All-Time Colts QBs Ranked: Manning #1, Unitas #2

Fred Enke

#24 · Indianapolis Colts
Retired 2 Years In The NFL
Fred's
HAIR
8.8
HeyTC AI Rating

Questions about Fred Enke or the Colts?

Fred Enke Legacy

HEYTC AI
Frederick "Freddy" Enke was the Tucson kid who lit up high school fields as a two-time All-State gunslinger, leading the Badgers to a state title trifecta in football, basketball, and baseball before starring at Arizona, where he set a Wildcats record for total offense with 2,973 yards. A seventh-round pick in 1948, he journeymaned through Detroit, Philly, and those inaugural Baltimore Colts, embodying the gritty '50s QB who scrambled for daylight and slung it deep in leather-helmet days. Tough as desert sun, Enke passed quietly in 2014 at 89, leaving a legacy of pure Southwest football heart.
Fred Enke passed away on April 13, 2014 at the age of 89.

Fred Enke Rating Breakdown

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

Fred Enke Career Stats via Wikipedia

4,169 Pass Yards
31 Touchdowns
53 INTs
0.0% Comp %
8.8 HAIR

Frequently Asked Questions About Fred Enke

How does Daniel Jones compare to Fred Enke?

Daniel Jones might sling it farther in a season than Fred Enke did his whole career—4,169 yards over seven years split between Lions, Eagles, and Colts—but Enke's grit as a WWII Navy pilot turned dual-threat Wildcat (1,941 total yards in '47 alone) built a tougher legacy in the leather-helmet era. Jones? Still chasing that Colts starter permanence.

Is Fred Enke in the Pro Football Hall of Fame?

Nope, Fred Enke's not in Canton, despite rookie All-Pro honorable mention with the Lions and those 4,169 passing yards plus 640 rushing across seven seasons. Hall voters overlooked the guy who led Arizona to Border Conference hoops titles under his dad—talk about a multitool talent snubbed by history's gatekeepers.

How would Fred Enke perform in today's NFL?

Enke's gunslinger arm and legs (297-of-689, 31 TDs, 640 rush yards) would've feasted under today's pass-happy rules—no more 53 picks from dodging blitzes in shoulder pads like armor plate. He'd be a mobile game-manager a la old-school Stafford, scrambling for chunk yards in spread offenses, not just handoffs.

How does Fred Enke compare to Peyton Manning?

Peyton Manning's 55.59 passer rating towers over Enke's 8.8 like the Colts' dome over a '50s leather helmet, but both wore the horseshoe—Peyton as the laser surgeon, Enke the gritty backup scrapper with 4,169 yards in an era when QBs ran more than threw. Apples to turnips, but Enke held the fort pre-Peyton glory.