Frank Tripucka Francis ( Frank ) Joseph Tripucka ( " The Trip " , " pol . " Trypuczka ) ( December 8 , 1927 – September 12 , 2013 ) was an American collegiate and professional football quarterback , at Notre Dame , in the National Football League , in the Canadian Football League , and in the early American Football League . Originally from Bloomfield , New Jersey , Tripucka ( truh - PEW - kuh ) graduated from Bloomfield High School in 1945 . Fighting Irish of Notre Dame . Tripucka was backup quarterback to Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Lujack on Frank Leahy ' s unbeaten Notre Dame squads in 1946 and 1947 . When Lujack graduated , Tripucka became the 1948 starter . He led the team to a 9 - 0 - 1 record , their only blemish being a 14 - 14 tie with USC in the last game of the season . Notre Dame finished # 2 in the final polls and Tripucka was named an All America n . He worked his first three seasons with the Irish behind 1947 Heisman Trophy winner John Lujack , then took over as the starter in his senior campaign in ‘ 48 . A three - time letter - winner at Notre Dame , the 6 - 2 , 172 - pound Tripucka completed 53 of 91 throws as a senior for 660 yards and 11 touchdowns . He played in the College All - Star Game following that season . His 11 TD throws that year set a Notre Dame single - season record . As a junior in ’ 47 he connected on 25 of 44 throws for 422 yards ( three TDs , one interception ) on the Irish national championship squad . In 1946 as a sophomore he hit one of his five throws for 19 yards and as a freshman in 1945 completed his only pass for 19 yards ( and carried twice for eight yards ) . His career totals featured 80 - of - 141 passing for 1 , 122 yards and 14 TDs with only one interception . Tripucka ’ s final three Notre Dame teams featured a combined 26 - 0 - 2 mark and consensus national titles in 1946 and 1947 . His senior season in 1948 saw the Irish move into the number - one slot in the Associated Press poll two games into the season , as Notre Dame posted a 12 - 7 win over eighth - rated Northwestern and finished the season tying USC 14 - 14 . The Irish finished second in the final AP poll that year behind unbeaten Michigan . Tripucka went on to become a first - round selection ( ninth overall pick ) by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1949 NFL Draft . He played for the Eagles and Detroit Lions in 1949 , the Chicago Cardinals in 1950 - 52 , the Dallas Texans in 1952 and the Denver Broncos from 1960 - 63 . He also played in the Canadian Football League for Saskatchewan ( 1953 - 58 , 1963 ) and Ottawa ( 1959 ) Tripucka ranked as the first quarterback in Denver history and the Broncos retired his number 18 jersey ( until it was offered to Peyton Manning ) . He was one of the four original selections to the Bronco Ring of Honor in 1984 . His top year in Denver came in 1960 when he completed 248 of 478 passes for 3 , 038 yards and 24 TDs . He threw for 477 yards in one 1962 game against Buffalo . He completed the first TD throw in American Football League history in 1960 and became a 1962 AFL All - Star pick . Tripucka ’ s son Kelly played basketball at Notre Dame , helping the Irish to the 1978 NCAA Final Four and earning All - America honors in each of his final three seasons ( including first - team recognition as a senior from United Press International ) . A tri - captain as a senior , Kelly led the Irish in scoring as a sophomore and senior ( 18 . 2 ) and finished with a career 15 . 3 - point average on 1 , 719 points National Football League . When Tripucka graduated , the Philadelphia Eagles drafted him with their first round pick in the 1949 NFL Draft , but traded him to the Detroit Lions before the 1949 season began . He started with the Lions in 1949 , and then played the next three seasons with the Chicago Cardinals . Saskatchewan Roughriders . In 1953 Tripucka moved to Canada to play with the Saskatchewan Roughriders . The ' Riders had just hired Frank Filchock as coach , and Tripucka joined him as the starting quarterback . He played there through 1958 , when he was traded to the Ottawa Rough Riders , but he was back in Saskatchewan before the end of the 1959 season as coach . The Roughriders were having a dismal season . Non - Canadians playing Canadian professional football were known as " imports " . In 1959 each Canadian Football League team was limited to 12 imports . Coach Tripucka was ineligible to play because the Roughriders already had these 12 roster spots filled . However , in the fourteenth game of the season , all three Roughrider quarterbacks were sidelined by injuries . For the last two games , management decided to play Tripucka anyway . Because of the ineligible player , these two games were forfeit in advance . The Roughriders lost the first of them on the scoreboard as well , 20 - 19 versus the Edmonton Eskimos . In the last game of the season , versus Bud Grant ' s Winnipeg Blue Bombers , Tripucka had 17 completions in 29 passes and Ferdy Burket ran for five touchdowns . At the end of the game the Roughriders led 37 to 30 . The final , official score was Saskatchewan 37 , Winnipeg 30 for a " Winnipeg " victory . Tripucka played seven seasons in Canada . American Football League . The American Football League was founded in 1960 , and Tripucka ' s old coach at Saskatchewan , Frank Filchock , was hired as the first coach of the new league ' s Denver Broncos . He brought Tripucka with him as an assistant coach . However the Broncos also had quarterback problems , and in preseason Filchock sent Tripucka in as a player . He became their first starting quarterback in the regular season and played with the team for four seasons . He was the first U . S . pro quarterback to throw for 3 , 000 yards in a season and a 59 - yard pass to Al Carmichael was the first touchdown pass in the history of the AFL . In 1962 he was named to the AFL All Star team . Tripucka retired in 1963 after 15 professional seasons . The Broncos subsequently retired his # 18 jersey . On March 9 , 2012 , Tripucka stated that he would allow # 18 to be worn again by Peyton Manning if the Broncos were to sign him . On March 20 , 2012 , at a press conference announcing his signing by the Broncos , John Elway thanked Tripucka " for allowing the franchise to unretire the number for Manning . " He is the father of former Notre Dame and Detroit Piston basketball star Kelly Tripucka who also played for the Utah Jazz and the Charlotte Hornets . He is also the grandfather of football player Travis Tripucka and professional lacrosse player Jake Tripucka . Death . Tripucka died of congestive heart failure on September 12 , 2013 , at his home in Woodland Park , New Jersey . He was 85 .