Gene Swick

Gene Swick (born c. 1955) is an American former college football player who was a quarterback for the Toledo Rockets from 1972 to 1975. In 1975, he set the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I record with 8,074 career yards, which broke the previous record held by Jim Plunkett of Stanford and stood until surpassed by Mark Herrmann of Purdue in 1980. The Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL) selected Swick in the fourth round of the 1976 NFL draft, but subsequently waived him during training camp.

Early life He was born the son of a minister, Jack Swick, in Licking County, Ohio. In November 1974, the Associated Press called Swick the "hardest-working quarterback in the country with 44.6 rushing-passing plays per game." In 1975, Swick led the nation in total offensive yards with 2,706. He finished as the runner-up in completions with 17.3 per game, and passed for 15 touchdowns and rushed for eight more.

In the final game of his collegiate career against Kent State, Swick became the first player to record more than 8,000 career yards. His final career mark was 8,074 yards of total offense. He broke the former record of 7,887 yards held by Jim Plunkett of Stanford (1968–1970). Swick's benchmark was in turn surpassed in 1980 by Mark Herrmann of Purdue (1977–1980). Over the course of his collegiate career, Swick set numerous University of Toledo records for passing and offense. which makes him the only MAC quarterback to ever earn that honor from a major wire service. and Football Roundup magazine selected him as the Offensive Player of the Year. Swick played in the Senior Bowl for the North squad, and the East–West Shrine Game for the East squad.

1973: 165/301 for 2,234 yards with 15 TD vs 17 INT. 290 yards and 4 TD rushing. 1974: 178/287 for 2,234 yards with 13 TD vs 13 INT. 216 yards and 7 TD rushing. 1975: 190/308 for 2,487 yards with 15 TD vs 12 INT. 219 yards and 8 TD rushing.

Professional career Before the 1975 season, Swick had been considered a prospective first-round selection in the NFL draft according to The Chicago Tribune. However, in the 1976 NFL draft, Swick was not selected until the fourth round, where he was chosen with the 97th overall pick by the Cleveland Browns. The Associated Press wrote, "As advertised, it was emphatically not the year of the quarterback. Except for the Jets' selection of Todd, the passers were pretty much ignored." Accurate passer Mike Kruczek of Boston College was the second quarterback selected, despite not being a "name" player. His bonus was reported to be $20,000. The franchise subsequently released Swick in July. He said, "There's not much I can say except I think they made a mistake. I'll just have to think over what my future in football might be. I haven't any complaint. They were good to me here, and I had the same opportunity as anyone else."

In August, he attended tryouts with the New York Giants, and had a "two-year, no-cut contract" with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League. However, Swick said he did not like the style of play in Canada, and decided instead to enter business. and the Hebron Lakewood High School Hall of Fame. Swick remained the last Toledo quarterback drafted into the NFL until Tampa Bay picked Gradkowski in the sixth round of the 2006 NFL draft.