Stanley Robert Heath (March 5, 1927 – September 26, 2010) was a
quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
in the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL) who played 12 games for the
Green Bay Packers.
Heath played college football at the
University of Nevada, Reno
The University of Nevada, Reno (Nevada, the University of Nevada, or UNR) is a public land-grant research university in Reno, Nevada. It is the state's flagship public university and primary land grant institution. It was founded on October 12 ...
, where he was the nation's top passer. Previously, he had been a member of the
Wisconsin Badgers
The Wisconsin Badgers are the athletic teams representing the University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin). They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level ( Football Bowl Subdivis ...
. Heath was the first NCAA quarterback to throw for over 2,000 yards in a season, a mark that would not be surpassed for fifteen years. He finished 5th in the
Heisman Trophy voting in 1948.
In 1948, the Packers drafted him in the 25th round with the 231st overall pick and again in the
1949 NFL Draft
The 1949 National Football League Draft was held on December 21, 1948, at The Bellevue-Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia. The draft was preceded by a secret draft meeting held November 15, 1948, at the Hotel Schenley in Pittsburgh.
This was the ...
with the 5th pick in the 1st round. Heath only played one season with the Packers before moving to the
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...
(CFL).
Heath is the son of former major league baseball player
Mickey Heath
Minor Wilson "Mickey" Heath (October 30, 1903 – July 30, 1986) was a professional baseball player. He was a first baseman over parts of two seasons (1931–32) with the Cincinnati Reds. For his career, he compiled a .213 batting average in 160 ...
, the uncle of attorney and
TruTV
TruTV (stylized as truTV) is an American basic cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The channel primarily broadcasts comedy, docusoaps and reality shows.
The channel was originally launched in 1991 as Court TV, a network that fo ...
television commentator Robert W. Bigelow, and cousin to broadcaster and author Jim Heath.
Heath died at his home in
Jesup, Georgia
Jesup is a city in Wayne County, Georgia, United States. The population was 9,809 at the 2020 census. The city is the county seat of Wayne County.
History
By February 1869, Willis Clary had begun building a two-story hotel near the junction o ...
.
See also
*
List of NCAA major college football yearly passing leaders
The list of college football yearly passing and total offense leaders identifies the major college passing leaders for each season from 1937 to the present. It includes yearly leaders in three statistical categories: (1) passing yardage; (2) pass ...
*
References
External links
NFL.com player pagePackers.com
1927 births
2010 deaths
People from Jesup, Georgia
Players of American football from Toledo, Ohio
American football quarterbacks
Wisconsin Badgers football players
Nevada Wolf Pack football players
Green Bay Packers players
American players of Canadian football
Canadian football quarterbacks
Hamilton Tiger-Cats players
Calgary Stampeders players
Deaths from esophageal cancer
Deaths from cancer in Georgia (U.S. state)
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