The first “great” quarterback of the St. Louis Football Cardinals, Dr. Charley Johnson, passed away at the age of 85 on September 3.

Johnson was the Cardinals’ 10th-round selection out of New Mexico State University in the 1960 NFL draft and took over the starting role from Sam Etcheverry during the 1962 season. He threw seven touchdown passes in season-ending victories over Dallas and Philadelphia and would compile a 30-15-3 record from 1963-1966.

The Big Spring, Texas native twice threw 6 touchdown passes in a game and had another one in which he tossed for 5 scores. He earned a trip to the Pro Bowl in 1963 and led the NFL in passing yardage in 1964 when the Cardinals finished only a half-game behind the World Champion Cleveland Browns in the NFL East Division. During this period, he also found time to finish his Doctorate degree in Chemical Engineering while attending Washington University in St. Louis.

In 1966, Johnson led the Big Red to a 7-1-1 record before going down with a season-ending knee injury against the Giants at Yankee Stadium. The next summer, Johnson was drafted into the U.S. Army, handing over the starting quarterback duties to a young Jim Hart.

Johnson shuttled back and forth from his home base in Ft. Leonard Wood, MO, to St. Louis the next two seasons but played sparingly in 1967 and 1968. He and Hart split time in 1969 before Johnson was traded to the Houston Oilers in 1970.

He would later lead the Denver Broncos to their first winning season in team history and is one of five quarterbacks enshrined in their Ring of Fame.

In college, Johnson led the Aggies to back-to-back Sun Bowl victories, earning Sun Bowl MVP in each game. He is a member of New Mexico State’s Hall of Fame and his No. 33 jersey is retired by the school.

After his playing career, Johnson served as head of the chemical engineering department at NMSU and would also briefly serve as the interim head coach of the football team in 2010.