Jack Concannon, 1943-2005
No. 8885 Jack Concannon
Jack Concannon (February 25, 1943 – November 28, 2005) was a National Football League (NFL) quarterback.
He played halfback and quarterback for Boston College and was the first selection of the 1964 AFL Draft, picked by the Boston Patriots on November 30, 1963. Concannon was taken in the 1964 NFL Draft in the second round by the Philadelphia Eagles, with the 16th overall selection. The Eagles were able to sign Concannon with a $50,000 contract.
He saw limited playing time behind Eagles starting quarterback Norm Snead. In 1966 Concannon led the Eagles to several early December wins that allowed Philadelphia to finish the season with a 9-5 record and a tie for second place in the Eastern Conference of the NFL. Jack played with Philadelphia from 1964 through 1966 and then was traded to the Chicago Bears for tight end Mike Ditka. He played for five years with the Bears. In 1967, Concannon rushed for a career-high 279 yards, but he was injured during the 1968 season and never put up significant rushing numbers again. His most productive season as a passer came in 1970, when he set career marks with 385 attempts, 194 completions, 2130 yards, and 16 TDs; as well as throwing 18 interceptions. His performance quickly dropped off after that, as he was limited to just three games due to an injury in 1971, which would also be his last season with the Bears. He was traded to the Dallas Cowboys, but did not play there. He was picked up by the Green Bay Packers in 1974 and ended his career as a backup in 1975 with the Detroit Lions.
After his NFL career, Concannon became a partner in a restaurant and had cameo appearances in the original “M*A*S*H” movie and in “Brian’s Song,” the story of Chicago Bears teammates Brian Piccolo and Gale Sayers. Concannon died of a heart attack at age 62.