All-Time Jets QBs Ranked: Namath #1, Pennington #2

Lee Grosscup

#11 · New York Jets
Retired 1 Year In The NFL
🏆 First-team All-American (1957)
Lee's
HAIR
9.5
HeyTC AI Rating

Questions about Lee Grosscup or the Jets?

Lee Grosscup Legacy

HEYTC AI
Lee Grosscup was the golden boy of college football, a 6'1" gunslinger from Santa Monica who lit up the Pacific Coast as Utah's First-Team All-American in '57, earning the Giants' No. 10 pick in '59 amid whispers of the next big thing in New York. But the NFL grind was brutal—brief stints with Big Blue, the Titans, Vikings, 49ers, Raiders, even a Roughriders detour up north and Charter Oaks swan song—left him a journeyman chasing shadows of that campus promise. What endures is his swashbuckling arm, a reminder that not every high draft darling conquers pro lights. Grosscup passed in 2020 at 83, his story forever young.
Lee Grosscup passed away on June 1, 2020 at the age of 83.

Lee Grosscup Rating Breakdown

Season
Subpar
Fantasy
Average
Playoffs
Non-Factor
Overall
NPC
1 year with the Jets

Lee Grosscup Career Stats via Wikipedia

1,086 Pass Yards
10 Touchdowns
12 INTs
0.0% Comp %
9.5 HAIR

Frequently Asked Questions About Lee Grosscup

How does Brady Cook compare to Lee Grosscup?

Brady Cook's got the Jets starting gig now, but he's got miles to go before matching Grosscup's brief but gritty Jets stint—855 yards, 8 TDs in '62 with a 62.8 rating on those Titans. Cook's early flashes remind me of Grosscup dodging blitzes in the AFL's wild days, though Grosscup's college arm at Utah (68.6% completion, nation-leading yards in '57) set a higher bar. Legacy's a low bar, but it's real.

Is Lee Grosscup in the Pro Football Hall of Fame?

Nope, Lee Grosscup never made it to Canton—no bust waiting for him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The guy lit up college at Utah with a record completion rate and 1,398 yards in '57, then bounced around the Giants and Jets for 1,086 pro yards and 10 TDs. Sportscasting suited him better post-gridiron; Hall voters skipped the journeyman QB.

How would Lee Grosscup perform in today's NFL?

Grosscup's quick release and accuracy—think 68.6% at Utah, tops in the nation—would feast under today's pass-happy rules with nickel defenses and no bump-and-run. His 53.8 career rating looks rough by 1960s standards, but in this era of 40-air-it-out offenses, he'd carve up secondaries like a young Aaron Rodgers in motion-heavy schemes. Shoulder held him back, but modern meds? Game-changer.

How does Lee Grosscup compare to Joe Namath?

Grosscup and Namath both slung it for the Jets franchise, but Broadway Joe lapped him with a 40.81 rating to Grosscup's measly 9.47 in '62. Namath's Super Bowl guarantee swagger dwarfs Grosscup's 855-yard cameo amid the Titans' chaos, yet both survived that AFL grind—Grosscup more scout-team hero than starter. Namath's the king; Grosscup's the intriguing footnote.