View source for Steve Bartkowski

{{short description|American football player (born 1952)}}
{{for|the fictional character from the TV series ''Chuck''|Stephen J. Bartowski}}
{{Use American English|date=November 2022}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2023}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name        = Steve Bartkowski
| image       = Steve Bartkowski ATL1 (cropped).jpg
| caption     = Bartkowski with the [[Atlanta Falcons]] in 1982
| number      = 10
| position    = [[Quarterback]]
| birth_date  = {{birth date and age|1952|11|12}}
| birth_place = [[Des Moines, Iowa]], U.S.
| death_date  =
| death_place = 
| height_ft   = 6
| height_in   = 4
| weight_lbs  = 213
| high_school = [[Buchser High School|Buchser]] {{nowrap|([[Santa Clara, California]])}}
| college     = [[California Golden Bears football|California]]
| draftyear   = 1975
| draftround  = 1
| draftpick   = 1
| pastteams   =
* [[Atlanta Falcons]] ({{NFL Year|1975}}–{{NFL Year|1985}})
*[[Washington Redskins]] ({{NFL Year|1985}})
* [[Los Angeles Rams]] ({{NFL Year|1986}})
| highlights  =
* 2× [[Pro Bowl]] ([[1981 Pro Bowl|1980]], [[1982 Pro Bowl|1981]])
* [[List of National Football League annual passing touchdowns leaders|NFL passing touchdowns leader]] (1980)
* [[List of NFL season passer rating leaders|NFL passer rating leader]] (1983)
* [[NFL completion percentage leader]] (1984)
* [[Pro Football Writers of America NFL All-Rookie Team|PFWA All-Rookie Team]] ([[Pro Football Writers of America NFL All-Rookie Team#1975|1975]])
* [[Atlanta Falcons|Atlanta Falcons Ring of Honor]]
* Consensus [[College Football All-America Team|All-American]] ([[1974 College Football All-America Team|1974]])
* First-team [[List of All-Pac-12 Conference football teams|All-Pac-8]] ([[1974 All-Pacific-8 Conference football team|1974]])
| statlabel1   = Passing attempts
| statvalue1   = 3,456	
| statlabel2   = Passing completions
| statvalue2   = 1,932
| statlabel3  = Completion percentage
| statvalue3  = 55.9%
| statlabel4  = [[Touchdown|TD]]–[[Interception|INT]]
| statvalue4  = 156–144
| statlabel5  = Passing yards
| statvalue5  = 24,124
| statlabel6  = [[Passer rating]]
| statvalue6  = 75.4
| pfr         = B/BartSt00
| CollegeHOF  = 2323 
}}

'''Steven Joseph Bartkowski''' (born November 12, 1952) is an American former professional [[American football|football]] player who was a [[quarterback]] in the [[National Football League]] (NFL) for the [[Atlanta Falcons]] (1975–1985), [[Washington Commanders|Washington Redskins]] (1985) and the [[Los Angeles Rams]] (1986). He was a two-time [[Pro Bowl]] selection. Bartkowski played [[college football]] for the [[California Golden Bears football|California Golden Bears]], earning consensus [[College Football All-America Team|All-American]] honors as a [[senior (education)|senior]] in 1974. He was selected by the Falcons with the [[List of first overall National Football League draft picks|first overall pick]] of the [[1975 NFL draft]].

==College career==
Bartkowski attended the [[University of California, Berkeley]].<ref name="Bio">{{Cite web |title=Player Bio:Steve Bartkowski |url=http://www.calbears.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=30100&ATCLID=208198774 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151203204416/http://www.calbears.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=30100&ATCLID=208198774 |archive-date=December 3, 2015 |access-date=January 20, 2013 |publisher=calbears.com}}</ref> In 1972, he threw for 944 yards with four [[touchdown]]s and 13 [[interception]]s. In 1973, he threw for 910 yards with four touchdowns and seven interceptions.  As a [[senior (education)|senior]] with the [[California Golden Bears football|Golden Bears]] in 1974, Bartkowski was a consensus [[College Football All-America Team|All-American]] and led the nation in passing.<ref name="Bio"/> He threw for 2,580 yards, 12 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. He completed 182 passes out of 325 attempts.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Steve Barkowski College & Pro Football Statistics |url=http://www.totalfootballstats.com/PlayerQB.asp?id=223 |access-date=January 20, 2013 |publisher=totalfootballstats.com}}</ref> In addition to playing football, Bartkowski was also an All-American [[baseball]] player at [[first base]] for the Bears.<ref name="Bio" />

==Professional career==
Bartkowski was chosen with the [[List of first overall National Football League draft picks|first overall pick]] in the [[1975 NFL draft]] by the [[Atlanta Falcons]] (after the Falcons acquired the pick in a trade with the Colts).<ref>{{Cite web |title=1975 NFL Draft Listing |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1975/draft.htm |access-date=January 28, 2022 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref> Bartkowski was the NFL Rookie of the Year as well as [[The Sporting News]] [[National Football Conference|NFC]] [[Rookie of the Year (award)|Rookie of the Year]] in 1975.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sporting News Rookie of the Year Winners |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/awards/sporting-news-rookie-of-the-year-award.htm |access-date=2024-12-04 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref> He was the first client of sports agent [[Leigh Steinberg]].

Bartkowski is one of ten quarterbacks in NFL history who have achieved consecutive 30-touchdown passing seasons (1980 and 1981) at least one time in their career. Bartkowski was selected to the [[Pro Bowl]] after both the 1980 and 1981 seasons and was selected 2nd Team All-NFC following the 1980 campaign.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1980 NFL Pro Bowlers |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1980/probowl.htm |access-date=2024-12-25 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=1981 NFL Pro Bowlers |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1981/probowl.htm |access-date=2024-12-25 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref> Bartkowski led the NFL in passing in 1983 with a passer rating of 97.6.<ref name="ESPN">{{Cite news |last=Mosse |first=David |date=May 26, 2007 |title=Steve Bartkowski:Building new legacy |work=espn.com |url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/news/story?id=2882934 |access-date=January 20, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Steve Barkowski |url=http://www.atlantafalcons.com/team/history/ring-of-honor/steve-bartkowski.html |access-date=January 20, 2013 |publisher=atlantafalcons.com}}</ref> Bartkowski set the record for [[List of most consecutive games with touchdown passes in the National Football League#All-time consecutive regular season games with at least three touchdown passes at home|consecutive games with at least three touchdown passes at home]] with five which he established over the 1980 and 1981 seasons. The record was held until the 2004 season when it was surpassed by [[Peyton Manning]].

In 1984, Bartkowski started the Falcons' first 11 games, but was injured late in the season and replaced by [[Mike Moroski]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Steve Bartkowski 1984 Game Log |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BartSt00/gamelog/1984/ |access-date=January 28, 2022 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=1984 Atlanta Falcons Statistics & Players |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/atl/1984.htm |access-date=January 28, 2022 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref>  Bartkowski began 1985 as the starter, but an 0–5 start led to his benching and losing the job to [[David Archer (quarterback)|David Archer]]. He was placed on the injured reserve list before the eighth game and then released in November.

On December 12, 1985, Bartkowski signed with the [[Washington Redskins]] on a two-week contract. He was added to their roster as an emergency quarterback, due to the current starter, [[Jay Schroeder]], playing with a fractured rib. Bartkowski served as the third-string quarterback for Washington's final two regular season games.

The [[Los Angeles Rams]] signed Bartkowski in the 1986 pre-season when holdover [[Dieter Brock]] suffered a season- (and career-) ending injury.  Bartkowski started six of the Rams' first seven games and the team was 4–2 in those games, but Bartkowski was largely ineffective and lost the starting job to [[Steve Dils]].  The Rams would eventually turn the reins over to rookie [[Jim Everett]].  Bartkowski retired after the 1986 season.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 21, 1987 |title=Bartkowski Retires From Football After 12 Seasons |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-05-21-sp-1391-story.html |access-date=January 28, 2022 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref>

Bartkowski was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame on May 19, 2007.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rosenberg |first=I. J. |date=December 18, 2015 |title=Top 50 Falcons: No. 11, Steve Bartkowski |url=https://www.ajc.com/blog/atlanta-falcons/top-falcons-steve-bartkowski/xYjs1afvGu3yoipFP7nvQI/ |access-date=January 28, 2022 |website=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution |language=English}}</ref>

==NFL career statistics==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! colspan="2"| Legend
|-
| style="background:#ff0; width:3em;"|
| [[Pro Bowl]] selection
|-
| style="background:#cfecec; width:3em;"|
| Led the league
|-
| '''Bold'''
| Career high
|}

=== Regular season ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Team
! colspan="3"| Games
! colspan="9"| Passing
|-
! GP !! GS !! Record !! Cmp !! Att !! Pct !! Yds !! Avg !! TD !! Int !! Lng !! Rtg 
|-
! [[1975 NFL season|1975]] !! [[1975 Atlanta Falcons season|ATL]]
| 11 || 11 || 4–7 || 115 || 255 || 45.1 || 1,662 || 6.5 || 13 || 15 || 68 || 59.3
|-
! [[1976 NFL season|1976]] !! [[1976 Atlanta Falcons season|ATL]]
| 5 || 5 || 1–4 || 57 || 120 || 47.5 || 677 || 5.6 || 2 || 9 || 50 || 39.5
|-
! [[1977 NFL season|1977]] !! [[1977 Atlanta Falcons season|ATL]]
| 8 || 7 || 3−4 || 64 || 136 || 47.1 || 796 || 5.9 || 5 || 13 || 73 || 38.4
|-
! [[1978 NFL season|1978]] !! [[1978 Atlanta Falcons season|ATL]]
| 14 || 13 || 8−5 || 187 || 369 || 50.7 || 2,489 || 6.7 || 10 || 18 || 71 || 61.1
|-
! [[1979 NFL season|1979]] !! [[1979 Atlanta Falcons season|ATL]]
| 14 || 14 || 6−8 || 204 || 380 || 53.7 || 2,505 || 6.6 || 17 || 20 || 57 || 67.3
|-
! style="background:#ff0;|[[1980 NFL season|1980]] !! [[1980 Atlanta Falcons season|ATL]]
| '''16''' || '''16''' || '''12−4''' || 257 || 463 || 55.5 || 3,544 || 7.7 || style="background:#cfecec;"|'''31''' || 16 || 81 || 88.2 
|-
! style="background:#ff0;|[[1981 NFL season|1981]] !! [[1981 Atlanta Falcons season|ATL]]
| '''16''' || '''16''' || 7–9 || '''297''' || '''533''' || 55.7 || '''3,829''' || 7.2 || 30 || 23 || 70 || 79.2
|-
! [[1982 NFL season|1982]] !! [[1982 Atlanta Falcons season|ATL]]
| 9 || 9 || 5−4 || 166 || 262 || 63.4 || 1,905 || 7.3 || 8 || 11 || style="background:#cfecec;"|'''86''' || 77.9
|-
! [[1983 NFL season|1983]] !! [[1983 Atlanta Falcons season|ATL]]
| 14 || 14 || 6−8 || 274 || 432 || 63.4 || 3,167 || 7.3 || 22 || 5 || 76 || style="background:#cfecec;"|'''97.6''' 
|-
! [[1984 NFL season|1984]] !! [[1984 Atlanta Falcons season|ATL]]
| 11 || 11 || 3−8 || 181 || 269 || style="background:#cfecec;"|'''67.3''' || 2,158 || '''8.0''' || 11 || 10 || 61 || 89.7
|-
! [[1985 NFL season|1985]] !! [[1985 Atlanta Falcons season|ATL]]
| 5 || 5 || 0−5 || 69 || 111 || 62.2 || 738 || 6.6 || 5 || '''1''' || 62 || 92.8
|-
! [[1986 NFL season|1986]] !! [[1986 Los Angeles Rams season|LAR]]
| 6 || 6 || 4−2 || 61 || 126 || 48.4 || 654 || 5.2 || 2 || 3 || 42 || 59.4
|-
! colspan="2"| !! 129 !! 127 !! 59–68 !! 1,932 !! 3,456 !! 55.9 !! 24,124 !! 7.0 !! 156 !! 144 !! 86 !! 75.4 
|}

==Post-NFL career==
Bartkowski is currently on the Falcons Board of Advisors.<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 24, 2012 |title=Falcons Appoint Three new Members to Board of Advisors |url=https://www.atlantafalcons.com/news/falcons-appoint-three-new-members-to-board-of-advisors-7831997 |access-date=January 28, 2022 |website=www.atlantafalcons.com |language=en-US}}</ref> He has a wife, Sandee, and two sons, Philip and Peter, and resides outside Atlanta. Bartkowski's elder son, Philip is married to Robin Fortin, the sister of former Falcons lineman [[Roman Fortin]].<ref name="ESPN" /> In 1993, Bartkowski was inducted into the National Polish American Sports Hall of Fame<ref>{{Cite web |title=Steve Bartkowski |url=http://www.polishsportshof.com/?page_id=444 |access-date=March 23, 2015 |publisher=polishsportshof.com}}</ref>  and in 2012, he was inducted into the [[College Football Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hanstock |first=Bill |date=May 15, 2012 |title=Steve Bartkowski Inducted Into College Football Hall Of Fame |url=https://atlanta.sbnation.com/2012/5/15/3022021/steve-bartkowski-inducted-into-college-football-hall-of-fame |access-date=January 28, 2022 |website=SB Nation Atlanta |language=en}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of NCAA major college football yearly passing leaders]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{College Football HoF|2323}}
* {{Footballstats |nfl=steve-bartkowski |espn= |cbs= |yahoo= |si= |pfr=B/BartSt00 |rotoworld=}}

{{NCAA major college football passing yardage leaders}}
{{California Golden Bears quarterback navbox}}
{{1974 College Football Consensus All-Americans}}
{{NFL Number One Draft Picks}}
{{1975 NFL Draft}}
{{FalconsFirstPick}}
{{Atlanta Falcons 1975 draft navbox}}
{{Atlanta Falcons starting quarterback navbox}}
{{Los Angeles Rams starting quarterback navbox}}
{{NFL completion percentage leaders}}
{{NFL passing touchdown leaders}}
{{NFL quarterbacks with a perfect passer rating}}
{{Atlanta Falcons}}
{{FalconsRing}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bartkowski, Steve}}
[[Category:1952 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American football quarterbacks]]
[[Category:Atlanta Falcons players]]
[[Category:California Golden Bears football players]]
[[Category:Los Angeles Rams players]]
[[Category:All-American college football players]]
[[Category:College Football Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:National Conference Pro Bowl players]]
[[Category:First overall NFL draft picks]]
[[Category:Players of American football from Santa Clara, California]]
[[Category:Players of American football from Des Moines, Iowa]]
[[Category:American people of Polish descent]]