Ronnie Knox Ronald " Ronnie " Knox ( Born February 14 , 1935 , in Chicago , Illinois ; died May 4 , 1992 , in San Francisco , California ) is a former National Football League and Canadian Football League quarterback . High school phenom . A high school All - American at Santa Monica High School , Knox played under the tutelage of coach Jim Sutherland . He played his freshman season for Pappy Waldorf ' s California Golden Bears before abruptly transferring to UCLA in the fall of 1954 . Knox ' s stepfather , Harvey Knox , was accused of interfering with the Bears ' coaching staff and of making extreme monetary demands on the university . The elder Knox had also interfered with his son ' s high school coaches and Ronnie played for three different high school teams in three years . Harvey Knox was also accused of interfering in the business of his stepdaughter , actress Patricia Knox . College and pro football player . Knox played one season at UCLA before being declared ineligible due to accepting " under - the - table " financing . After leaving UCLA , Knox signed a movie contract with Metro - Goldwyn - Mayer , but he would never appear in any pictures for the studio . Knox signed with the Hamilton Tiger - Cats , but would leave the team after one month to once again pursue a film career . Knox signed with the Calgary Stampeders on October 3 , 1956 , six days after quitting the Tiger - Cats . Knox signed with the Chicago Bears for the 1957 season . Knox was suspended indefinitely by Bears Coach George Halas in October of that season for violations which included his stepfather ' s public criticism of the team and missing two practices and a quarterback tutoring session without reason . Due to a bitter dispute with the Bears , Knox was not allowed by Halas to play for the Bears or play for any other NFL team . Instead , he signed with the Toronto Argonauts midway through 1958 CFL season with a promise by Harvey Knox to the team that he would not interfere . His most notable performance came on October 25 , 1958 when , playing the Ottawa Rough Riders , he passed for 522 yards , then a team record and still second most in Argonaut history . After splitting up with his stepfather , Knox would play only one more season of football before retiring , saying that football was a " game for animals " . Film actor , a drifter , and a poet . After leaving Toronto , Knox would appear in a few movies and television shows , but not return to football , despite offers from the Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers of the newly formed American Football League . In the 1960s , 1970s , and 1980s Knox drifted around California , residing only a short time in various towns , prior to moving again . In July 1988 a reporter located him as he was moving out of a one room apartment in Canoga Park , California . Knox had lived there for just several weeks , spending the majority of his time writing poetry . Aside from past residences in McKinleyville , CA , Malibu , CA , and San Francisco , Knox lived for short periods in other states , i . e . Maine and Texas . He also lived for brief stints in Mexico and Europe . Having been single since a divorce in 1964 , his philosophy was to " stay free " . Knox compared his lifestyle to the noble savage written about by James Fennimore Cooper . He read English literature by the hour , stretched out on a cot or in his worn out twelve - year - old car . He yearned for a life at sea .