February 1, 2016
Super Bowl 50 quarterbacks mark changing of the guard, says Purdue historian
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — No matter which quarterback wins the Super Bowl, the NFL's personality is changing, says a Purdue University sports historian.
"I see this as a passing of the guard when the old football image is being challenged," says Randy Roberts, distinguished professor of history. "Peyton Manning is a traditional, button-down quarterback at the end of a brilliant career. He is probably the least controversial quarterback in history. Cam Newton is a young quarterback who is the future of the NFL especially as Manning and even Tom Brady are nearing the end of their careers. Newton's faced some controversy during his college playing years, and he has a celebratory style that rubs traditionalists the wrong way. The game is changing."
Roberts says the 50th Super Bowl is similar to Super Bowl III's quarterback battle between Johnny Unitas and Joe Namath.
"Same as today, it was the old guard vs. the new guard," Roberts says. "Newton and Namath would have a lot in common, especially with their frank pronouncements.
"Will Manning win and ride off into the sunset, or will Newton step out as the future of the NFL?"
Roberts is the author of more than 30 books, including "Rising Tide: Bear Bryant, Joe Namath, and Dixie's Last Quarter" and "A Team for America: The Army-Navy Game That Rallied a Nation." His other book topics include Mike Tyson, Joe Louis, Jack Johnson, Jack Dempsey, Oscar Robertson, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Boston sports. He has made more than 50 appearances on television documentaries and films in the past 20 years for the History Channel, ESPN Classic, HBO, BBC, PBS, E!TV and on the ABC, CBS and NBC networks.
Writer: Amy Patterson Neubert, 765-494-9723, apatterson@purdue.edu
Source: Randy Roberts, rroberts@purdue.edu
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