So, today I wanted to talk about Steve Bartkowski. I found this name randomly and I was curious about him, so I decided to do some digging.
First, I typed “Steve Bartkowski” into a search engine. Boom, tons of information popped up. It turns out this guy was a pretty big deal in the football world. He was born on November 12, 1952. The guy was a quarterback in the National Football League and played mostly for the Atlanta Falcons from 1975 to 1985. He also had a short stint with the Los Angeles Rams.
Then I started looking into his college career. I found out that he played for the University of California. He was a big shot there, even earning All-America honors. The guy was a star, leading the nation in passing yards in his senior year. Impressive, right?
- 1975 NFL Draft:
I discovered he was the first overall pick in the 1975 NFL Draft. I mean, that’s huge! And he didn’t disappoint, winning the NFL Rookie of the Year award that same year.
- NFL Career:
I went through his NFL stats. He played for 11 seasons with the Falcons and one with the Rams. In total, he racked up over 24,000 passing yards. That’s a lot of yards! He even had a couple of seasons with over 30 touchdown passes. They say he’s one of only nine quarterbacks to do that in consecutive seasons.
- After the NFL:
I also checked what he did after retiring from football. I found that he became a member of the Falcons’ Board of Advisors. It’s nice to see he stayed connected to the team. He got married to Sandee, had two sons, Philip and Peter, and they live outside Atlanta.
Personal Thoughts
Honestly, researching Steve Bartkowski was a blast. It’s amazing to see how much one person can achieve. From leading the nation in passing at the University of California to becoming the first pick in the NFL Draft, and then having a successful career. Plus, he seems like a great family man.
This little research project really showed me the power of digging into someone’s history. You never know what you might find. Steve Bartkowski’s story is definitely one for the books. I really enjoyed reading all about him, and I hope you guys did too!
