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John Hadl, who turned one of many main quarterbacks within the outdated American Football League with the San Diego Chargers and later helped take the Los Angeles Rams to an sudden N.F.L. playoff berth in a profession spanning 16 professional seasons, died on Wednesday. He was 82.
The University of Kansas, the place Hadl performed quarterback, introduced the demise. The assertion didn’t say the place he died or give the reason for his demise.
When the A.F.L. and the N.F.L. held separate 1962 drafts lengthy earlier than the leagues merged, it wasn’t clear whether or not Hadl was greatest suited to be a passer or a runner within the professional sport.
He had been an impressive operating again as a sophomore at Kansas however performed quarterback for his last two seasons in a run-oriented offense, gaining All-America honors as a senior.
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The Chargers (now the Los Angeles Chargers) chosen Hadl within the third spherical of the A.F.L. draft, envisioning him as their quarterback of the longer term. The Detroit Lions selected him within the first spherical of the National Football League draft (the No. 10 choice over all), planning to make use of him as a operating again who may throw out of pass-run choice performs.
“At halfback I might have made it for two, three years, maybe,” Hadl advised The San Diego Union-Tribune in 1994, when he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. “At quarterback you can play a long time if you make it, and that’s what happened.”
Having signed with the Chargers, Hadl flourished below their head coach, Sid Gillman, who devised good passing schemes.
“The league took the philosophy that we were going to have an offensive show,” Hadl recalled in a 2006 interview with The Orlando Sentinel. “We were going to score as many points as we could and not emphasize defense so we can have as exciting a game as we could for the fans and for the TVs. That was our calling card.”
Hadl’s favourite goal was the longer term Hall of Fame vast receiver Lance Alworth, referred to as Bambi for his sleek strikes to elude defensive backs.
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