Triple - threat man In gridiron football , the phrase triple - threat man refers to a player who excels at all three of the skills of running , passing , and kicking . In modern usage , such a player would be referred to as a utility player . Triple - threat men were the norm in the early days of football , as substitution rules were stringent . Thus , in addition to the need for passing , running , and kicking skills , they were also required to play defense . As injury awareness grew and substitution rules loosened , teams shifted to kicking specialists , which made the triple - threat man obsolete . One of the last triple - threat men in professional football was George Blanda , a quarterback and kicker who last played for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League in 1975 . Danny White , a quarterback and punter , retired in 1989 . Since then , non - specialists have placekicked only extremely infrequently in the NFL . One instance occurred when Doug Flutie — also adept at both running and passing as a " scrambling " quarterback — drop kick ed an extra point in 2006 during the last play of his career . Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh of the Detroit Lions attempted an extra point in 2010 in place of an injured kicker , but the ball hit the right upright . Wide receiver Chad Ochocinco then of the Cincinnati Bengals filled in at kicker during a 2009 preseason game for the injured Shayne Graham . Danny White of the Dallas Cowboys was the last non - specialist to kick on a regular basis , as he served as the team ' s starting quarterback and punter from 1980 until 1984 , after several years as backup to Roger Staubach . There are , however , still dual - threat quarterbacks and wildcat halfbacks , who can both run and pass . For over forty years the NFL scoring record was held by a triple - threat man , Green Bay Packers Hall of Famer Paul Hornung . Hornung set a record of 176 points in 1960 by scoring fifteen touchdowns , kicking forty - one extra points , and also kicking fifteen field goals . The record remained unbroken until 2006 , when San Diego Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson scored 186 points . Unlike Hornung , who scored points three different ways , Tomlinson ' s points all came from touchdowns scored as he set an NFL record with 28 rushing touchdowns and 31 total . Football ' s first triple threat . Saint Louis University ' s Bradbury Robinson , who threw the first legal forward pass in football history in 1906 , was undoubtedly the first " triple - threat man " . He was the Blue and White ' s premier passer and sportswriters of the era reported that he " excelled " as a kicker and was an " electrifying " runner . " St . Louis Post - Dispatch " sportswriter Ed Wray ( John Edward Wray , 1873 – 1961 ) covered SLU football throughout Robinson ' s career . In an October 1947 column , Wray declared that the title of " first triple - threat man " belonged to Robinson " because throughout the 1906 season ( St . Louis coach Eddie Cochems ) used Robinson to pass , kick and run the ball . . . He was an A1 punter , too . . . And run ! . . . This three way use of Robby added greatly to the team ' s offensive deception . " Referee H . B . Hackett of West Point was amazed by Robinson ’ s passing . Hackett officiated major college games for three decades and was a member of football ' s rules committee . The " Minneapolis Star " quoted Lt . Hackett as saying of Robinson : " Whew , that chap is a wonder ! He beats anything I ever saw . He looks as though 40 yards is dead for him , and he ' s got accuracy with it . " Hall of Fame coach David M . Nelson ( 1920 – 1991 ) wrote that “ St . Louis had a great passer in Brad Robinson . ” In his book " The Anatomy of a Game : Football , the Rules , and the Men Who Made the Game " , Nelson marveled that Robinson threw a 67 - yard pass in the 1906 season . “ Considering the size , shape and weight of the ball ” , Nelson concluded , such a pass was “ extraordinary ” . Sports historian John Sayle Watterson agreed . In his book , " College Football : History , Spectacle , Controversy " , he described Robinson ' s long pass as " truly a breathtaking achievement " . Professor Watterson added that , " Robinson ended up using passes that ranged from thirty to more than forty yards with devastating efficiency " . Robinson was also the Blue & White ' s principal kicker . One sports journalist of the time opined that , " of the local kickers , Robinson of St . Louis easily excels all others . He is good for at least 45 yards every time he puts his toe to the ball and some of his punts have gone 60 yards . " Robinson ' s prowess as a ballcarrier was particularly noted by a Columbia , Missouri reporter after a November 11 , 1904 victory over the University of Missouri : " Robinson and ( John ) Kinney , the halfbacks of the visiting team were the fastest seen here in years and the Tigers seemed unable to stop them . " Another writer at the game observed that Robinson ' s " offensive play was fast and in running back punts he gained much ground for his team , besides tackling well while on defensive . " The " St . Louis Globe - Democrat " added , " Robinson ' s return of punts electrified the spectators time and time again . He was always good for a gain of 20 yards or more . " Triple threat in the East . On November 24 , 1906 , Yale ' s Paul Veeder completed a 20 to 30 - yard pass in a 6 - 0 win over Harvard . As an outstanding runner and Yale ' s kicking specialist during his career , Veeder may have assumed the mantle of " triple threat " that Saturday before a crowd of some 32 , 000 at New Haven . The development of a true triple - threat man among the Eastern powers awaited their adoption of the forward pass as it had been pioneered at St . Louis . Knute Rockne , who popularized the forward pass at Notre Dame in the mid 1910s , observed , “ One would have thought that so effective a play would have been instantly copied and become the vogue . The East , however , had not learned much or cared much about Midwest and Western football . Indeed , the East scarcely realized that football existed beyond the Alleghanies … ” . Coach Nelson writes that the concept really took hold in 1912 when Carlisle coach Pop Warner " sprang his single wing or ' Carlisle ' formation on the football world , and the triple - threat back was born . " The term " triple threat " was used frequently by sportwriters in the 1920s and thereafter . A 1920 " New York Times " article reports that such a player Other uses of the term . Another usage of the term occurs in basketball , where a triple threat describes a player with the ball is in a position near the three - point line from which he can launch three different offensives . The player may shoot from the current position , pass to another player closer to the basket , or drive the ball themselves to score a closer shot . The term " triple - threat man " subsequently became popular as a way of describing any man with three conspicuous talents . For example : " Sail Away , " the first of the new season ' s big musical , berths Tuesday night at the Broadhurst , there will be a program line you don ' t see often these days . It is the crediting of words , music , and direction to a single name . The name in this instance — and of course — is Noël Coward , a triple threat from ' way back . " Triple threat " can also be used to describe anything that the phrase fits literally or metaphorically . In the performing arts , the expression triple threat can describe a performer who is talented at singing , acting , and dancing . Another example : Islam is often portrayed as a triple threat : political , civilizational , and demographic .