Bud Schwenk Wilson Rutherford " Bud " Schwenk , Jr . ( August 26 , 1917 – October 1 , 1980 ) was a professional American football quarterback who played four seasons for the Chicago Cardinals , Cleveland Browns , Baltimore Colts , and New York Yankees . Schwenk grew up in St . Louis , Missouri and attended Washington University in St . Louis , where he starred on the football team . He set numerous college football records for passing in the 1941 season , his senior year . After college , Schwenk played one season for the Cardinals in the National Football League before leaving to serve for three years in the U . S . Navy during World War II . Upon his discharge , Schwenk joined the Cleveland Browns , a team under formation in the new All - America Football Conference ( AAFC ) . After one season with the Browns during which the team won the AAFC championship , Schwenk was traded to the Buffalo Bills and then to the Colts before the start of the 1947 season . He went on to have his best year as a player , setting a professional football record for passing attempts in a season . Despite his success , the Colts put Schwenk put out on waivers , and he was picked up by the New York Yankees , where he played for one year before leaving football . After his playing career , Schwenk spent 30 years as an executive in St . Louis at Junior Achievement , a national nonprofit that prepares young people for the workforce . He served as the chairman of Missouri ' s state athletic commission in the 1970s and was on the board of the St . Louis Better Business Bureau . He was inducted into the Washington University sports hall of fame in 1991 . His jersey number 42 is the only one retired by the school ' s football program . High school and college career . Schwenk was a native of St . Louis , Missouri and attended the city ' s Beaumont High School . A three - sport athlete , he became a star halfback who both threw forward passes and ran with the ball at Washington University in St . Louis . He played for the Washington University Bears , then a Division III team , starting as a junior in 1940 . He set a college football record the following year by running and passing for a combined 516 yards in a single game . He surpassed a three - year - old college record for completed passes in a season later in the year , with 114 . He passed and ran for a total of 1 , 628 yards . Professional career . Schwenk was recruited by professional football teams and was drafted by the Chicago Cardinals of the National Football League at the end of 1941 . That December , he said he had abandoned plans to play in the National Football League because of World War II . Nevertheless , he played for the Cardinals during the 1942 season . He broke the NFL record for most passes completed in his first season , although the Philadelphia Eagles ' Davey O ' Brien also broke the record and beat him with 146 . Schwenk did not play between 1943 and 1945 as he served in the U . S . Navy during the war . Following his discharge from the Navy , Schwenk signed with the Cleveland Browns of the new All - America Football Conference . Limited by an ankle injury , Schwenk played sparingly for the Browns in the 1946 season , substituting on occasion for quarterback Otto Graham . The Browns won the AAFC championship that year . Schwenk was traded to the Buffalo Bills for fullback Jim Thibaut early in 1947 . The Bills then sent him to the Baltimore Colts in August . With Baltimore , Schwenk had the best season of his career , passing for 2 , 236 yards and throwing 13 touchdown s . Down by five points in a game against the Bills in October , Schwenk threw a last second completion Race Horse Davis , who caught it and was ruled out of bounds a foot outside the end zone . Officials allowed the game clock to tick down to zero , giving Buffalo the victory as the Colts argued that it was a score . A near - riot broke out after players began shoving each other and spectators came down on the field . In November , Schwenk bested his own professional football record , set while with the Cardinals in 1942 , of 295 passing attempts in a season . The Colts , however , put him out on waivers after the season and he was picked up by the New York Yankees . Schwenk played for the Yankees in 1948 before leaving professional football . Later life . Schwenk began work in 1950 as the chief operating officer of the Mississippi Valley branch of Junior Achievement , a non - profit that prepares young people for the workforce . He stayed at Junior Achievement for 30 years . He engaged in civic organizations in St . Louis , and was on the board of the city ' s Better Business Bureau . He also was a director and founder of the Spanish Lake Bank & Trust Company . Between 1971 and 1975 , he was chairman of the Missouri State Athletic Commission . Schwenk died in 1980 . He was inducted into the Washington University Sports Hall of Fame in 1991 , and his number 42 jersey is the only one retired by the Washington Bears .