Texas A&M Football: Top 10 quarterbacks in Aggie History
Texas A&M football has had some incredible quarterbacks in its 123 year football history – and some not so great ones. But who are the 10 best of all time?
Texas A&M has had some incredible quarterbacks in its 123 year football history – and some not so great ones. But who are the 10 best of all time?
I dove into the numbers, taking into account stats such as completion percentage, touchdowns responsible for, and record among other things. I also looked at quality wins. If a quarterback had a large number of wins, were they predominantly against teams like Sam Houston State, Prairie View A&M, and the like? Or were they against quality competition in which the outcome of the game wasn’t virtually decided before a down had been played? The list features many guys you’ll know, and a few you probably won’t. Let’s count ‘em down.
10. Charlie Milstead (1957-1959)
Charlie Milstead is one name that may not ring a bell for many Aggie fans. That’s mostly because, like many quarterbacks in A&M history, his personal success at the position is not reflected in a multitude of championships or bowl wins. His teams finished ranked in the top 15 every season, making him the only Aggie quarterback to accomplish this. However, they only made one bowl appearance.
The 1957 team finished 5th (only done two other times, by the 1939 and 2012 teams), though they did not make a bowl appearance that season. It would be 17 years before the Aggies would make another appearance in the final polls. No other Aggie quarterback has managed to do better than consecutive top 20 finishes.
Milstead was top five in the Southwest Conference (SWC) in most categories throughout his career. That was during a time when the game was very different and still evolving. His 6.8 yards per pass attempt in 1958 led the SWC and was 4th best in the NCAA. He had a stellar season in 1958, ranking second in the SWC in just about every category, including pass completions and attempts (88 completions on 167 attempts) and passing yards (1,135).
His passing yard mark was good enough for fifth in the NCAA that year. His 1,332 total yards that season were good enough for second in the SWC and fourth in the NCAA. Milstead was drafted in the 14th round of the 1960 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins.