George Izo, who was a backup quarterback within the NFL for seven years, together with 4 in Washington, and shares an unbreakable professional soccer file for the longest landing cross, died June 11 at retirement facility in Alexandria, Va. He was 84.
Washington
George Izo, backup QB for Washington, other NFL teams, dies at 84
Mr. Izo (pronounced Eye-zoh) was featured on the quilt of Sports activities Illustrated when he was a school participant at Notre Dame and was chosen because the second choose within the 1960 NFL draft by the Cardinals, throughout the franchise’s first yr in St. Louis. (The crew now performs in Arizona.)
In 1961, he was traded to Washington, the place he turned an understudy to Norm Snead and, later, Sonny Jurgensen. Mr. Izo didn’t begin a recreation for the Redskins, because the crew was then referred to as, however he did make an unforgettable play on Sept. 15, 1963, in Cleveland.
It was the primary recreation of the season, and the Redskins trailed, 27-7, when head coach Invoice McPeak despatched Mr. Izo into the sport within the third quarter. Washington had the ball by itself 1-yard line.
On his first play, Mr. Izo faked a handoff, then retreated beneath stress ultimately zone earlier than throwing an extended cross downfield. Washington receiver Bobby Mitchell caught the ball at concerning the 40-yard line, then outran the Cleveland defenders to the aim line.
It was solely the second time in NFL historical past {that a} 99-yard landing cross had been accomplished. The primary was in 1939, when one other Washington quarterback, Frank Filchock — a backup to Corridor of Famer Sammy Baugh — teamed up with Andy Farkas towards Pittsburgh.
Each performs had been witnessed by longtime Washington Put up sportswriter Shirley Povich.
“No substitute quarterback was ever extra instantaneous or spectacular a hit,” Povich wrote of Mr. Izo in 1963. “Izo threw the ball [50] yards within the air, and ready for it was Bobby Mitchell, no much less. … On his first play of the sport, Izo wrote himself into the file books as co-holder of the mark for the longest landing cross.”
Since then, there have been 11 extra 99-yard landing passes within the NFL.
Mr. Izo threw for eight touchdowns in a Washington uniform earlier than being traded to the Detroit Lions in 1965. He had a closing season with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1966 earlier than retiring from soccer. He completed his profession with 12 landing passes. The one time he performed for a successful crew was his rookie yr with the Cardinals.
George William Izo was born Sept. 20, 1937, in Barberton, Ohio. His father, who labored at a chemical manufacturing facility, had performed soccer at Notre Dame beneath Coach Knute Rockne within the Nineteen Twenties earlier than having to go away faculty due to an harm.
In highschool, the youthful Mr. Izo was a standout performer in basketball and baseball and an all-state quarterback in soccer. He adopted his father to Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind., at a time when the Irish soccer crew was struggling.
In 1958, earlier than a crowd of 57,773 in Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium, Mr. Izo led Notre Dame to a 40-20 win over Navy.
“Utilizing the wing-T formation for the primary time,” New York Instances reporter Allison Danzig wrote, “and with the newly promoted quarterback, George Izo, finishing 9 of fourteen passes for 181 yards and three touchdowns within the first half — one of many biggest shows of aerial proficiency in Notre Dame historical past — the Preventing Irish turned the sport right into a rout within the second quarter.”
Mr. Izo grew to be a strong 6-foot-4 and 218 kilos, however knee accidents held him again. Late within the 1959 season, he had recovered and took over as beginning quarterback. In Notre Dame’s closing two video games, he led the Irish to upset wins over Iowa, 20-19, and seventh-ranked Southern California, 16-6.
Within the Iowa recreation, he threw for 3 landing passes, together with a 56-yard game-winner to halfback George Sefcik within the fourth quarter.
Mr. Izo graduated in 1960 and commenced his professional profession. After retiring from soccer, he labored in condominium gross sales within the Bahamas, then returned to the Washington space and have become a accomplice in a wholesale meals firm. He later moved to Arizona, the place he coached soccer and taught at a Navajo Nation highschool. He lived in California for a number of years earlier than settling in Northern Virginia.
He was lively in NFL alumni occasions and helped set up abroad excursions of U.S. army bases for former gamers, together with Corridor of Famers Paul Hornung and Ken Stabler and former Washington quarterback Billy Kilmer.
His marriages to Anita Rowland and Deborah Spivey led to divorce. Survivors embody two youngsters from his first marriage, Erik Izo of Maplewood, N.J., and Amy Mann Fang of Arlington, Va.; a daughter from his second marriage, Lillianna Izo of Richmond; a brother; six grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.