Dennis Claridge

#10 · Atlanta Falcons
Retired 1 Year In The NFL
🏆 NFL champion (1965)
Dennis's
HAIR
7.5
HeyTC AI Rating

Questions about Dennis Claridge or the Falcons?

Dennis Claridge Legacy

HEYTC AI
Dennis Claridge was the gutsy Nebraska gunslinger who terrorized defenses with his legs as much as his arm, etching his name in bowl lore with a record-shattering 68-yard TD scamper in the 1964 Orange Bowl—the longest ever at the time—propelling the Huskers to a halftime rout of Auburn. A two-time All-Big Eight star, he moonlighted as a punting phenom, once booming a 57.3-yard average against Syracuse that stood for decades. In the NFL, he backed up legends on Lombardi's '65 champion Packers before a Falcons cameo. Dennis passed in 2018, leaving a Husker legacy of clutch heroics.
Dennis Claridge passed away on May 1, 2018 at the age of 76.

Dennis Claridge Rating Breakdown

Season
Non-Factor
Fantasy
Subpar
Playoffs
Non-Factor
Overall
Cooked
1 year with the Falcons

Dennis Claridge Career Stats via Wikipedia

0 Pass Yards
2 Touchdowns
2 INTs
41.0% Comp %
7.5 HAIR

Frequently Asked Questions About Dennis Claridge

How does Michael Penix Jr compare to Dennis Claridge?

Michael Penix Jr., the Falcons' shiny new starter, towers over Dennis Claridge like a skyscraper next to a shed—Penix slinging lasers in a pass-happy era while Claridge scraped together 484 yards and 2 TDs across 8 games in '66, mostly backing up for the expansion Falcons. Claridge's Husker grit got him to NFL title No. 3 with Lombardi's Packers in '65, but Penix is building something Claridge's brief Falcons stint never touched.

Is Dennis Claridge in the Pro Football Hall of Fame?

Nah, Dennis Claridge never made it to Canton—no bust waiting for the Hall's golden jacket. His NFL ledger's thin: 484 yards, 2 TDs in 8 games split between Falcons and Packers, though he snagged a ring as Vince Lombardi's third-stringer in Green Bay's '65 dynasty run. Guy was a Husker hero with bowl wins and All-Big Eight nods, but pro immortality? Not even close.

How would Dennis Claridge perform in today's NFL?

Claridge's legs would feast in today's NFL—picture that 68-yard Orange Bowl scamper thriving under no-tackle rules—but his arm? A measly 41-of-71 for 484 yards and a 7.5 rating screams run-first '60s relic. Modern defenses would tee off on his 57.7 completion clip without pocket protection godsends; he'd be a gadget guy, not a starter, lucky to crack a roster.

How does Dennis Claridge compare to Matt Ryan?

Matt Ryan lapped Dennis Claridge like a Ferrari passing a Model T under the hood—Ryan's 42.23 passer rating over 14 Falcons years vs. Claridge's pitiful 7.5 in 7 games (3 TDs buried in turnovers). Both Falcons QBs by default in lean times, but Matty Ice orchestrated sustained excellence; Claridge was a Husker flash who fizzled quick after Lombardi's bench.