Hall of Fame

DAN PASTORINI
CLASS OF 2019

No one epitomized the Luv Ya Blue years like Dan Pastorini.

To this day, the tough quarterback with a then-flamboyant lifestyle can’t go a day without someone coming up to thank him for that run in the late 1970s known simply as Luv Ya Blue.

Dan Pastorini stops to do interviews on the "Red Carpet" at the 2020 Houston Sports Awards.

Pastorini was the soul of those teams – a man who took a team with back-to-back 1-13 records and, under coach Bum Phillips, turned them into a Super Bowl contender.

The third player taken in the 1971 draft, Pastorini struggled early in his career but kept getting back up and fighting. He played through broken ribs and a punctured lung and became the first player to wear a “flak” jacket to protect his injuries.

Dan Pastorini on stage with several former teammates from the "Luv Ya Blue" era as well as former opponents such as "Mean" Joe Greene.

“If you ever want to go into a street fight, you want Dan on your side,’’ said former wide receiver Billy “White Shoes” Johnson. “When he’s on the field, he’s out there to put us in a position to win.’’

And when Phillips took over the team and added a strong offensive line in 1977 and future Hall of Fame running back Earl Campbell in 1978, Pastorini led the Oilers to back-to-back AFC title games in 1978 and 1979.

Watch Dan Pastorini's "Red Carpet" interview with Julia Morales Clark at the 2019 Houston Sports Awards

“He was the backbone of the team,’’ Hall of Fame linebacker Robert Brazile said. “I know Bum ran the team, but Dan was the one who kept us all together.’’

Watch the introduction of Dan Pastorini at the 2019 Houston Sports Awards.

Pastorini’s best season was in 1978, when he threw for a career-high 2,473 yards and 16 touchdowns. He was traded to Oakland following the 1979 season but broke his leg five weeks into the schedule. The Raiders went on to win Super Bowl XV. A Pro Bowler in 1975, Pastorini also played for the Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia before retiring after the 1983 season.