Marty Domres, perhaps best known for replacing Johnny Unitas as the starting quarterback for the Baltimore Colts, has died.
He was 78.
A native of Ithaca, New York, Domres became a star at Columbia, finishing his time there as the Ivy League’s all-time leading passer with 4,492 yards.
The San Diego Chargers then selected the 6-foot-4, 200-pound passer in the first round, ninth-overall, of the 1969 draft. He played for the team through the 1971 season. He requested a trade at the end of that year and was sent to the Baltimore Colts in exchange for John Andrews and the 25th-pick in the 1973 draft.
Domres famously replaced Unitas as the starting quarterback in the Colt’s lineup in week six of the 1972 season. He went on to throw for 1,392 yards and 11 touchdowns in nine starts that season. The Colts drafted Bert Jones in the 1973 draft, though, and Domres served as his backup across the next two seasons.
He was traded to the San Francisco 49ers prior to the 1976 season and was the team’s third-string quarterback behind Jim Plunkett and Scott Bull. He closed out his career by signing with the New York Jets in 1977 and serving as the backup to Richard Todd.
He finished his NFL career with 4,904 passing yards and 27 touchdowns. He ran for 10 more scores.
Newsweek reportedthat Domres settled in Baltimore after retiring and became a manager at Deutsche Bank Alex Brown and Morgan Stanley.
The outlet said he is survived by his wife, Cheryl; stepson, Christian Cummings; and his sisters, Cindy Domres, Barbara Rehberg and Nancy Flattery.
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