Charles Alan Pastrana (November 20, 1944April 8, 2021) was an American football quarterback. He played college football for the University of Maryland from 1965 to 1968. In 1966, he set the Atlantic Coast Conference record for single-season passing touchdowns with 17. At Maryland, Pastrana also played on the lacrosse team and was named a first-team All-American defenseman in 1966. The Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL) selected Pastrana in the 11th round of the 1969 NFL/AFL draft. He played for Denver for two seasons, including three games as the starting quarterback. After his playing career, Pastrana coached football, lacrosse and wrestling at Anne Arundel Community College, where he taught as an associate professor, and coached football at the Severn School.
Early life Pastrana was born on November 20, 1944, in Annapolis, Maryland, to a father from Puerto Rico and an American mother of Swiss ancestry.Maybe A Star in the Wings, Herald-Journal, September 7, 1966., Database Football, retrieved October 4, 2010. He attended Annapolis High School, where he served as the captain of the football, lacrosse, and wrestling teams.Severn turns to Pastrana, Fowler , The Baltimore Sun, March 10, 1993. After he graduated from Annapolis High in 1964, Pastrana attended the college preparatory Severn School.
College years Pastrana enrolled at the University of Maryland, where he earned three letters on the football team in 1965, 1966, and 1968,Football: All-Time Letterwinners N-Z , University of Maryland, retrieved October 4, 2010. and two on the lacrosse team in 1966 and 1967.2009 Maryland Men's Lacrosse Media and Recruiting Guide, "All-Time Roster", p. 66, University of Maryland, 2009. He played lacrosse as a defenseman under head coach John Howard.TERRAPIN TEN WHIPS DUKE; Maryland Bounces Back With Easy 19-5 Win , The Baltimore Sun, April 26, 1966. After the 1966 season, the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association named him a first-team All-American.1966 Men's All-Americans (PDF), United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association, retrieved October 4, 2010.
In 1965, he played football on defense as a linebacker., The Baltimore Sun, November 17, 1965. The following season, Lou Saban took over as head coach from Tom Nugent, and held open quarterback try-outs, which included everyone who had played the position in high school. Early in the season, Saban dismissed several players "not good enough to play for Maryland", including former starting quarterback Phil Petry, and the job went to Pastrana.Maryland's Saban Says Team Made Lot Progress, The Free-Lance Star, September 27, 1966. Saban employed a pro-style offense.Wolf Pack Is Team To Beat, The Times-News, September 12, 1966.
After losses to Penn State and Syracuse, Pastrana led the underdog Maryland team to a surprising three-game winning streak over Duke, West Virginia, and South Carolina, which improbably placed the Terrapins atop the Atlantic Coast Conference and into the bowl game picture.The Terrapin, pp. 216–218, University of Maryland, 1967. Maryland, however, lost its final four games of the season to finish 4–6 and 3–3 in the ACC. In the penultimate game against Virginia, Pastrana broke the ACC record with his 13th and 14th touchdown passes of the season.The Terrapin, p. 222, University of Maryland, 1967.Bob Davis Eight Yards From Top, The Free-Lance Star, November 22, 1966. Florida State routed Maryland in the season finale, 45–21, where Pastrana's passing accounted for all three Terrapin scores in a failed second-half comeback bid.FLA. STATE BEATS MARYLAND, 45-21; Pajcic Sets 2 School Marks in Pacing Seminole Attack, The New York Times, November 26, 1966. He finished the year with 102 completions on 195 attempts for 1,499 yards and 17 touchdowns.2007 Maryland Football Record Book, "Annual Passing Leaders", p. 31, University of Maryland, 2007. After the season, Saban left to become head coach for the Denver Broncos and he was replaced by former Maryland All-American guard Bob Ward.Terps Give Ward 5-Year Pact As Head Grid Coach; SALAY PUT AT $20,000 ANNUALLY Mentor Was Defensive Tutor Under Cahill At West Point , The Baltimore Sun, December 31, 1966.
In April 1967, Pastrana suffered a serious injury when he tore his medial collateral ligament and cartilage in his knee during a spring football practice.Maryland Star Alan Pastrana Injures Knee, Herald-Journal, April 23, 1967. The injury required surgery, and he was lost for the 1967 season., The Baltimore Sun, August 23, 1967. Pastrana returned for his final year of eligibility in 1968,Pastrana Shines As Terps Satisfy Ward With Drill , The Baltimore Sun, April 7, 1968. but had "only a mediocre season", although he "kept the team spirits high with his never-say-die attitude."The Terrapin, p. 246, University of Maryland, 1969. Maryland finished with a 2–8 record.2007 Maryland Football Record Book, "Year-By-Year Results", p. 10, University of Maryland, 2007. Pastrana recorded 81 completions on 172 attempts for 1,053 yards and six touchdowns.
During his collegiate career, Pastrana set the school record for season efficiency rating at 131.29 in 1966, which was broken by Bob Avellini in 1974. Pastrana also set school records with 23 career passing touchdowns and 17 single-season passing touchdowns, both of which were later broken by Boomer Esiason.Passing Records , University of Maryland, retrieved October 4, 2010.
Professional career
Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos selected Pastrana in the eleventh round of the 1969 NFL/AFL draft with the 270th overall pick.Chuck Pastrana NFL & AFL Statistics, Pro Football Reference, retrieved October 4, 2010. In 1969, he saw action in two games and did not attempt a pass, but did have one reception for 15 yards. The following season, he played in five games, including three as starter in relief of Steve Tensi, who had suffered a shoulder injury.Broncos Sideline Tensi With Shoulder Irritation, The New York Times, November 20, 1970. Against the San Diego Chargers, Pastrana drove the team to the opposing 35-yard line and within field goal range, but he was knocked unconscious and could not call a crucial timeout. As the offensive captain, he was the only person authorized to do so under the rules at the time, and the clock expired to result in a 17–17 stalemate.Jack Cox, From 'Foolish Club' to Super Bowl champs, The Denver Post, February 1, 2010. The rules regarding timeouts were changed after the season.Memories Voices from the stands at Mile High, The Denver Post, December 17, 2000. In 1970, Pastrana completed 29 of 75 pass attempts for 420 yards and one touchdown, rushed 14 times for 89 yards and one touchdown, threw nine interceptions, and was sacked eight times. Five of his interceptions came against the Kansas City Chiefs.John Maxymuk, The Quarterback Abstract: Ranking the Quarterbacks in Modern Day History: Online Supplement, "Quarterbacks with 1-9 Starts", August 20, 2009. Pastrana suffered a severe concussion that effectively ended his career near the end of the 1970 season and also heavily altered his personality.Holmes, Baxter (June 29, 2012). X Games athletes could learn concussion risks from NFL players. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 30, 2012. In the 1971 offseason, head coach Lou Saban held try-outs with seven quarterbacks. By the end of August, Pastrana made the cut to the final three, alongside Don Horn and Steve Ramsey, and was the only quarterback remaining on the team from the prior season.Saban Hopes Trades Will Shake Broncos, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, August 31, 1971. Pastrana, however, was cut in early September.Other 38 -- No Title , The Chicago Tribune, September 10, 1971.
After the NFL Pastrana became an assistant football coach at Anne Arundel Community College in 1973. From 1980 to 1989, he served as the head coach and directed a multiple-I and pro-set offense until the school discontinued the program., The Baltimore Sun, September 3, 1993. He also served as a co-head coach of the Anne Arundel Community College men's lacrosse team alongside former Maryland coach Bud Beardmore., The Baltimore Sun, March 5, 1992.Anne Arundel Calendar; Community Events , The Washington Post, October 17, 2002.
In 1993, the Severn School hired Pastrana as its football coach, but he resigned after just three games amid complaints from parents and players over his laid-back coaching style. Some were concerned that Pastrana visited with friends in the stands during the halftime of two losses., The Baltimore Sun, September 24, 1993. In 2001, Pastrana was an associate professor of health and education at Anne Arundel Community College,FREQUENT FLIER Racer: A motocross superstar at the age of 17, Travis Pastrana has a zest for winning, and entertaining, that just keeps soaring.; Motocross , The Baltimore Sun, July 17, 2001. where he was still teaching as of 2006. Pastrana has been inducted into the Anne Arundel County Sports Hall of Fame.Inductees , Anne Arundel County Sports Hall of Fame, retrieved October 4, 2010.
Personal life Pastrana and his wife Diane (née Laudenslager) had two daughters, Shannon Overend and Lisa Brabazon.Lt. John J. Brabazon Jr. and Lisa Pastrana, The Doylestown Intelligencer, February 16, 2003. He was the uncle of stuntman and motorsports competitor Travis Pastrana.Travis Pastrana: Biography, TV Guide, retrieved October 4, 2010. Another nephew, Greg Powell, played football at Maryland as a walk-on in 2005 and 2006., The Baltimore Sun, November 23, 2006. His nephew, Darren Pastrana, entered the United States Naval Academy in 2008, where he played on the lacrosse team.Player Bio: Darren Pastrana , United States Naval Academy, retrieved October 4, 2010. His niece, Kim Pastrana, played women's lacrosse at Duke University from 2005 to 2007.Kim Pastrana, Duke University, July 30, 2005.
Pastrana died on April 8, 2021, of pneumonia that stemmed from COVID-19.
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