Can Red Heads Play Quarterback?

Does the color of one's hair effect the level of success one may achieve as a quarterback?  It may sound asinine, but in this week's issue of Sports Illustrated, Peter King discussed the types of scrutiny that NFL head coaches factor in when assessing possible draft picks, particularity at the quarterback position.  And one NFL head coach, speaking anonymously, wonder if the redheaded QB Andy Dalton, out of TCU, was missing something.

"Has there ever been a redheaded quarterback in the NFL that's done well?", the coach asked.

In a business such as the NFL, where every move and decision is crucial.  Coaches around the league are starting to feel the pressure as the NFL draft is next week.  The future of teams is highly dependent on making the right draft choice.  One bad pick, one wrong assessment and a franchise might find itself in the leagues gutter.  With so much at stake for NFL teams, maybe it is a fair question.  For argumentative purposes, lets take a look.

First, it should be noted that only 1%-2% of the world's population have red hair. And most of them are leprechauns.

Second, of the some 9000 athletes that play college football each year, roughly 2% of them will make it to the NFL.  Go to class fellas!

Given that information, it is no wonder why few, if any, names come to mind regarding redheaded quarterbacks.  The odds are stacked tremendously against the gingers becoming high-profile quarterbacks at the highest level.

The one and only name that came to my mind was Jeff Garcia.  Does he qualify?  Let's see, red head?  The little amount of hair Garcia has left is red.  Check!  Did he do "well" in the NFL?  In his career, Garcia made four pro-bowl teams, played decent for 7 different teams, taking 3 of them to the playoffs, and he is married to 2004 Playboy playmate of the year, Carmella Decesare, despite his debilitating appearance. So yeah, I'd say he's done real well.

I seriously doubt hair color has even the slightest effect on an athletes ability.  On the other hand, being an NFL quarterback can greatly enhance your chances of marrying a supermodel.  Andy Dalton, who is no looker himself, shouldn't worry about his hair.  He should be ecstatic that he will soon be an NFL quarterback and that he too may be able to marry a supermodel.