Did you know that two Nebraska football quarterbacks were taken in the 1972 draft? While Jerry Tagge went in the first round, and was the 11th overall pick, his backup in the 1971 season, Van Brownson was also drafted.
The then Baltimore Colts selected Brownson in the eighth round of that same draft, apparently on a bit of a whim. If nothing else, this shows just how dominant the Cornhuskers were when it comes to the College football world back then.
There has not been another NFL draft where two Husker quarterbacks were taken in the same year. These days, it appears there never will be, unless one of them is selected late in the run at another position.
Brownson had an interesting career in Lincoln, spending most of his time sharing the spotlight with Tagge. He completed 54 percent of his passes for 1,572 yards and 12 touchdowns to nine interceptions.
It turns out the Colts were not rewarded for the flyer they took on the backup quarterback as he never managed to become an impact player. In fact, Brownson never played a down of professional football in a live game.
The fact that Van Brownson was drafted at all, still puts him ahead of scores of other Nebraska football quarterbacks that came after him.