Jim Van Pelt James S . Van Pelt ( born November 11 , 1935 in Chicago , Illinois ) is a former American football player . He played at the quarterback position for the University of Michigan from 1955 to 1957 . He also played for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Canadian Football League in 1958 and 1959 . He led the Blue Bombers to consecutive Grey Cup championships and set league records with seven touchdown passes in a game , a 107 - yard touchdown pass , and 22 points scored in the 1958 Grey Cup championship game . His professional football career ended in 1960 when he was drafted into the United States Air Force for a three - year term of service . Early years . Van Pelt attended Evanston Township High School . He was Evanston ' s starting quarterback in his junior and senior years ( 1952 and 1953 ) , and has been inducted into the Evanston Township High School Athletic Hall of Fame . University of Michigan . After graduating from high school , Maddock enrolled at the University of Michigan in 1954 . He played at the quarterback position in 22 games for Michigan during the 1955 , 1956 and 1957 football seasons . He was the starting quarterback for the 1957 Michigan Wolverines football team that opened the season 4 - 1 , including a victory over USC , but finished with a 5 - 3 - 1 record . In Michigan ' s four wins in the first half of the 1957 season , Van Pelt completed 21 of 31 passes for 315 yards and three touchdowns . Prior to the 1957 Northwestern game , Van Pelt was bed - ridden with the flu , but despite the illness , he led the Wolverines to a 34 - 14 win . Van Pelt completed three of four passes in the game for 66 yards and two touchdowns , including a 45 - yard touchdown pass to Gary Prahst . He also ran for a touchdown and successfully kicked three extra points . In a 24 - 7 win over Minnesota , Van Pelt was responsible for 18 of Michigan ' s points as he threw two touchdown passes ( including a 37 - yard completion to Bowers ) , kicked a field goal and added three extra points . In his final game for Michigan , Van Pelt passed for 106 yards ( including a 33 - yard touchdown pass to Brad Myers ) , the highest single - game total during his three years Michigan career . However , it was not enough as Ohio State beat Michigan , 31 - 14 . After the 1957 season , Van Pelt played in two post - season all - star games . He played in the North - South Shrine Game at the Orange Bowl in Miami , Florida , throwing a touchdown pass for the winning North team . In January 1958 , he also played in the Senior Bowl in Mobile , Alabama . In three years at Michigan , Maddock completed 66 of 134 passes for 989 yards , ten touchdowns and five interceptions . He also had two rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown . Professional football . Van Pelt was selected by the Washington Redskins in the fifth round ( 55th overall pick ) of the 1958 NFL Draft . Instead of playing in the NFL , Van Pelt signed a contract in February 1958 to play for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers . In his rookie season , Van Pelt began the season playing principally as a defensive halfback , but he got the chance to start at quarterback when Kenny Ploen was injured . He played so well in place of Ploen that he won the job as Winnipeg ' s starting quarterback . Van Pelt also handled placekicking for the Bombers . He set a Canadian Football League record with a 107 - yard touchdown pass to Ernie Pitts during a 1958 game against Calgary . Van Pelt led the Blue Bombers to the Grey Cup championship . He scored a record 22 points ( two touchdowns , two field goals and four extra points ) in the 1958 Grey Cup championship game , as the Blue Bombers defeated the Hamilton Tiger - Cats 35 - 28 . Van Pelt ' s first touchdown came on a trick play when he pitched the ball to halfback Leo Lewis and then took a pass from Lewis to run untouched 29 yards into the end zone . His second touchdown was a game - winning touchdown in the fourth quarter — a one - yard run that gave the Bombers a 35 - 28 lead . In its game coverage , " The Montreal Gazette " reported : " Jimmy Van Pelt , a freshman import quarterback from the University of Michigan was the producer , director and principal actor in Winnipeg ' s unexpected decision over the defending champions . He scored 22 points for a new Grey Cup record . . . . Van Pelt took over as the stream - lined Grey Cup hero . . . the country ' s national football pin - up boy . The Flying Dutchman grabbed a surprise pass from Leo Lewis for one touchdown , plunged over center from one yard out for another . " During the 1958 season , Van Pelt completed 90 of 160 passes for 1 , 445 yards , nine touchdowns and ten interceptions . In August 1959 , Van Pelt dislocated a bone in his left hand during an exhibition game featuring a rematch of the Grey Cup championship game between Winnipeg and Hamilton . Despite the injury , Van Pelt was the starting quarterback in Winnipeg ' s season opener against the British Columbia Lions . Wearing a cast on his left wrist , Van Pelt scored 27 points as he threw three touchdown passes with his right hand , rushed for a fourth touchdown and kicked a field goal . Van Pelt led the Winnipeg team to another western division championship in 1959 , but he suffered a shoulder separation late in the season . Before suffering the injury , Van Pelt was having the best year of his career . During the 1959 season , he completed 160 of 300 passes for 2 , 706 yards , 31 touchdowns and 15 interceptions . He also set a Western Conference record by throwing seven touchdown passes in a single game against the Rough Riders . Winnipeg coach Bud Grant noted , " Until Van Pelt was injured , I was pretty sure we had a better team than the 1958 champions . . . . For 32 games Van Pelt played 99 percent of the time at quarterback . . . . Before he was injured Jim had the team moving real well . " Winnipeg went on to win its second consecutive Grey Cup championship with Kenny Ploen playing quarterback in the championship game . Van Pelt ' s football career was cut short when he was drafted into the United States Air Force in the summer of 1960 for a three - year period of service . In November 1962 , Van Pelt , then a lieutenant in the U . S . Air Force , watched the Blue Bombers defend their Grey Cup championship as the guest of the club . Winnipeg general manager Jim Ausley would have Van Pelt back " if he wants to play football again . " In June 1963 , Van Pelt announced that he would not resume his football career after his discharge from the Air Force . Van Pelt said he planned to take an accounting job in Chicago . In an interview with the " Winnipeg Tribune " , he explained , " My wife and I talked it over for a long time and decided the job in Chicago was the best move . "