University of North Texas Athletics

In 1967, North Texas turned its quarterbacking duties over to a 6-2 sophomore from Dallas. In the next three years, Steve Ramsey lead the Mean Green to a 22-6-1 record in the rugged Missouri Valley Conference and would set nine NCAA records.

Ramsey arrived at North Texas in 1966 at a moment of change for North Texas. Coach Odus Mitchell was retiring after the season and his quarterback, Vidal Carlin, was completing a career that had re-written the school record books. Ramsey spent his freshman year learning from Mitchell and Carlin as they captured the school’s third Missouri Valley championship.

In 1967, the reins of the offense were turned over the Ramsey, who tossed a NCAA-leading 21 touchdown passes and lead the Mean Green to a second-straight Missouri Valley crown. The next season, Ramsey threw for 24 touchdowns and 2,516 yards, then followed that up with another 24-touchdown campaign in his senior season.

By the end of his college career, Ramsey had been named to the MVC All-Conference team three times and owned NCAA passing records for most total offense yards, most touchdowns responsible for, most points responsible for, most completions, most passing yards, most touchdown passes, most pass attempts, most touchdown passes by a passer-receiver combination (30 with Ron Shanklin), and the most single-game yards per completion (a stunning 33.3 yards per completion against Cincinnati in 1968).

Ramsey still ranks second all-time at North Texas in career passing yards (7,076), first in career 300-yard passing games (six) and first in career touchdown passes (69), and he owns the third, fourth, fifth, seventh, eighth, and ninth longest pass plays in school history. Most impressively, Ramsey's career win-loss record is 22-6-1. Ramsey was drafted in 1970 by the New Orleans Saints and played seven years in the NFL, six with Denver.

Ramsey was inducted into the North Texas Athletic Hall of Fame in 1988, was named to the Missouri Valley Conference’s All-Centennial Team in 2006, and was named the quarterback of the North Texas All-Century football team in 2013.