Best college football quarterback born in every state
By Roje Smith
New Jersey: Joe Theismann – Notre Dame Fighting Irish
New Jersey has been an underrated factory of great college players for decades. A few names that come to mind are Mark Ingram, Greg Olsen, Dwayne Jarrett and Ron Dayne. As far as signal-callers are concerned, names like Joe Flacco and Jim McMahon are two that come up immediately. However, neither of them can match what the great Joe Theismann did during his days at Notre Dame.
Theismann was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey and grew up in South River, where he attended high school. Despite being drafted by the Minnesota Twins, Joe decided to accept a football scholarship from Notre Dame.
He became the team’s starting quarterback as a sophomore and led the Irish to a No. 5 ranking. The following season, he led Notre Dame to a 10-1 record and was named an All-American. He was also in contention for the Heisman Trophy but finished second to Stanford’s Jim Plunkett. All told, he set several school records and was eventually inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame after a good pro career.
Joe Theismann is a true legend in the world of football. It’s only fitting that he’s recognized as the greatest college quarterback to hail from the Garden State.