Gene Swick (born c. 1955) is an American former college football player who was a quarterback for the Toledo Rockets from 1972 to 1975.
[1] Swick chose to attend the University of Toledo to play college football because they ran a pass-oriented offense, which many larger schools such as Ohio State did not at the time.
[1] He said he received interest from Woody Hayes' Ohio State coaching staff, but that he did not wish to hand off the ball to a running back.
[1] Swick described Toledo's offense as often using four-receiver sets and eschewing short passing game in favor of attempts of ten yards or more.
[2] In November 1974, the Associated Press called Swick the "hardest-working quarterback in the country with 44.6 rushing-passing plays per game.
[2] The United Press International named Swick to its 1975 All-America first team,[10] which makes him the only MAC quarterback to ever earn that honor from a major wire service.
[2] The Touchdown Club of Columbus awarded him the Sammy Baugh Trophy as the nation's best passer,[1] and Football Roundup magazine selected him as the Offensive Player of the Year.
[19] Thus, touted quarterbacks Swick and Craig Penrose of San Diego State both fell to the fourth round.
[22] In August, he attended tryouts with the New York Giants, and had a "two-year, no-cut contract" with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League.
[1] The University of Toledo record for career passing yards set by Swick was finally broken by Bruce Gradkowski in 2005.