By Darin 
November 21, 1916 – Brooklyn, New York – Sid Luckman, the legendary halfback from Columbia University, celebrated his birth.
According to the footballfoundation.org website, Luckman was a versatile player who called signals, ran, passed, punted, kicked extra points, and played safety on defense. He had an immediate impact on Columbia’s program in his first game against Maine, running 40 yards for a touchdown and throwing two touchdown passes. In his senior year, he returned a kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown, threw two touchdown passes, and kicked an extra point to lead Columbia to a 20-18 upset of a strong Army team—the College Football Hall of Fame 1960.
George Halas and the Chicago Bears drafted Sid, and he was something special for the Bears. According to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Luckman, in 12 seasons playing for the Bears, mastered the T-formation and threw for 137 touchdowns and 14,686 yards. Sid tossed 7 of those touchdowns in just one game ( check out the story in our November 14 post), and he tossed 5 more of them in the 1943 NFL Title game, and those two games helped propel Luckman to earn the 1943 NFL MVP Award.
Sid’s handling of the T-formation led to a 73-0 final score in the 1940 Championship game, and had all coaches clamoring to master the offense Sid ran so well. Among his awards, Luckman was an All-NFL selection five times. The Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrined Sid Luckman in 1965.
Football Accolades and Accomplishments
College Career (Columbia University)
- First-team All-American (1938): Consensus selection.
- Second-team All-American (1937)
- Heisman Trophy Voting (1938): Placed third.
- College Football Hall of Fame: Inducted in 1960.
- All-Around Player: Called signals, ran, passed, punted, kicked extra points, and played safety on defense.
Professional Career (Chicago Bears)
- NFL Champion (4x): 1940, 1941, 1943, 1946.
- NFL Most Valuable Player (MVP) (1943): Awarded the Joe F. Carr Trophy.
- First Quarterback to Master the T-Formation: Led the Bears’ revolutionary T-Formation offense, resulting in the historic 73-0 victory in the 1940 NFL Championship Game.
- All-NFL Selection (5x First-Team All-Pro): 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1947.
- NFL Passing Leader (3x): Led the NFL in passing yards (1943, 1945, 1946) and passing touchdowns (1943, 1945, 1946).
- NFL Record (Tied): Threw 7 touchdown passes in a single game (1943).
- NFL Title Game Record: Threw 5 touchdown passes in the 1943 NFL Championship Game.
- NFL 1940s All-Decade Team: Selected for the All-Decade Team.
- Pro Football Hall of Fame: Inducted in 1965.