1. Bill Wade was the first player selected in the 1952 NFL draft, though his professional career was delayed by two years of military service.
30 Facts About Bill Wade
1. 2.
Bill Wade 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.
3.
In 11 NFL seasons, Bill Wade completed 1,370 of 2,523 passes for 18,530 yards with 124 touchdowns and 134 interceptions.
4.
Bill Wade tallied 1,334 rushing yards on 318 carries and 24 rushing touchdowns.
5.
Bill Wade attended Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville where he starred in tennis, football, baseball, and basketball.
6.
Bill Wade once struck out 21 batters in seven innings but turned down offers to play professional baseball.
7.
Bill Wade punted for the football team, averaging 44.0 yards a punt as a senior.
8.
Bill Wade played college football for Vanderbilt University from 1948 to 1951.
9.
Bill Wade fell 31 yards short of Babe Parilli who set a new Southeastern Conference record with 1,628 passing yards in 1950.
10.
Bill Wade's 1,609 passing yards was 18 yards short of Parilli's SEC single-season record.
11.
Bill Wade led the SEC and ranked third nationally with 1,643 yards of total offense.
12.
Bill Wade received multiple awards and honors after the 1951 season:.
13.
Bill Wade started one game in 1954 and otherwise served as a backup to Pro Football Hall of Famer Norm Van Brocklin, appearing in 10 games in 1954 and seven in 1955.
14.
In 1956, Bill Wade started eight of the Rams' 12 games and completed 91 of 178 passes for 1,461 yards with 10 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
15.
Bill Wade ranked second in the NFL in 1956 in both yards per pass attempt and yards per pass completion.
16.
Bill Wade returned to a backup role in 1957 but won the starring job in 1958 after the departure of Van Brocklin.
17.
Bill Wade had his best year statistically was 1958, when he led the NFL with 2,875 passing yards and an average of 239.6 yards per game.
18.
Bill Wade ranked second in the league with 18 passing touchdowns.
19.
Bill Wade was traded to the Bears in January 1961 in exchange for Erich Barnes and a player or draft pick to be named later.
20.
Bill Wade led the NFL in pass completions and ranked third in the league in passing yards and interceptions.
21.
Bill Wade was the first Bear to record four games with 300+ passing yards in a season.
22.
Bill Wade continued as one of the NFL's leading quarterbacks in 1964.
23.
Bill Wade led the NFL with an average of 16.5 passes completed per game and ranked fourth in both passes completed and completion percentage.
24.
Bill Wade sustained a knee injury during an exhibition game prior to the 1965 season, spent the season as a backup to Rudy Bukich, and appeared in only five games, completing 20 of 41 passes for 204 yards.
25.
Bill Wade underwent surgery in January 1966 and attempted a comeback, but appeared in only two games during the 1966 season, completing nine of 21 passes.
26.
Bill Wade remained with the Bears during the 1967 season as an assistant quarterback coach.
27.
Bill Wade was responsible for hosting a Monday night football broadcast at CBS in Nashville.
28.
In May 1968, Bill Wade left the Bears to return to Nashville as public relations and trust official with Third National Bank.
29.
Bill Wade remained with the bank as of 1976 and 1989.
30.
In January 1977, Bill Wade received the NCAA's Silver Anniversary Award.