Jim Ninowski

#15 · Washington Commanders
Retired 5 Years In The NFL
🏆 NFL champion (1964)
Jim's
HAIR
8.6
HeyTC AI Rating

Questions about Jim Ninowski or the Commanders?

Jim Ninowski Legacy

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Jim Ninowski, the lanky Detroit kid who quarterbacked Michigan State to a national title and Rose Bowl glory, burst onto the pro scene by torching the NFL champion Lions for 244 yards and two TDs to Bobby Mitchell in the 1958 College All-Star Game, earning co-MVP honors in a rare collegian upset. A gunslinger in an era of pick-sixes, he went 4-3-1 starting for the Lions in '61, nearly sneaking into the playoffs behind Vince Lombardi's Packers, and closed his Detroit run with a Playoff Bowl rout. Backup on the Browns' last championship squad in '64, Ninowski embodied football's gritty undercard. He passed away in July 2024 at 88.
Jim Ninowski passed away on July 23, 2024 at the age of 88.

Jim Ninowski Rating Breakdown

Season
Subpar
Fantasy
Subpar
Playoffs
Non-Factor
Overall
Cooked
2 years with the Commanders

Jim Ninowski Career Stats via Wikipedia

7,133 Pass Yards
34 Touchdowns
67 INTs
49.0% Comp %
8.6 HAIR

Frequently Asked Questions About Jim Ninowski

How does Jayden Daniels compare to Jim Ninowski?

Jayden Daniels, the Commanders' rocket-armed rookie sensation, laps Jim Ninowski's 7,133 career yards and 49% completion rate like a Ferrari passing a '57 Chevy—Ninowski's gritty '60s backup stints with Detroit, Cleveland, and Washington feel quaint next to Daniels' mobile wizardry, but both share that underdog Commanders thread in a franchise starved for stability.

Is Jim Ninowski in the Pro Football Hall of Fame?

Nope, Jim Ninowski never made it to Canton—no bust, no gold jacket, just a solid journeyman QB who slung it for four teams over 12 years, backing up stars like Sonny Jurgensen while piling up 7,133 yards and 34 TDs in the leather-helmet era.

How would Jim Ninowski perform in today's NFL?

Ninowski's sidearm quick release and 55.4 passer rating would've feasted under today's pass-happy rules—no more 8-man fronts or crown-of-helmet hits—but his 67 picks scream turnover machine against zone coverages and blitzes; think a poor man's Matt Ryan in a West Coast offense, good for 3,000 yards, maybe a wild-card push.

How does Jim Ninowski compare to Joe Theismann?

Joe Theismann lapped Ninowski in the Commanders' record books—52.07 passer rating to Ninowski's pedestrian 8.57 over two backup seasons with just 756 yards—yet both were franchise stopgaps behind Jurgensen, Ninowski's '68 finale win over Detroit a gritty footnote to Theismann's Super Bowl fireworks.