Welcome to the internet's ONLY comprehensive list of every left handed NFL quarterback who ever threw a pass in an NFL game. Hooray for Mark Brunell! Hooray for Dave Ragone! Hooray for Michael Penix!
It's important to note, after some discussions with the people behind the Left Handed QB Wikipedia article, I've decided to slightly redesign this list. So here's what you're going to see.
FIRST, will be a list of men who played the QB position in an NFL game, throw the ball lefthanded, and acquired a stat. Some of these guys have hundreds of touchdowns, some have none, but everyone on this first list will have played in a regular season NFL game. At this point, I count 39 official dudes, several of whom Wikipedia still needs to add as of 10/13/25.
SECONDLY, we'll have a list of guys who were drafted or signed or who otherwise were briefly on NFL rosters, but did NOT accumulate any regular season game stats. There's quite a few of these lefties who came and went, and I feel bad completely neglecting them so I'm giving them a lesser tier of a list. These guys are a little harder to find historically since they don't have NFL stats, but I think the overall list will be fairly comprehensive.
And finally, we have the FINAL list, which is of left handed throwers in unique situations. This is where you'll find your non QBs who threw a pass, or movie characters, or that one Jake Plummer play - stuff like that. Doesn't truly fit the list, but we're here to celebrate lefties, so why not.
Without further adieu...
List One - The 39 NFL Left Handed QBs who threw at least one regular season pass in their career
1942-1952 - Frankie Albert
1943-1947 - Allie Sherman
1944-1945 - John Karrs
1942-1952 - Frankie Albert
1943-1947 - Allie Sherman
1944-1945 - John Karrs
1989-1997 - Erik Wilhelm
1989-1992 - Jeff Carlson
1990-2001 - Scott Mitchell
1991-1992 - Todd Marinovich
1992-1997 - Will Furrer
1993-2011 - Mark Brunell
1990-2001 - Scott Mitchell
1991-1992 - Todd Marinovich
1992-1997 - Will Furrer
1993-2011 - Mark Brunell
2004-2007 - Jared Lorenzen
2006-2013 - Matt Leinart
2007-2011 - Tyler Palko
2024-Present - Michael Penix Jr. *
2025-Present - Dillon Gabriel *
* Denotes active as of 10/13/25
List Two - Made an NFL Roster, Never threw a regular season pass
1987 - Mike Shula
1998-1999 - Sherdrick Bonner (Never played in a single game, but was an AFL great)
2001 - Josh Heupel (Only played in training camp due to injury)
2003-2004 - Greg Zolman
2004 - Scott McBrien
2001 - Josh Heupel (Only played in training camp due to injury)
2003-2004 - Greg Zolman
2004 - Scott McBrien
2023 - Holton Ahlers
List Three - Pre NFL, Movies, and Goofy Moments
1936 - Ed Matesic
1936 - Ed Matesic
1947 - Ernie Case
- Shane Falco (The Replacements)
- Jack "Cap" Rooney (Any Given Sunday)
- Rick Leach chose baseball
- Kendal Thompson was a college QB (Mostly a backup) and played as a WR in the NFL
- Dez Bryant threw a left handed touchdown in 2016...but he's a WR.
- Dez Bryant threw a left handed touchdown in 2016...but he's a WR.
- Jake Plummer also threw left handed a few times when "in the grasp." He's not the only righty QB, - -(Kyle Orton definitely did), but Plummer is mentioned a lot on the internet for doing it.
Note: Much of the original research done for this post came from Strong Arm Tactics, a book by John Maxyymuk. You can check out his post on lefty quarterbacks (which includes statistics as well) here.
Note: Much of the original research done for this post came from Strong Arm Tactics, a book by John Maxyymuk. You can check out his post on lefty quarterbacks (which includes statistics as well) here.
Byron Leftwich?
ReplyDeleteHe was, and is a righty
DeleteNice...but not a lefty!
ReplyDeleteDennis Dixon
ReplyDeleteDennis Dixon also is not a lefty. Sorry dude, do a google image search!
ReplyDeleteShane Falco of the Washington Sentinels and Jack 'Cap' Rooney of the Miami Sharks get honorable mention.
ReplyDeleteGood call anonymous!
ReplyDeleteAre you kidding me Spastik??? Don't you know that I'm a lefty... and I used to play permanent quarterback when I was 10 years old. This is inexcusable! I should be on this list!
ReplyDeleteAnyways... now that I'm finished with my rant... can I tell you that this list is awesome. I might start putting together a "lefty QB" pc. Do you collect these guys?
Hahaha glad you like it Fuji! No I don't collect them, but I have considered it before. Good luck collecting if you do though!
ReplyDeleteArmanti Edwards.
ReplyDeleteAndrew Luck is left handed
ReplyDeleteHe writes and throws right handed though.
DeleteJake Plummer's throw is a classic. I found out later he was an avid handball player, so that's probably where that came from.
ReplyDeleteAny lefty's in this years draft?
ReplyDeleteAs of the 15/16 college football season of the top I can think of three Morris(who is mentioned), Malik Zaire and Stocksill at MTSU. Why is there a lack of lefty Qbs,especially with so many Lh pitcher's?
DeleteUtah quarterback is a lefty
DeleteNope, I actually gave it a look today (good timing) and researched every single QB who has been mentioned as a draft or undrafted free agent candidate...all lefties. With Mark Brunell practically retired, that leaves lefties with a tenuous NFL grasp - six total, but Tyler Palko hasn't seen an active roster since 2011, Sean Canfield was off teams all last season, Matt Leinart is currently a free agent, and rumors say Tebow soon could be one. That leaves Mike Vick and Kellen Moore as the two "best" lefties in the league.
ReplyDeletewhat about adding to your page a list of all lefties to ever play in nfl & categorize them by position?
ReplyDeleteCould be cool, only thing is outside of QB there are actually a lot of lefty NFLers. QB is just a really unique position.
ReplyDeleteIt would be appreciated! =)
ReplyDeleteis jake Plummer s lefty?
ReplyDeleteHaha sadly he is not, Anonymous. He once was in the middle of a sack and threw the ball left handed so he's an honorary member. There was a video behind the link but it's gone now, someone took it down.
ReplyDeleteSpastik, I just want to know if you will be working on putting together a lefties list by position in the nfl or if you know another site that has one?
ReplyDeleteNot sure yet, kinda busy with non blog stuff at the moment. But possibly someday!
ReplyDeleteAs for position by position I do not have one, but googling like famous NFL left handed or all time best left handed NFL could give you a great start! You already have all the good QBs here!
Don't forget Ronnie Sunshine Bass, from Remember the Titans.
ReplyDeleteGreat list, by the way.
Vick is actually right handed but throws with his left. Fun fact
ReplyDeleteGood point. I should have clarified that the list is just lefty throwers...I know someone said Andrew Luck is left handed but throws right handed, I'm sure he's not alone!
Deletea list about left handed owners. Now that would be even more interesting. great triva page! Keep it up.
ReplyDeleteSeneca Wallace?
ReplyDeleteMan...if only!
DeleteEli Manning...He threw an INT against the Titans left handed.
ReplyDeleteWhenever he comes out, Shane Morris from the Michigan Wolverines. He's promising.
ReplyDeleteTerry Bradshaw?
ReplyDeleteNot on the football field tho
DeleteWhat about RG3
ReplyDeleteHe does throw lefty sometimes in pregame - maybe I'll add a note!
DeleteShouldn't Vince Young be on this list?
ReplyDeleteThey need to throw left handed. He doesn't.
DeleteSt0cksill and Zaire I know there's an FCS an jacksonville maybe,that's throws left-handed.
ReplyDeleteFran Tarkenton?
ReplyDeleteDid not throw a football left handed
DeleteI used to know at least 5 left-footed kickers. Just as interesting, in my opinion. John Smith, New England, Mick Luckhurst, Atlanta, Garo Yupremian, Miami, Effren Herrera, Seattle... Sebastian Janikowski, Oakland, David Akers, Philadelphia, Morten Andersen?, John Kasay,
ReplyDeleteForgot one of if not the best lefties ever. Drew Bledsoe.
ReplyDeleteYa'll just hold tight for about 8_9 years and you will see the return of the southpaw. There is a 11 year old young man that can fire a 40-50 yard perfect spiral. Havent seen a lefty like this since our Tebow!!!! His name is Rocky Rocwell, he lives in San Jose CA and you can see for yourself on TicToc. Search for his dads site, SammyRocwell.
ReplyDeleteOne striking obsevation about left-handed quarterbacks who have played in the NFL is that the colleges where the played cover nothing approaching a random sample the United States – or, no doubt, of NFL players.
ReplyDeleteOf 22 drafted left-handed quarterbacks between 1963 and 2010 (no left-handed quarterback was drafted between 2011 and 2019):
— nine played college football in the Pacific States (three at USC, two each at Washington and Oregon State, one each at Oregon and UCLA)
— four played college football in the Mountain States (Young, Mitchell and Carlson in Utah; Nussmeier in Idaho)
— three [Douglass, Morrison, Humm] played college football in the Plains States of Kansas and Nebraska
— eight (plus Tua Tagovailoa) played college football in the fifteen southern States [the Confederacy, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kentucky and West Virginia]
— one [Esiason] played college football in the Mid-Atlantic state of Maryland
— none played college football in the seven core Midwestern states of Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio
– none played college football in the six New England states
If we consider undrafted left-handed quarterbacks, and drafted left-handed quarterbacks who never played in the league, the geographic distribution is not radically different. Only Del Gaizo – and him only for part of his college career – played college football within any state comprising part of the Northeastern Census division.
The complete absence (at least based on NFL players and draftees) of left-handed quarterbacks from some eras (1954 to 1967, since 2010) and some entire regions (Great Lakes, Northeast) of the United States is equally revealing a question as their general rarity.
That is some really fascinating insight! Feels like a possible thesis here.
Delete