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Greatest QBs Never to Win a Super Bowl

In the first 45 Super Bowls, the winning quarterbacks have ranged from all-time greats (John Elway, Joe Montana, Brett Favre, etc.), to first round picks that had disappointing careers (Trent Dilfer) to out of nowhere success stories (Kurt Warner). Along the way, some of the most prolific quarterbacks in NFL history were never able to win a Super Bowl and in some cases never even appeared in one.

As with any remotely controversial sports topic, a case can be made for almost anyone to be included on this list. But I have whittled the list down to the five in determining the "Greatest Quarterbacks Never To Win A Super Bowl." Let the debate begin!

5. Jim Kelly - Kelly spent his first couple of professional seasons in the USFL playing for the Houston Gamblers after being a part of the famed quarterback Draft Class in 1983, and spent his entire NFL career (1986-1996) with the Buffalo Bills. He is the franchise's all-time leader in passing yards with 35,467 and led the Bills to the Playoffs in eight of his 11 seasons, including five division titles. Of particular note is the four consecutive Super Bowl appearances he led the Bills to in the early 1990's, but the team could never quite get over the hump to win the big game. Counting his time in the USFL, Kelly had over 45,000 passing yards in his career and 320 passing touchdowns and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002.

4. Dan Fouts - Fouts started his NFL career with the San Diego Chargers in 1973, but did not really hit his stride until 1979 under second-year head coach Don Coryell. For a three-year stretch from 1979-1981, he topped 4,000 passing yards in each season and set the single-season passing yardage record in each year, culminating with 4.802 in 1981. Fouts led the league in passing yards again during the strike-shortened 1982 season, but would never again start all 16 games in a season after the 1981 campaign. He never appeared in a Super Bowl, but among his career highlights is the 1982 AFC Divisional Round game against the Miami Dolphins, as he set postseason records (at the time) for completions (33), attempts (53) and yards (433) in a game. Fouts retired after the 1987 season, and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993.

3. Warren Moon - Moon won five Grey Cups during his time in the CFL from 1978-1983, but never appeared in a Super Bowl. He entered the NFL with the Houston Oilers in 1984, and set a franchise record with 3,338 passing yards that season. A switch to the "Run-And-Shoot" offense under head coach Jerry Glanville yielded back-to-back seasons with more than 4,600 passing yards in 1990 and 1991, and he led the league in completions, attempts and yards in both seasons. Moon was traded to the Minnesota Vikings prior to the 1994 season, and had two more 4,000-yard passing seasons in 1994 and 1995. He ended his NFL career with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2000, and is currently fifth in passing yards in NFL history (49,325) and seventh in touchdown passes (291). His combined numbers in the CFL and NFL are virtually unparalleled, with over 70,000 passing yards and 435 touchdowns, and Moon is one of few men to be inducted into both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.
 
2. Fran Tarkenton - Tarkenton retired after the 1978 season as the all-time NFL leader in passing yards (47,003), passing touchdowns (342), completions, attempts and rushing yards by a quarterback (3,674). Even today, he still sits sixth in passing yards, fourth in rushing yards by a quarterback as well as fourth in passing touchdowns. But Tarkenton's career, spent with the Minnesota Vikings in his best years, is marred by losing three Super Bowls to three of the AFC's best teams of the 1970's (Miami Dolphins, Pittsburgh Steelers, Oakland Raiders). Tarkenton led the league in passing yards in his final season (3,468) and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1986. Tarkenton was ahead of his time in terms of being a dual-threat quarterback, but his career is likely overlooked because he never won a Super Bowl.

1. Dan Marino - The records Marino set during his career don't seem to last long in this pass-happy era of the NFL, as he has seen his career passing yardage (61,361), career passing touchdown record (420) and single-season yardage record (5,084 in 1984) fall in the last few seasons. He made it to his one and only Super Bowl against the San Francisco 49ers after that 1984 season, which was just his second season in the league and it was certainly thought he would make it back at some point. That never materialized, though the Dolphins were a perennial Playoff contender during Marino's career. He retired after the 1999 season, despite some reported opportunities to play for another team, and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005.

Honorable Mention: Drew Bledsoe, Ron Jaworski, Steve McNair, Archie Manning, Boomer Esiason

Read more:  brad berreman, Dan Fouts, Dan Marino, FN NFL Playoffs, Fran Tarkenton, Jim Kelly, NFL, Super Bowl, Warren Moon, Week 21

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