John Stofa obit

Former UB quarterback John Stofa, the first Cincinnati Bengal, dies at age 79

 He was not on the list.

Former University at Buffalo quarterback John Stofa, who was the first player signed in the history of the Cincinnati Bengals, died Sunday, UB said Monday. Stofa was 79 and had been battling Parkinson's.

Stofa helped lead the Bulls to a 6-3 record in 1962 and a 5-3-1 mark in 1963. He threw for 1,326 yards and eight touchdowns over his two seasons. Both were school records at the time.

Stofa, who was originally from Johnstown, Pa., selected UB because the school would let him play multiple sports. He played football, basketball and baseball and was inducted into the Dr. and Mrs. Edmond J. Gicewicz UB Athletics Hall of Fame in 1973. He also served on the board of directors of the school's booster club in the 1990s.

Stofa thought he had a chance to be drafted by the Bills, but he went undrafted and played two seasons with the Daytona Beach Thunderbirds of the Southern Professional Football League in 1964 and 1965.

He was signed to a 10-day trial by the Miami Dolphins but was released. He also had a trial with the Pittsburgh Steelers and was released.

After starting his teaching career in Daytona Beach and playing in the North American Football League, the Dolphins called midway through the season because of an injury and he was signed. He had to wait seven games before making his debut against the Houston Oilers in the season finale in the Orange Bowl. He threw for 307 yards and four touchdowns in a 29-28 victory.

In all, he played in eight games, with two starts, over two seasons with the Dolphins. He broke an ankle in the preseason in 1967 after winning the starting job in Dolphins' training camp.

He was traded to the expansion Bengals after the 1967 season. For about a month, he was the only player in franchise history. Stofa was traded by the Dolphins for the Bengals' expansion draft picks in the first and second rounds.

He missed the first game in franchise history in 1968, but he started the first home game and threw the first touchdown in franchise history, a 58-yard pass to tight end Bob Trumpy against the Denver Broncos.

The team went 3-11, with Stofa missing much of the year with injuries, but he and the inaugural Bengals became a part of the fabric of the city.

He returned to Miami as a free agent in the 1969 and 1970 seasons.

In 1971, Broncos coach Lou Saban – the once and future Bills coach – brought Stofa to Denver, but he never played a down.

Four years later, he signed with the Jacksonville Sharks of the World Football League to play and coach quarterbacks. He threw five passes, and the team folded before the season ended.

Stofa threw for 1,758 yards in his AFL/NFL career, with 12 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He had four seasons in Miami and just one in Cincinnati, but returned to Cincinnati after his playing career. Other than a stretch of about 15 years in Columbus, Stofa and his children and grandchildren lived in Cincinnati.

Being the first Bengal was a point of pride for the rest of his life. His Ohio license plate read 1ST BNGL. He often added that phrase under his name when he signed autographs.

"He was more than that to a lot of us. Just a really good guy we've known for a long time," Bengals president Mike Brown said in a statement released by the team. "He had a lot of values we cherish. We admired the way he lived his life."

Career history

Pittsburgh Steelers (1966)*

Miami Dolphins (1966–1967)

Cincinnati Bengals (1968)

Miami Dolphins (1969–1970)

Jacksonville Sharks (1974)