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The Success and The Failures of Lefthanders in Sports

Lefthanded Quarterbacks

Tua Tagovailoa joined the Miami Dolphins in 2020 and became their starting quarterback midway through his rookie year.  He has established himself as the clear leader of a winning team when healthy,  but a series of concussions sidelined him for parts of 2022 and raises some concerns about his future.


A Rare Breed Becoming Extinct

The last two lefthanded quarterbacks prior to Tua Tagolaivoa to play in the NFL

were Kellen Moore and Michael Vick, but they had both been retired since 2015

The best lefthanded quarterback ever

to play professional football might be

Nick Davila of the Arizona Rattlers

in the Arena Football League.  

Other Lefthanded Quarterbacks who've played in the NFL

Only seventeen other lefthanded quarterbacks have played in the NFL.

Some were occasional starters, but most were backups who rarely played.

Tua Tagovailoa has finished his 4th season as the only

Lefthanded Quarterback in the National Football League

​​Other Lefthanded Starting Quarterbacks in the NFL

Bobby Douglas, Paul McDonald, Scott Mitchell, Cade McNown, Matt Leinart, Chris Simms, and

Tim Tebow are the only other lefthanded quarterbacks with more than 10 career starts in the NFL.

Starting with Ken Stabler (1970-1984), followed by Jim Zorn (1976-1987),

then Boomer Esiason (1984-1997), followed by Steve Young (1985-1999),

then Mark Brunell (1994-2011), followed by Michael Vick (2001-2015)...

During every year for over forty years, there was at least 
one very good Lefthanded Quarterback playing in the NFL.

Tagovailoa  played in all 17 games in 2024 and was selected to the Pro Bowl Team.  The Dolphins won 11 and lost 6 and made the playoffs before losing in a wild card game.  The burden of being the only lefthanded quarterback could soon be lifted off Tua's shoulder as Michael Penix Jr. is expected to be drafted sometime in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft.

​Read more about Tua Tagovailoa here