for transforming the quarterback position for his ability to run with the ball.

The four-time Pro Bowl selection has 6,109 rushing yards and 36 TDs in his 13 seasons. His 7.0 yards per carry makes him the NFL yards per rushing attempt leader.

Boomer Esiason was the 1988 NFL MVP and played for 14 seasons mostly with the Cincinnati Bengals. Jim Zorn started each and every game for the Seattle Seahawks from 1976-1981 and has 21,115 passing yards in his 11 seasons.

Tua Tagovailoa left handed quarterback was the NFL passer rating leader with 97.9 in the 2022 season. He is currently the only QB in the league who is lefty.

Former East Carolina Pirates quarterback Holton Ahlers is the only other QB who is left-handed apart from Tagovailoa and is currently signed to the Seattle Seahawks practice squad.

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