Nebraska football: A look at every Husker QB taken in the NFL draft

If you’re a Nebraska football fan who hasn’t heard of Dennis Claridge, you’re probably not alone. This isn’t exactly a man who is talked about when discussing the great quarterbacks in Cornhuskers’ history.

Despite being a relative unknown, especially to the current generation of Husker fans, Claridge has a rather interesting backstory. Among the quarterback’s claim to fames is that he is the first Husker quarterback to be drafted into the NFL.

Claridge played in Lincoln from 1961-1963 and put up rather modest numbers during a period of time when most quarterbacks were putting up pretty modest numbers. Over his Cornhusker career, Claridge completed 125 of 198 passes for 1,733 yards, eight touchdowns and 14 interceptions.

While Husker quarterbacks weren’t running like we’ve seen in the recent past, he did add some numbers on the ground. Over his career, he carried 236 times for 624 yards. Where he stood out around the goal line. Dennis scored 16 touchdowns on the ground, including 10 in his junior year.

Claridge was drafted during a different era in the NFL for sure. He was the first pick in the 26th round and was selected by the New York Jets back in 1963.

While Claridge didn’t play in the pros for long, he had an interesting career. He never played a down for the Jets but in 1965 he threw exactly one pass (a 13-yard completion) for the NFL Champion Green Bay Packers.

In 1966, he played in seven games (and started three) for the Atlanta Falcons in their first ever season. Going 0-3 in those starts, the former Nebraska football player completed 40 of 70 passes for 471 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.