College Career
Van Brocklin led the Oregon Ducks to a 16-5 record as a starter, including tying with Cal for the 1948 title of the Pacific Coast Conference, forerunner of the Pac-10. Oregon did not go to the Rose Bowl, however, because Cal was voted by the other schools to represent the PCC in the game. Among the Cal voters was the University of Washington, which elevated the intensity of the Oregon-Washington rivalry. Oregon received an invitation to play SMU in the 1949 Cotton Bowl Classic, which they accepted. It was the first time that a Pacific Coast team played in a major bowl game other than the Rose Bowl. SMU won 20–13. That season, Van Brocklin was honored with an All-America selection and finished sixth in the Heisman Trophy voting. Coincidentally, the Heisman Trophy winner that year was SMU running back Doak Walker. Both Walker and Van Brocklin got Outstanding Player recognition for their performance in the Cotton Bowl Classic.
Van Brocklin left Oregon for the NFL with one remaining year of college eligibility. At that time, a player wasn't allowed to join the NFL until four years after graduating from high school. Though he had only been at the University of Oregon for three years, he was eligible due to the his time in the Navy during World War II.
Read more about this topic: Norm Van Brocklin
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