Steve DeBerg

Steven Leroy DeBerg (born January 19, 1954) had a long career as an American Football quarterback. His career spanned 21 years over 3 decades. Despite the fact that large portions of his career were spent as a backup, DeBerg ultimately accumulated some impressive NFL statistics, particularly during the early 1990s, when he was the starting QB for the Kansas City Chiefs. DeBerg's reputation is that of a journeyman, and he was also very much a "witness to history" who played an incidental role in significant events. But late in his career, DeBerg exhibited flashes of brilliance, as well as endurance and staying power that separated him from other journeymen and career backups.

Career
DeBerg is an alumnus of Savanna High School in Anaheim, California where he also excelled in the Pole Vault, Fullerton College in Fullerton, California, and of San José State University. Corona Del Mar's Reed Johnson beat DeBerg, and his team (14-0), for player of the game in the 1972 Orange County High School All Star game. Reed played for Cal State Fullerton and had his career cut short by a knee injury; he was widely held to be the more superior of the two quarterbacks. Though DeBerg would never live down the loss of the Orange County All Star game, Steve continued on to play for the San Francisco 49ers (1978–1980), Denver Broncos (1981–1983), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1984–1987, 1992, 1993), Kansas City Chiefs (1988–1991), Miami Dolphins (1993), and Atlanta Falcons (1998). He was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the 10th round of the 1977 NFL Draft. Prior to joining the NFL, he played quarterback for San Jose State, and his Fullerton College Hornets won the state Junior College Bowl at Anaheim Stadium in 1974.

DeBerg began his NFL career in San Francisco. Coach Bill Walsh took over the team in 1979. In the 1979 and 1980 NFL seasons DeBerg set several records for number of passing attempts and completions. However, when Walsh drafted Joe Montana from Notre Dame, DeBerg was relegated to a backup role. Similar events unfolded again and again over the next decade: He was not only with the 49ers when they drafted Joe Montana, but also with the Denver Broncos when John Elway was drafted, and at Tampa Bay when both Steve Young and Vinny Testaverde were brought in.

DeBerg passed for over 34,000 career yards, and ranks in the top 20 all-time for attempts, completions, and yards passing. His best years were with the Chiefs, during which he led the team to two playoff berths and had his best year in 1990 with a 96.3 quarterback rating, passing for 3,444 yards, 23 touchdowns and only 4 interceptions, with 3 of those interceptions coming in one game. Throughout his career, he was frequently noted as one of the best Play-action pass quarterbacks of all time. Peyton Manning has studied films of DeBerg's play-action technique.

During his career, DeBerg also acquired a reputation for playing through particularly gruesome or unique injuries. He played with laryngitis and wore a portable amplifier during regular season games with San Francisco. He also played with a broken non-throwing hand and an exposed metal pin sticking out of his finger in a Chiefs playoff victory in 1990. In 1993, he left a Dolphins game versus the New York Giants battered and bloodied after taking a helmet to the chin, only to return to the game following halftime. Earlier in the season, he started in place of Dan Marino in the infamous Thanksgiving game where Leon Lett's blunder resulted in a Dolphins win.

DeBerg retired after the 1993 season, but briefly returned to the NFL in 1998, at age 44, as a backup with the Atlanta Falcons. On October 25, with Chris Chandler unable to play, DeBerg became the oldest quarterback to ever start an NFL game when he led the Falcons against the New York Jets. DeBerg also became the oldest player ever included on a Super Bowl roster, at the age of 45 years, 12 days, when the Falcons appeared in Super Bowl XXXIII, though he did not play in the game.

He has now been inducted to the Rebel hall of fame at Savanna High School, for his achievements as a starting quarterback in the NFL, on February 5, 2010 during halftime at a varsity boys basketball game at Savanna High School.

DeBerg served as the head coach of the Arena Football League's Indiana Firebirds in 2004 for 5 games. The team's record during his tenure was 0-5. He later served as an assistant coach with the Tampa Bay Storm.