View source for Sid Luckman

{{Short description|American football player (1916–1998)}}
{{Use American English|date=November 2022}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox gridiron football biography
| name         = Sid Luckman
| image        = Sid Luckman 1950 (cropped).jpg
| image_size   =
| alt          = 
| caption      = Luckman, circa 1950
| number       = 42
| position     = [[Quarterback]]
| birth_date   = {{Birth date|mf=yes|1916|11|21}}
| birth_place  = [[Brooklyn, New York]], U.S.
| death_date   = {{Death date and age|mf=yes|1998|7|5|1916|11|21}}
| death_place  = [[Aventura, Florida]], U.S.
| height_ft    = 6
| height_in    = 0
| weight_lb    = 197
| high_school  = [[Erasmus Hall High School|Erasmus Hall]] <br> (Brooklyn, New York)
| college      = [[Columbia Lions football|Columbia]] (1936–1938)
| draftyear    = 1939
| draftround   = 1
| draftpick    = 2
| pastteams    =
* [[Chicago Bears]] ({{NFL Year|1939|1950}})
: →[[Newark Tornadoes|Newark Bears]] ([[American Association (American football)#1939|1939]])
| pastcoaching =
* Chicago Bears ({{NFL Year|1954|1969}}) <br> Quarterbacks coach
| pastadmin    =
* Chicago Bears ({{NFL Year|1951|1953}}) <br> Vice president
| highlights   = ; As a player
* 4× [[List of NFL champions (1920–1969)|NFL champion]] ([[1940 NFL Championship Game|1940]], [[1941 NFL Championship Game|1941]], [[1943 NFL Championship Game|1943]], [[1946 NFL Championship Game|1946]])
* [[Joe F. Carr Trophy|NFL Most Valuable Player]] (1943)
* 5× First-team [[All-Pro]] ([[1941 All-Pro Team|1941]]–[[1944 All-Pro Team|1944]], [[1947 All-Pro Team|1947]])
* Second-team All-Pro ([[1946 All-Pro Team|1946]])
* 3× [[Pro Bowl]] ([[1940 National Football League All-Star Game (December)|1940]]–[[1942 National Football League All-Star Game (December)|1942]])
* 3× [[List of National Football League annual passing yards leaders|NFL passing yards leader]] (1943, 1945, 1946)
* 3× [[List of National Football League annual passing touchdowns leaders|NFL passing touchdowns leader]] (1943, 1945, 1946)
* 3× [[List of National Football League annual passer rating leaders|NFL passer rating leader]] (1941, 1943, 1946)
* [[List of National Football League annual pass completion percentage leaders|NFL completion percentage leader]] (1941)
* [[NFL 1940s All-Decade Team]]
* [[Chicago Bears#Retired numbers|Chicago Bears No. 42]] retired
* [[Chicago Bears#Top 100 greatest Bears of all-time|100 greatest Bears of All-Time]]
* [[American Association (American football)|American Association]] champion (1939)
* First-team [[College Football All-America Team|All-American]] ([[1938 College Football All-America Team|1938]])
* Second-team All-American ([[1937 College Football All-America Team|1937]])
* 2× First-team All-Eastern ([[1937 All-Eastern football team|1937]], [[1938 All-Eastern football team|1938]])
; As a coach
* NFL champion ([[1963 NFL Championship Game|1963]])
; NFL records
* Highest single-season passing touchdown percentage: 13.9%
* Highest career passing touchdown percentage: 7.9%
* [[List of National Football League single-game passing touchdowns leaders|Most touchdown passes in a game]]: 7 (tied)
| statlabel1   = Passing attempts
| statvalue1   = 1,744
| statlabel2   = Passing completions
| statvalue2   = 904
| statlabel3   = Completion percentage
| statvalue3   = 51.8%
| statlabel4   = [[Touchdown|TD]]–[[Interception|INT]]
| statvalue4   = 137–132
| statlabel5   = Passing yards
| statvalue5   = 14,686
| statlabel6   = [[Passer rating]]
| statvalue6   = 75.0
{{Infobox military person
| embed         = yes
| allegiance    = {{flagicon|United States}} [[United States]]
| branch        = [[File:Seal of the United States Merchant Marine.svg|20px]] [[United States Maritime Service]]
| rank          = [[File:US-O1 insignia.svg|6px]] [[Ensign (rank)|Ensign]]
| serviceyears  = 1943–1946
| battles       = [[World War II]]
}}
| pfr          = L/LuckSi00
| HOF          = sid-luckman
| CollegeHOF   = 1470 
}}

'''Sidney Luckman''' (November 21, 1916 – July 5, 1998) was an  American professional [[American football|football]] [[quarterback]] who played for the [[Chicago Bears]] of the [[National Football League]] (NFL) from [[1939 Chicago Bears season|1939]] through [[1950 Chicago Bears season|1950]]. During his 12 seasons with the Bears, he led them to four [[List of NFL champions (1920–1969)|NFL championships]] in 1940, 1941, 1943, and 1946.

Sportswriter [[Ira Berkow]] wrote that Luckman was "the first great [[T-formation]] quarterback", and he is considered the greatest long-range [[Forward pass|passer]] of his time.<ref name="GreatJewsinSport"/><ref name="JewsinSport">{{cite web
| url = http://www.jewsinsports.org/profile.asp?sport=football&ID=11
| title = Luckman, Sid
| publisher = jewsinsports.org
| access-date = June 6, 2008
}}</ref><ref name="AJHS">{{cite web
| url = http://www.ajhs.org/scholarship/chapters/chapter.cfm?documentID=301
| title = Sid Luckman, Legendary Quarterback
| publisher = The American Jewish Historical Society
| access-date = June 6, 2008
| archive-date = March 1, 2012
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120301010124/http://www.ajhs.org/scholarship/chapters/chapter.cfm?documentID=301
| url-status = dead
}}</ref> He was named the NFL's [[Joe F. Carr Trophy|Most Valuable Player]] in 1943.  Luckman was also a 3× NFL All-Star (1940–1942), 5× First-team [[All-Pro]] (1941–1944, 1947), 2× Second-team All-Pro (1940, 1946), 3× NFL passing yards leader (1943, 1945, and 1946), 3× NFL passing [[touchdown]]s leader (1943, 1945, and 1946), 3× NFL passer rating leader (1941, 1943, and 1946), named to the NFL 1940s All-Decade team, had his No. 42 retired by the Bears, and tied the NFL record of [[List of NFL quarterbacks with seven touchdown passes in a game|7 touchdown passes in a game]]. To date, Luckman still holds the all-time NFL record for touchdown percentage,{{efn|Sometimes expressed as touchdowns per passing attempt.}} at 7.9 percent.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/pass_td_perc_career.htm|website=Pro-Football-Reference.com|title=NFL Passing Touchdown % Career Leaders|access-date=22 January 2022}}</ref>

Luckman was inducted into the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]] in 1965, and in 1988 he was declared a joint winner of the [[Walter Camp Distinguished American Award]].<ref name="HallofFame">{{cite web
| url = http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.jsp?player_id=135
| title = Sid Luckman
| publisher = NFL Internet Network
| access-date = June 6, 2008
}}</ref><ref name="WalterCamp">{{cite web
 |url         = http://waltercamp.org/index.php/teams_and_awards/awards/P100/
 |title       = Walter Camp Football Foundation Awards
 |publisher   = Walter Camp Football Foundation Awards Inc.
 |access-date  = June 6, 2008
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20080609021344/http://waltercamp.org/index.php/teams_and_awards/awards/P100/
 |archive-date = June 9, 2008
}}</ref> Following his retirement from playing, Luckman continued his association with football by tutoring college coaches, focusing on the passing aspect of the game.

==Early life==
Luckman was born in [[Brooklyn]], New York, to Jewish immigrants from Germany, Meyer and Ethel Druckman Luckman.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{Cite web |last=Green |first=David B. |date=2014-11-21 |title=This Day in Jewish History The Reluctant Quarterback Who Changed Football Forever Is Born |url=https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/2014-11-21/ty-article/.premium/reluctant-qb-who-changed-football-forever/0000017f-eda1-d3be-ad7f-ffabf2a80000 |access-date=2025-05-11 |website=Haaretz.com}}</ref>  His father sparked his interest in football at age eight, by giving him a football to play with.<ref name="GreatJewsinSport">{{cite book
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=GWE_lEPfHpIC&q=sid+luckman&pg=PA189
| title = Sid Luckman – A great leader and football brain, p. 189
| publisher = Great Jews in Sports 
| date = June 6, 2004
| access-date = June 6, 2008
| isbn = 9780824604530
}}</ref> He and his parents lived first in [[Williamsburg, Brooklyn]], and then in a residence near [[Prospect Park (Brooklyn)|Prospect Park]] in [[Flatbush, Brooklyn|Flatbush]], in Brooklyn, and it was here as a youngster that Sid first started throwing a football.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/nationalforgotte0000daly/page/111 <!-- quote=sid luckman prospect park. --> ''The National Forgotten League: Entertaining Stories and Observations from ...'' - Dan Daly<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Wallace |first=William N. |date=1998-07-06 |title=Sid Luckman, Star for the Bears, Dies at 81 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/07/06/sports/sid-luckman-star-for-the-bears-dies-at-81.html |access-date=2023-03-27 |website=The New York Times |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="JewsinSport2">{{cite web
| url = http://www.jewsinsports.org/Publication.asp?titleID=3&current_page=264
| title = Jews in American Sports, page 264
| publisher = jewsinsports.org
| access-date = June 6, 2008
}}</ref>

He played both [[baseball]] and [[High school football|football]] for [[Erasmus Hall High School]], with his football skills impressing recruiters from about 40&nbsp;colleges.<ref name="NYT"/>  Playing [[quarterback]], he led the Erasmus Hall High School football team to two all-city championships.<ref name=autogenerated1 />

Luckman chose [[Columbia Lions football|Columbia University]] after meeting Lions coach [[Lou Little]] during a Columbia/[[Navy Midshipmen football|Navy]] game at the university's [[Columbia University#Athletics|Baker Field athletic facility]].<ref name="Columbia250">{{cite web
| url = http://c250.columbia.edu/c250_celebrates/remarkable_columbians/sid_luckman.html
| title = C250 celebrates Columbians ahead of their time
| publisher = [[Columbia University]]
| access-date = June 6, 2008
}}</ref>  Luckman was not admitted to Columbia College; instead, he attended the [[New College, Teachers College, Columbia University|New College for the Education of Teachers]], an undergraduate school which was within Teachers College at Columbia.  He competed on the [[Columbia Lions football|football team]] from 1936 until the New College closed in 1939, at which point he transferred to Columbia College.<ref>{{cite thesis|id={{ProQuest|749399096}} |last1=Lucero |first1=George W |title=New College, Teachers College, Columbia University: A demonstration experimental teachers college (1932-1939) |year=2009 }}</ref> Coach Little had a problem getting good high school athletes because of the entrance requirements at Columbia, and Columbia didn't have any physical education undergraduate program so when New College was started, Lou Little was happy because they had a P. E. Department. In fact, the 1936 varsity football squad had five other New College students; Hubert Schulze, Edward Stanzyk, Oscar Bonom, Harry Ream, and Antoni Mareski.<ref>"Varsity Football Squad has Six N.C. Students", New College Outlook (III) 1 (September 24, 1936):1.</ref>

At Columbia, Luckman was a member of the [[Zeta Beta Tau]] fraternity.  Keen to remain in Columbia to stay close to his family, he took on jobs such as dishwashing, babysitting, and messenger delivery around the campus.<ref name="JewsinSport2"/>  At Columbia, as a part of the football team, he completed 180&nbsp;of 376&nbsp;passes for 2,413&nbsp;yards and 20&nbsp;[[touchdown]]s and finished third in the 1938 [[Heisman Trophy]] voting, behind [[Davey O'Brien]] and [[Marshall Goldberg]].<ref name="Columbia250"/>

==Chicago Bears==

===Draft===
Hearing of Sid Luckman's exploits as a [[Single-wing formation|single-wing]] [[Running back#Halfback/tailback|tailback]] at [[Columbia University]], [[Chicago Bears]] owner and [[coach (sport)|coach]] [[George Halas]] believed Luckman had the ability to become an effective T-formation quarterback, and traveled to New York to watch him play. Halas then convinced the [[Pittsburgh Pirates (NFL)|Pittsburgh Pirates (later the Steelers)]] to draft Luckman second overall and then trade him to the Bears, because he was interested in using Luckman's skills to help him restructure the offensive side of the game.<ref name="Slater 189">Slater, Robert, 2003, p.&nbsp;189.</ref>  However, despite his successes at Columbia University, Luckman initially declined any further interest in pro football, instead preferring to work for his father-in-law's trucking company.<ref name="ColumbiaHOF"/> Halas went to work on convincing him otherwise.<ref name="Slater 189"/><ref name="ColumbiaHOF"/> After gaining an invitation to Luckman's tiny apartment for a dinner which Luckman's wife Estelle prepared, Halas produced a contract for $5,500 (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|5500|1938|r=-2}}}} today), which Luckman immediately signed.<ref name="NYT"/>  At that time both at the college and pro levels, offenses were a drab scrum of running the ball with only occasional passes. In what was then the predominant [[single-wing]] formation, the quarterback was primarily a blocking back and rarely touched the ball. Most passing was done by the tailback, and then usually only on third down with long yardage to go. Halas and his coaches, primarily [[Clark Shaughnessy]], invented a rather complex scheme building on the traditional [[T-formation]], but needed the right quarterback to run it properly.<ref>Slater, Robert, 2003, p.&nbsp;189–190.</ref>

Upon starting with Halas, Luckman mastered an offense that revolutionized football and became the basis of most modern professional offenses.<ref>Slater, Robert, 2003, p.&nbsp;190.</ref> Eventually, Luckman tutored college coaches across the [[Big Ten]], [[Notre Dame Fighting Irish football|Notre Dame]] and [[West Point]] in the intricacies of the passing game.<ref name="AJHS"/>

===T-formation===
[[File:T Formation.svg|thumb|right|A common type of T-Formation]]
In 1940, during his second season with the Bears, Luckman took over the offense and led the Bears to the [[1940 NFL season#NFL Championship Game|title game]] against [[Sammy Baugh]] and the [[Washington Redskins]]. The Redskins had beaten the Bears, 7–3, during the regular season. Using the "man-in-motion" innovation to great advantage, the Bears destroyed the Redskins, 73–0, in a game stated to be "the most one-sided game in the history of the sport".<ref name="One-Sided">{{cite web
| url = http://www.jewsinsports.org/Publication.asp?titleID=3&current_page=274
| title = Luckman, Sid, p. 274
| publisher = jewsinsports.org
| access-date = August 19, 2008
}}</ref> Luckman passed only six times, with four completions and 102&nbsp;yards in the rout.

From 1940 to 1946, the Bears displayed their dominance in the game, playing in five NFL championship games, winning four, and posted a 54–17–3 regular-season record. In 1942, the Bears posted a perfect 11–0&nbsp;record and outscored their opponents, 376–84, however, they lost the championship game to the Redskins.<ref name="perfect">The Bears were denied perfect seasons on two accounts. The first one was in the [[1934 Chicago Bears season|1934]] when the 13–0 club lost to the [[New York Giants]] in the Championship game. The second occurrence happened in [[1942 Chicago Bears season|1942]] when the 11–0 club was denied perfection and a "three-peat" by the [[Washington Redskins]]. See [[Chicago Bears seasons]] for full list</ref> Although the T-formation had been used many years before Luckman joined the Chicago Bears, he was central to Chicago's successful use of this style of play because of his game-sense and versatility.<ref name="NYT"/> Perfecting Halas' complex offensive scheme of fakes, men in motion, and quick-hitting runs, Luckman added the dimension of accurate downfield throwing. He was instrumental in his team's record-setting 73–0 win over the [[Washington Redskins]] in the [[1940 NFL Championship Game|1940 NFL championship game]]. Sportscaster [[Jimmy Cannon]] once said in reference to Luckman's years at Columbia, "You had to be there to realize how great Sid was."<ref name="Columbia250"/> Luckman later became a sought-after tutor and instructor for universities wishing to install the T-formation as an offense.<ref name="Columbia250"/>

===Service with the Merchant Marine===
In 1943, as soon as the season had ended, Luckman volunteered as an [[ensign (rank)|ensign]] with the [[U. S. Merchant Marine]]. He was stationed stateside and while he could not practice with the team, he did receive permission to play for the Bears on game days during the following seasons. He returned again to the Bears, as a full-time occupation, in 1946 and led them to a fifth NFL championship.<ref name="AJHS"/>

===Numbers and accomplishments===
During his career, Luckman completed 51.8% of his passes for 14,686&nbsp;yards<ref>{{cite web|last=Mayer|first=Larry|url=http://www.chicagobears.com/news/article-1/Tillman-contains-Lions-star-receiver/fef029c6-a579-4a6b-866e-cbee7d9ef8b4|title=Tillman contains Lions star receiver|publisher=[[Chicago Bears]]|date=October 23, 2012|access-date=October 23, 2012|archive-date=October 25, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025225620/http://www.chicagobears.com/news/article-1/Tillman-contains-Lions-star-receiver/fef029c6-a579-4a6b-866e-cbee7d9ef8b4|url-status=dead}}</ref> and 137&nbsp;touchdowns with 132&nbsp;[[interception]]s.<ref name="SidStats">{{cite web
| url = https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/L/LuckSi00.htm
| title = Sid Luckman
| publisher = Pro-Football-Reference.com
| access-date = August 20, 2008}}</ref> He averaged 8.4&nbsp;yards per attempt,<ref name="SidStats"/> second all-time only to [[Otto Graham]] (9.0), and also has a career touchdown rate (percentage of pass attempts that result in touchdowns) of 7.9 percent.<ref name="SidStats"/>

In 1943, Luckman completed 110 of 202&nbsp;passes for 2194&nbsp;yards and 28&nbsp;touchdowns.<ref name="SidStats"/> His 13.9% touchdown rate that year is the best ever in a single-season, while his 10.9&nbsp;yards per attempt is second all-time. During one game that year, Luckman threw for 443&nbsp;yards and seven [[touchdowns]], still tied for the most passing touchdowns in one game; it was also the first 400-yard passing game in NFL history.  His 28 touchdown passes in 1943 (in only 10 games) was a record that lasted until 1959, a 12-game season.

Luckman led the NFL in yards per attempt an NFL record seven times, including a record five consecutive years from 1939&nbsp;to&nbsp;1943, and led the NFL in passing yards three times. Luckman was a five-time All-NFL selection, was named the National Football League's Most Valuable Player Award in 1943, and led the "Monsters of the Midway" to championships in 1940, 1941, 1943, and 1946. Despite the fact that his career ended in 1950, Luckman still holds the record for [[List of NFL quarterbacks with seven touchdown passes in a game|touchdowns in single game]] with 7, and owns several [[List of Chicago Bears team records|Bears' passing records]],<ref name="Columbia250"/> including:
* Intercepted: career (132), season (31 in 1947)
* Yds/Pass Att: career (8.42), season (10.86 in 1943)

==NFL career statistics==
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="2"| Legend
|-
| style="background:#ffff00; width:3em;"|
| [[Joe F. Carr Trophy]] (NFL MVP)
|-
| style="background:#ffe6bd; width:3em;"|
| Won the [[History of the National Football League championship|NFL championship]]
|-
| style="background:#e0cef2; width:3em;"|
| NFL record
|-
| style="background:#cfecec; width:3em;"|
| Led the league
|-
| style="width:3em;"|'''Bold'''
| Career high
|-
| style="width:3em;"|<u>Underline</u>
| Incomplete data
|}

===Regular season===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Team
! colspan="2"| Games
! colspan="12"| Passing
! colspan="5"| Punting
! rowspan="2"| {{abbr|Fum|Fumbles}}
|-
! {{abbr|GP|Games played}} !! {{abbr|GS|Games started}} !! {{abbr|Cmp|Passes completed}} !! {{abbr|Att|Passes attempted}} !! {{abbr|Pct|Completion percentage}} !! {{abbr|Yds|Passing yards}} !! {{abbr|Y/A|Yards per passing attempt}} !! {{abbr|Y/C|Yards per passing completion}} !! {{abbr|Lng|Longest pass completion}} !! {{abbr|TD|Passing touchdowns}} !! {{abbr|Int|Interceptions thrown}} !! {{abbr|TD%|Passing touchdown percentage}} !! {{abbr|Int%|Interception thrown percentage}} !! {{abbr|Rtg|Passer rating}} !! {{abbr|Pnt|Times punted}} !! {{abbr|Yds|Punting yards}} !! {{abbr|Y/P|Yards per punt}} !! {{abbr|Lng|Longest punt}} !! {{abbr|Blck|Times punts blocked}}
|-
! [[1939 NFL season|1939]] !! [[1939 Chicago Bears season|CHI]]
| 11 || 7 || 23 || 51 || 45.1 || 636 || '''12.5''' || '''27.7''' || 85 || 5 || 4 || 9.8 || 7.8 || 91.6 || 27 || 1,199 || style="background:#cfecec;"| '''44.4''' || 67 || 0 || —
|-
! [[1940 NFL season|1940]] !! style="background:#ffe6bd;"| [[1940 Chicago Bears season|CHI]]
| 11 || 7 || 48 || 105 || 45.7 || 941 || 9.0 || 19.6 || 74 || 4 || 9 || 3.8 || 8.6 || 54.5 || 27 || 1,147 || 42.5 || 70 || 0 || —
|-
! [[1941 NFL season|1941]] !! style="background:#ffe6bd;"| [[1941 Chicago Bears season|CHI]]
| 11 || '''11''' || 68 || 119 || style="background:#cfecec;"| '''57.1''' || 1,181 || 9.9 || 17.4 || 65 || 9 || 6 || 7.6 || style="background:#cfecec;"| 5.0 || style="background:#cfecec;"| 95.3 || 13 || 534 || 41.1 || 52 || 0 || —
|-
! [[1942 NFL season|1942]] !! [[1942 Chicago Bears season|CHI]]
| 11 || 10 || 57 || 105 || 54.3 || 1,023 || 9.7 || 18.0 || 52 || 10 || 13 || 9.5 || '''12.4''' || 80.1 || 24 || 976 || 40.7 || 60 || 0 || —
|-
! style="background:#ffff00;"| [[1943 NFL season|1943]] !! style="background:#ffe6bd;"| [[1943 Chicago Bears season|CHI]]
| 10 || 3 || 110 || 202 || 54.5 || style="background:#cfecec;"| 2,194 || style="background:#e0cef2;"| 10.9 || style="background:#e0cef2;"| 19.9 || 66 || style="background:#cfecec;"| '''28''' || 12 || style="background:#e0cef2;"| '''13.9''' || 5.9 || style="background:#cfecec;"| '''107.5''' || 34 || 1,220 || 35.9 || '''78''' || '''1''' || —
|-
! [[1944 NFL season|1944]] !! [[1944 Chicago Bears season|CHI]]
| 7 || — || 71 || 143 || 49.7 || 1,018 || 7.1 || 14.3 || style="background:#cfecec;"| '''86''' || 11 || 12 || 7.7 || 8.4 || 63.8 || 20 || 685 || 34.3 || 63 || 0 || —
|-
! [[1945 NFL season|1945]] !! [[1945 Chicago Bears season|CHI]]
| 10 || 2 || 117 || 217 || 53.9 || style="background:#cfecec;"| 1,727 || 8.0 || 14.8 || 65 || style="background:#cfecec;"| 14 || 10 || 6.5 || 4.6 || 82.5 || '''36''' || '''1,299''' || 36.1 || 61 || 0 || 4
|-
! [[1946 NFL season|1946]] !! style="background:#ffe6bd;"| [[1946 Chicago Bears season|CHI]]
| 11 || 5 || 110 || 229 || 48.0 ||style="background:#cfecec;"| 1,826 || style="background:#cfecec;"| 8.0 || 16.6 || 48 || style="background:#cfecec;"| 17 || 16 || style="background:#cfecec;"| 7.4 || 7.0 || style="background:#cfecec;"| 71.0 || 33 || 1,235 || 37.4 || 69 || 0 || '''7'''
|-
! [[1947 NFL season|1947]] !! [[1947 Chicago Bears season|CHI]]
| '''12''' || 7 || '''176''' || '''323''' || 54.5 || '''2,712''' || style="background:#cfecec;"| 8.4 || 15.4 || 81 || 24 || style="background:#cfecec;"| '''31''' || 7.4 || 9.6 || 67.7 || 5 || 177 || 35.4 || 42 || 0 || 2
|-
! [[1948 NFL season|1948]] !! [[1948 Chicago Bears season|CHI]]
| 12 || 7 || 89 || 163 || 54.6 || 1,047 || 6.4 || 11.8 || 53 || 13 || 14 || 8.0 || 8.6 || 65.1 || 10 || 384 || 38.4 || 49 || 0 || 1
|-
! [[1949 NFL season|1949]] !! [[1949 Chicago Bears season|CHI]]
| 11 || 2 || 22 || 50 || 44.0 || 200 || 4.0 || 9.1 || 34 || 1 || 3 || 2.0 || 6.0 || 37.1 || 1 || 16 || 16.0 || 16 || 0 || 1
|-
! [[1950 NFL season|1950]] !! [[1950 Chicago Bears season|CHI]]
| 11 || — || 13 || 37 || 35.1 || 180 || 4.9 || 13.8 || 44 || 1 || 2 || 2.7 || 5.4 || 38.1 || 0 || 0 || — || 0 || 0 || 0
|-
! colspan="2"| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/L/LuckSi00.htm Career] !! 128 !! <u>61</u> !! 904 !! 1,744 !! 51.8 !! 14,686 !! 8.4 !! 16.2 !! 86 !! 137 !! 132 !! style="background:#e0cef2;"| 7.9 !! 7.6 !! 75.0 !! 230 !! 8,872 !! 38.6 !! 78 !! 1 !! <u>15</u>
|}

===Postseason===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Team
! colspan="3"| Games
! colspan="12"| Passing
! colspan="5"| Punting
! rowspan="2"| {{abbr|Fum|Fumbles}}
|-
! {{abbr|GP|Games played}} !! {{abbr|GS|Games started}} !! {{abbr|Record|Record as a starting quarterback}} !! {{abbr|Cmp|Passes completed}} !! {{abbr|Att|Passes attempted}} !! {{abbr|Pct|Completion percentage}} !! {{abbr|Yds|Passing yards}} !! {{abbr|Y/A|Yards per passing attempt}} !! {{abbr|Y/C|Yards per passing completion}} !! {{abbr|Lng|Longest pass completion}} !! {{abbr|TD|Passing touchdowns}} !! {{abbr|Int|Interceptions thrown}} !! {{abbr|TD%|Passing touchdown percentage}} !! {{abbr|Int%|Interception thrown percentage}} !! {{abbr|Rtg|Passer rating}} !! {{abbr|Pnt|Times punted}} !! {{abbr|Yds|Punting yards}} !! {{abbr|Y/P|Yards per punt}} !! {{abbr|Lng|Longest punt}} !! {{abbr|Blck|Times punts blocked}}
|-
! [[1940 NFL Championship Game|1940]] !! style="background:#ffe6bd;"| [[1940 Chicago Bears season|CHI]]
| 1 || 1 || 1–0 || 3 || 4 || '''75.0''' || 88 || '''22.0''' || '''29.3''' || 35 || 1 || 0 || '''25.0''' || 0.0 || '''156.2''' || 1 || 55 || '''55.0''' || '''55''' || 0 || '''1'''
|-
! [[1941 NFL playoffs|1941]] !! style="background:#ffe6bd;"| [[1941 Chicago Bears season|CHI]]
| '''2''' || '''2''' || '''2–0''' || 13 || 21 || 61.9 || 201 || 9.6 || 15.5 || 42 || 0 || 0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 93.6 || 5 || 184 || 36.8 || — || 0 || —
|-
! [[1942 NFL Championship Game|1942]] !! [[1942 Chicago Bears season|CHI]]
| 1 || 1 || 0–1 || 5 || 12 || 41.7 || 2 || 0.2 || 0.4 || 11 || 0 || '''2''' || 0.0 || '''16.7''' || 9.7 || 6 || 253 || 42.2 || — || 0 || —
|-
! [[1943 NFL playoffs|1943]] !! style="background:#ffe6bd;"| [[1943 Chicago Bears season|CHI]]
| 1 || — || — || '''15''' || '''26''' || 57.7 || '''286''' || 11.0 || 19.1 || '''66''' || '''5''' || 0 || style="background:#e0cef2;"| 19.2 || 0.0 || 135.6 || 3 || 111 || 37.0 || — || 0 || —
|-
! [[1946 NFL Championship Game|1946]] !! style="background:#ffe6bd;"| [[1946 Chicago Bears season|CHI]]
| 1 || — || — || 9 || 22 || 40.9 || 144 || 6.5 || 16.0 || — || 1 || '''2''' || 4.5 || 9.1 || 40.7 || '''7''' || '''297''' || 42.4 || — || 0 || 0
|-
! colspan="2"| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/L/LuckSi00/gamelog/post/ Career] !! 6 !! <u>4</u> !! <u>3–1</u> !! 45 !! 85 !! 52.9 !! 721 !! 8.5 !! 16.0 !! 66 !! 7 !! 4 !! 8.2 !! 4.7 !! 89.4 !! 22 !! 900 !! 40.9 !! 55 !! 0 !! <u>1</u>
|}

==Later years==
<!-- Add additional information about Luckman helping install the T-formation at several universities. -->
Upon retiring as a player, Luckman remained with the Bears as a vice president.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/35910163/|title=Sid Luckman Quits as Player, Becomes Bears' Vice-President|agency=[[United Press]]|newspaper=[[Wisconsin State Journal]]|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=February 14, 1952|access-date=September 12, 2019}}</ref> In 1954, he became the team's quarterbacks coach on a part-time basis, a position he held through the 1960s.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/35910224/|title=Sid Luckman Rejoins Bears as Assistant|agency=[[Associated Press|AP]]|newspaper=[[Marshfield News-Herald]]|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=July 21, 1954|access-date=September 12, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/35910137/|title=Sid Luckman quarterback extraordinaire|newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=July 6, 1998|access-date=September 12, 2019}}</ref>

After departing the NFL, he went to work for Cel-U-Craft, a Chicago-based manufacturer of cellophane products, eventually becoming its president.<ref name="GreatJewsinSport"/> The company was a part of <!-- ? --> the Rapid American Corporation of which he also obtained shares.<ref name="IRSLuckman"/>  In 1969, Rapid American was the subject of an [[Internal Revenue Service]] investigation over the payment of these shares and dividends, a case that Luckman and his wife appealed.<ref name="IRSLuckman">{{cite web
| url = http://vlex.com/vid/36739060#fn5_ref
| title = Seventh Circuit – Sid Luckman and Estelle Luckman, Petitioners-Appellants v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue, Respondent-Appellee.
| publisher = VLEX
| access-date = June 9, 2008
}}</ref>

Luckman's wife, Estelle Morgolin, died of cancer in 1981, and he underwent a triple heart bypass operation the following year. Luckman eventually retired to [[Aventura, Florida]], where he died on July 5, 1998, at the age of 81. He was survived by his son, Bob, and two daughters, Gail and Ellen.<ref name="NYT">{{cite news
| url = https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D07E2D8123EF935A35754C0A96E958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all
| title =  Sid Luckman, Star for the Bears, Dies at 81
| work=The New York Times
| access-date = June 6, 2008
| first=William N.
| last=Wallace
| date=July 6, 1998
}}</ref><ref name="NNDB">{{cite web
| url = http://www.nndb.com/people/889/000166391/
| title =  Sid Luckman
| publisher = [[Notable Names Database]]
| access-date = June 8, 2008
}}</ref>

==List of honors==
# [[Joseph Carr|Joe F. Carr]] Trophy – [[National Football League Most Valuable Player Award|National Football League Most Valuable Player]] in 1943.
# [[College Football Hall of Fame]] in 1960.
# [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]] in 1965.
# [[International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame]] in 1979.<ref>[http://www.jewishsports.net/BioPages/SidLuckman.htm Sid Luckman<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
# [[Walter Camp Distinguished American Award|Walter Camp Distinguished American of the Year Award]] in 1988.
# [[Columbia University]] Athletics Hall of Fame in 2006.<ref name="ColumbiaHOF">{{cite web
| url = http://www.gocolumbialions.com/ViewArticle.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=9600&ATCLID=530125
| title = Sid Luckman
| date = August 5, 2006
| publisher = GoColumbians.com
| access-date = June 6, 2008
}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of Jews in sports#Football (American)|List of select Jewish football players]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
* Slater, Robert, 2003 ''Great Jews in Sports''. Jonathan David Publishers Inc {{ISBN|978-0-8246-0453-0}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
* {{Profootballhof|id=135|name=Sid Luckman}}
* {{cfbhof|id=1470|name=Sid Luckman}}
* {{Footballstats |nfl=Sid-Luckman
|espn= |cbs= |yahoo= |si= |pfr=LuckSi00 |dbf=LUCKMSID01 |rotoworld=}}
* {{Find a Grave|5742}}

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[[Category:1916 births]]
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