Bill Wade

William James Wade Jr. (October 4, 1930 – March 9, 2016) was an American professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Los Angeles Rams (1954–1960) and Chicago Bears (1961–1966).

A native of Nashville, Tennessee, Wade played college football for the Vanderbilt Commodores from 1948 to 1951 and was selected as the most valuable player in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in 1951. He was the first player selected in the 1952 NFL draft, though his professional career was delayed by two years of military service. During the 1958 season, he led the NFL in both total passing yards and passing yards per game. He was traded to the Chicago Bears in 1961 and led the 1963 Bears to the 1963 NFL championship, scoring both touchdowns for the Bears in the 1963 NFL Championship Game.

In 11 NFL seasons, Wade completed 1,370 of 2,523 passes (54.3%) for 18,530 yards with 124 touchdowns and 134 interceptions. He also tallied 1,334 rushing yards on 318 carries (4.2 yards per carry) and 24 rushing touchdowns.