View source for John Huarte

{{Short description|American football player (born 1944)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2023}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name          = John Huarte
| image         =
| image_size    = 
| alt           = 
| caption       = 
| number        = 7
| position      = [[Quarterback]]
| birth_date    = {{Birth date and age|1944|4|6|mf=y}}
| birth_place   = [[Anaheim, California]], U.S.
| death_date    = 
| death_place   = 
| height_ft     = 6
| height_in     = 0
| weight_lb     = 185
| high_school   = [[Mater Dei High School (Santa Ana, California)|Mater Dei]] <br> ([[Santa Ana, California]])
| college       = [[Notre Dame Fighting Irish football|Notre Dame]] (1962–1964)
| draftyear     = 1965
| draftround    = 6
| draftpick     = 76
| afldraftyear  = 1965
| afldraftround = 2
| afldraftpick  = 12
| pastteams     =
* [[New York Jets]] ([[1965 American Football League season|1965]])
* [[Boston Patriots]] ([[1966 American Football League season|1966]]–[[1967 American Football League season|1967]])
* [[Philadelphia Eagles]] ({{NFL Year|1968}})
* [[Kansas City Chiefs]] ([[1969 American Football League season|1969]]–{{NFL Year|1971}})
* [[Chicago Bears]] ({{NFL Year|1972}})
* [[Memphis Southmen]] ([[1974 WFL season|1974]]–[[1975 WFL season|1975]])
| highlights    =
* [[List of Super Bowl champions|Super Bowl champion]] ([[Super Bowl IV|IV]])
* [[College football national championships in NCAA Division I FBS|National champion]] ([[1964 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team|1964]])
* [[Heisman Trophy]] (1964)
* [[UPI College Football Player of the Year|UPI Player of the Year]] (1964)
* Consensus [[College Football All-America Team|All-American]] ([[1964 College Football All-America Team|1964]])
| statleague    = AFL/NFL
| statlabel1    = Passing attempts
| statvalue1    = 48
| statlabel2    = Passing completions
| statvalue2    = 19
| statlabel3    = Completion percentage
| statvalue3    = 39.6%
| statlabel4    = [[Touchdown|TD]]–[[Interception|INT]]
| statvalue4    = 1–5
| statlabel5    = Passing yards
| statvalue5    = 230
| statlabel6    = [[Passer rating]]
| statvalue6    = 22.4
| pfr           = HuarJo00
| CollegeHOF    = 2161 
}}

'''John Gregory Huarte''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|h|j|u|ər|t}} {{Respell|HYOO|ərt}}); born April 6, 1944) is an American former professional [[American football|football]] [[quarterback]] who played with several teams in the [[American Football League]] (AFL), the [[National Football League]] (NFL), and in the [[World Football League]] (WFL) between 1965 and 1975. He played [[college football]] for the [[Notre Dame Fighting Irish football|Notre Dame Fighting Irish]], where he won the 1964 [[Heisman Trophy]]. He was inducted into the [[College Football Hall of Fame]] in 2005.

==Early life and college==
Huarte was born and raised in [[Orange County, California]]; his father Joseph was a former [[Minor League Baseball|minor league baseball]] player of [[Basque people|Basque]] descent.<ref name=sbsqfs>{{cite magazine |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1077446/index.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090928083112/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1077446/index.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 28, 2009 |magazine=Sports Illustrated |title=Show-biz Sonny and his quest for stars |last=Boyle |first=Robert H. |date=July 19, 1965 |page=66 }}</ref><ref name=bbrefjos>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=huarte001jos |website=Baseball Reference |title=Joseph Huarte |access-date=April 26, 2014}}</ref> The family ran an orange and avocado ranch and he graduated from [[Mater Dei High School (Santa Ana, California)|Mater Dei High School]] in [[Santa Ana, California|Santa Ana]] in 1961.<ref name=sbsqfs/>

Huarte played [[college football]] for the [[Notre Dame Fighting Irish football|Notre Dame Fighting Irish]]. During his sophomore and junior seasons, he averaged only a few minutes per game due to injuries and the Irish went 5–5 and 2–7, respectively. As a senior in 1964 under new Irish head coach [[Ara Parseghian]] however, he became the [[Starting lineup|starting]] quarterback as the Irish won all but one game during the [[1964 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team|1964 season]], in which he was selected as an [[1964 College Football All-America Team|All-American]] and won the [[Heisman Trophy]].<ref name=sbsqfs/><ref name=hwhtr>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=aaYyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=NOkFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3778%2C2922080 |newspaper=Miami News |agency=Associated Press |title=Huarte wins Heisman Trophy |date=November 24, 1964 |page=2B }}</ref> By the end of the season, Huarte threw for 2,062 yards with only 205 passes, an average of over ten yards per pass attempt, many to receiver [[Jack Snow (American football)|Jack Snow]].<ref name=munhhwn>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=iINIAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Gm4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=4634%2C7498243 |newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |title=Huarte: Most unheralded Heisman winner |last=Vecsey |first=George |author-link=George Vecsey |agency=(''[[New York Times]]'' News Service) |date=November 28, 1983 |page=16 }}</ref>

Huarte was a member of the [[Chicago College All-Star Game|College All-Star]] team in the annual pre-season game against the defending NFL champions at [[Chicago]]'s [[Soldier Field]]. The 1965 game was in early August against the [[1965 Cleveland Browns season|Cleveland Browns]] and Huarte was named the game's most valuable player.

===College statistics===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Season
! rowspan="2"| Team
! rowspan="1"| Games
! colspan="8"| Passing
! colspan="4"| Rushing
|-
! G !! Cmp !! Att !! Pct !! Yds !! Avg !! TD !! Int !! Rtg !! Att !! Yds !! Avg !! TD
|-
! [[1962 NCAA University Division football season|1962]] !! [[1962 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team|Notre Dame]]
| 10 || 4 || 8 || 50.0 || 38 || 4.8 || 0 || 0 || 89.9 || 3 || -14 || -4.7 || 0 
|-
! [[1963 NCAA University Division football season|1963]] !! [[1963 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team|Notre Dame]]
| 9 || 20 || 42 || 47.6 || 243 || 5.8 || 1 || 0 || 104.1 || 11 || -53 || -4.8 || 0
|-
! [[1964 NCAA University Division football season|1964]] !! [[1964 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team|Notre Dame]]
| 10 || 114 || 205 || 55.6 || 2,062 || 10.1 || 16 || 11 || 155.1 || 37 || 7 || 0.2 || 3 
|-
! colspan="2"| [https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/john-huarte-1.html Total] || 29 || 138 || 255 || 54.1% || 2,343 || 9.2 || 17 || 11 || 144.7 || 51 || -60 || -1.2 || 3
|}

==Professional career==
Huarte was [[AFL and NFL Era competitive college drafts|drafted in 1965]] by both pro football leagues: he was the twelfth overall selection of the [[1965 American Football League Draft|AFL draft]] and the 76th pick of the [[1965 NFL Draft#Round six|NFL draft]]. He signed with the AFL's [[1965 New York Jets season|New York Jets]] over the NFL [[1965 Philadelphia Eagles season|Philadelphia Eagles]], but was beaten out for the starting position by fellow-[[rookie]] [[Joe Namath]], the first pick of the AFL draft, who had finished eleventh in the Heisman voting as a senior at [[1964 Alabama Crimson Tide football team|Alabama]].<ref name=sbsqfs/> The AFL Jets thus signed both the Heisman Trophy winner and the Alabama star away from the NFL. Huarte was third on the depth chart behind co-starters Namath and [[Mike Taliaferro]] and was on the [[Scout team|taxi squad]]. Following the 1965 season, Huarte was traded to the [[1966 Boston Patriots season|Boston Patriots]] for [[Jim Colclough]] and the draft rights to [[Wichita State Shockers football|Wichita State]] linebacker/center [[Jim Waskiewicz]].<ref name=pljhrt >{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=bW5YAAAAIBAJ&sjid=AvgDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5751%2C5768368 |newspaper=Spokane Daily Chronicle |agency=Associated Press |title=Patriots land John Huarte |date=December 20, 1965 |page=15 }}</ref>

Subsequently, Huarte did see action as a back-up quarterback for several other professional teams from 1966 to 1972.<ref name=hmastp>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=fRQfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=JJsEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7288%2C1482064 |newspaper=Tuscaloosa News |agency=Associated Press |title=Huarte makes another stop |date=November 8, 1967 |page=7 }}</ref><ref name=hfpocrstr>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=bO1OAAAAIBAJ&sjid=tQEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5465%2C1568929 |newspaper=Toledo Blade |agency=Associated Press |title=Huarte, Flores put on Chiefs' roster |date=October 4, 1969 |page=21 }}</ref><ref name=htbfbrs>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=TccsAAAAIBAJ&sjid=xQkEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1101%2C3325797 |newspaper=Wilmington (NC) Star-News |title=Huarte to beef up Bears' roster |agency=UPI |date=September 15, 1972 |page=3C }}</ref> Out of the NFL in 1973, he played his final two seasons of professional football as the starting quarterback of the [[Memphis Southmen]] of the [[World Football League]],<ref name=munhhwn/><ref name=hsmwin>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1356&dat=19740719&id=p4ZPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=iwUEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2138,3834399 |newspaper=Ocala Star-Banner |agency=Associated Press |title=Huarte sparks Memphis win |date=July 19, 1974 |page=3B }}</ref> which folded before the completion of the [[1975 World Football League season|1975]] season.<ref name=twflquit>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=CAIsAAAAIBAJ&sjid=LMgEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2631%2C4637779 |newspaper=Florence (AL) Times |agency=Associated Press |title=Troubled World Football League finally makes decision to fold |date=October 23, 1975 |page=17 }}</ref>

==After football==
Huarte is  the founder and Owner of Arizona Tile.<ref>[http://www.arizonatile.com/company-information/history.aspx Our History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120621065237/http://www.arizonatile.com/company-information/history.aspx |date=June 21, 2012 }}. Arizona Tile. Arizona Tile has become one of the leading tile and slab distributors in the U.S. Accessed July 24, 2011.</ref> In 2005, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.<ref>{{cite web|title=John Huarte|url=http://www.arizonatile.com/company-information/johnhuarte.aspx|work=Our Executive Team|publisher=Arizona Tile|access-date=October 29, 2012}}</ref><ref name=hwhfech>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=UAYaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ISAEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2275%2C2787869 |newspaper=Wilmington (NC) Star-News |agency=Associated Press |title=Heisman winner Huarte finally enters college hall |date=August 11, 2006 |page=8C}}</ref>

Huarte is married to Eileen Devine from Woodside, New York. They have 5 children and 14 grandchildren and live in Pacific Palisades, Ca. 
In 1977, he started a tile/granite store in San Diego. It has now grown to 30 locations, with over 1000 employees throughout  the United States. It is still family owned and operated by John and Eileen Huarte and their children.

==See also==
* [[List of American Football League players]]

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
* {{College Football HoF|2161}}
* {{Heisman|john-huarte}}
* {{Footballstats |nfl=john-huarte |espn= |cbs= |yahoo= |fox= |si= |pfr=H/HuarJo00 |rotoworld= }}

{{Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback navbox}}
{{1964 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football navbox}}
{{Heisman Winners}}
{{UPI College Football Player of the Year}}
{{1964 College Football Consensus All-Americans}}
{{Jets1965DraftPicks}}
{{Eagles1965DraftPicks}}
{{Philadelphia Eagles starting quarterback navbox}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Huarte, John}}
[[Category:1944 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:All-American college football players]]
[[Category:American Football League players]]
[[Category:American football quarterbacks]]
[[Category:American people of Basque descent]]
[[Category:Boston Patriots players]]
[[Category:College Football Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Chicago Bears players]]
[[Category:Heisman Trophy winners]]
[[Category:Kansas City Chiefs players]]
[[Category:Memphis Southmen players]]
[[Category:Notre Dame Fighting Irish football players]]
[[Category:Philadelphia Eagles players]]
[[Category:Players of American football from Anaheim, California]]
[[Category:Players of American football from Santa Ana, California]]
[[Category:Mater Dei High School (Santa Ana, California) alumni]]