Top 25 Players in AFL History: #18 Mark Grieb
Published on April 26, 2012 under Arena Football League (AFL) News Release
CHICAGO - Continuing its countdown of the 25 Greatest Players in AFL History, the Silver Anniversary Committee has announced its selection for the 18th Greatest Player in AFL History: Mark Grieb.
Grieb began his Arena Football career in 1997 with the Anaheim Piranhas, but he will be forever remembered as the quarterback of the San Jose SaberCats - the franchise he joined in 1999 and has started every game for since 2003.
The former UC-Davis star, and first active player to make the list, has led the SaberCats to four ArenaBowl appearances, including championship victories in 2002, 2004 and 2007. His 20 career ArenaBowl touchdown passes is an AFL record.
In 2002, Grieb was named First-Team All-Arena and AFL Offensive Player of the Year after leading the 'Cats to a 13-1 record. However, upon suffering a broken collarbone late in the season, Grieb watched his backup, John Dutton, hoist the team's first ArenaBowl trophy.
Two years later, Grieb was vindicated, garnering Second-Team All-Arena honors and earning the ArenaBowl XVIII MVP award in the SaberCats 69-62 victory over the Arizona Rattlers. He was named the championship game's Most Valuable Player again in 2007, as the SaberCats handled the Columbus Destroyers 55-33 in ArenaBowl XXI.
In 2008, Grieb became the first player in AFL history to pass for 4,000 yards in five consecutive seasons, as well as becoming just the fifth player in professional football history to pass for 700 touchdowns in a career. When the SaberCats returned to the League in 2011, Grieb went back under center to set a new League record for passing yards in a single season with 5,312.
Now in his 13th AFL season, Grieb has established himself as one of the finest signal-callers in the history of the game, recently being selected as the No. 3 Greatest Quarterback in AFL History by the Silver Anniversary Committee.
Grieb boasts the highest career quarterback rating in the history of the AFL for players with a minimum of 100 games with a career QBR of 123.2 and he is the only man in League history to throw 70 touchdown passes or more in eight consecutive seasons.
The League's Silver Anniversary Committee will continue to countdown its list of the 25 Greatest Players in AFL History each week throughout the 2012 regular season, with the announcements of the Top 5 during the postseason.
25 Greatest Players in AFL History
18. Mark Grieb
19. Darryl Hammond
20. Alvin Rettig
21. Durwood Roquemore
22. Chris Jackson
23. Ben Bennett
24. Clevan Thomas
25. Gary Mullen
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