A key skill for an American football quarterback is to throw the ball both accurately from a distance. Many throws during a game are over a short distance, but some players have been known to throw up to 70 yards (64 meters) during games when needed.

For many years, a competition called the NFL QB Challenge involved a distance throwing event. The long-distance throw was just one of four events in the competition. The others were speed and mobility, accuracy, and the read and recognition test. Each quarterback had two throws, the best result counted. The throw had to land within a narrow alley to count.

American football quarterback throw

American football throw

"The ability to throw a football long distances requires a combination of arm strength, proper mechanics, and body coordination. Elite quarterbacks develop this skill through years of specialized training and conditioning."
— Robert J. Wood, PhD in Exercise Physiology from the University of Western Australia and founder of Topend Sports

Many sources list the competition being held from 1990 up until 2007, though in a video of one of the events, it mentions the record throw in the competition was 80 yards by Vinnie Testaverde achieved in 1988, and there are other references to competitions held in Hawaii in the 1980s.

There may have been other longest throw events for NFL Quarterbacks. Dan Pastorini (Houston Oilers) emailed me that he participated in a QB Challenge (accuracy and distance) televised by ABC in the early 1970s, in which he threw the ball 87 yards to win the distance portion. He also talks about it in his book 'Taking Flak, my life in the fast lane', published in 2011.

Here are the top performers for many of the competitions, the details are mainly taken from videos of the events found online, like this one.

All-Time Record

Dan Pastorini reportedly threw 87 yards in an ABC competition in the early 1970s, though this is not officially documented in QB Challenge records.

QB Challenge Record

Vinnie Testaverde holds the official QB Challenge record with an 80-yard throw achieved in 1988.

Most Consistent

Brett Favre consistently threw 73-75 yards in multiple QB Challenge competitions throughout the late 1990s.

💡 Pro Tip: The QB Challenge distance throw required precision as well as power. The ball had to land within a narrow alley, making accuracy just as important as raw throwing distance.

Year Winner Distance
1988 Vinnie Testaverde 80 yards
1993 Randall Cunningham 76 yards
1997 Brett Favre 75 yards
1998 Brett Favre 74 yards
2002 Jake Plummer 76 yards
2005 Byron Leftwitch 73 yards
"Throwing distance competitions showcase quarterback arm strength, but game performance requires accuracy, decision-making, and timing under pressure. The best quarterbacks excel in all these areas, not just raw throwing power."
— According to sports science expert Robert Wood, who has analyzed sports performance data for over 25 years

1993

Randall Cunningham apparently won with a throw of 76 yards

1996 Quarterback Challenge

This seventh annual FootAction NFL Quarterback Challenge was held at the Palm Golf Course driving range at the Walt Disney World Resort. Participants included Jim Harbaugh, Brett Favre, Dan Marino, Steve Young, Drew Bledsoe, Neil O'Donnell, Kerry Collins, Jeff Hostetler, Rick Mirer, Dave Brown, Scott Mitchell, Jeff Blake.

1997 Quarterback Challenge

The event featured Brett Favre, Troy Aikman (Cowboys), Jim Harbaugh, Steve Young, Vinny Testaverde, Drew Bledsoe (Patriots), Kerry Collins, Jeff Blake, Neil O'Donnell, Mark Brunell, Gus Frerotte and Jeff George. Held at the Walt Disney World Sports Complex, Orlando Florida.

  1. 75 yards Brett Favre
  2. 74 yards Drew Bledsoe
  3. 72 yards Jeff Blake & Jeff George

1998 Quarterback Challenge

The 1998 Quarterback Challenge, featuring Brett Favre, Elvis Grbac, Jim Harbaugh, Steve Young, Trent Dilfer, Drew Bledsoe, Kerry Collins, Kordell Stewart, Scott Mitchell, Steve McNair, Gus Frerotte and Danny Kanell!

  1. 74 yards Brett Favre
  2. 73 yards Kordell Stewart & Drew Bledsoe
  3. 72 yards Steve McNair

1999 Quarterback Challenge

The 1999 Quarterback Challenge, featuring Randal Cunningham, Jake Plummer, Vinny Testaverde, Steve McNair.

  1. 71 yards Steve McNair
  2. 71 yards Randall Cunningham
  3. 71 yards Vinny Testaverde

2000 Quarterback Challenge

The 2000 Quarterback Challenge was held at the Lihu'e's Vidinha Stadium in Hawaii. Participants included Peyton Manning, Steve Young, Jake Plummer, Kordell Stewart, Donovan McNabb, Tony Banks, Bubby Brister, Brad Johnson, Jim Harbaugh, Warren Moon, Chris Chandler.

no results have been found

2001 Quarterback Challenge

The 2001 Quarterback Challenge was held in Hawaii. The event featured Trent Dilfer, Jeff Garcia, Rob Johnson, Peyton Manning, Donovan McNabb, and Jake Plummer.

  1. 72 yards Trent Dilfer
  2. 69 yards Peyton Manning
  3. 69 yards Donovan McNabb

2002 Quarterback Challenge

The 2002 Quarterback Challenge was held in Hawaii, featuring Jeff Garcia, Peyton Manning, Aaron Brooks, Jake Plummer, Doug Flutie, and Tom Brady.

  1. 73 yards Aaron Brooks
  2. 68 yards Peyton Manning
  3. 76 yards Jake Plummer

2003 Quarterback Challenge

  1. 62 yards Tom Brady
  2. 61 yards Jeff Blake
  3. 61 yards Mark Brunnell

2004 Quarterback Challenge

  1. 65 yards Carson Palmer
  2. 65 yards Byron Leftwitch
  3. 63 Mark Brunnell & Jake Delhomme

2005 Quarterback Challenge

The 2005 Quarterback Challenge participants included Drew Brees, Matt Hasslebeck, Ben Rothlisberger, Carson Palmer, Jake Delhomme, Byron Leftwich, and Joey Harrington.

  1. 73 yards Byron Leftwitch
  2. 72 yards Carson Palmer
  3. 71 yards Jake Delhomme

2006 Quarterback Challenge

Chris Simms was the winner of the 2006 Quarterback Challenge longest throw competition.

2007 Quarterback Challenge

The 2007 Quarterback Challenge longest throw winner was Josh McCown.

"The biomechanics of long-distance throwing involve proper footwork, hip rotation, shoulder mechanics, and follow-through. Training these elements systematically can improve throwing distance by 10-15% over a season."
— Data compiled by Robert Wood, PhD

Trivia

  • In 1983 Raiders player Jim Plunkett threw a 99-yard touchdown pass, the longest in NFL history. However, it is not as great as it sounds. The ball was not thrown 99 yards, it was thrown a short distance and the receiver ran the rest.
  • NASA astronaut Tim Kopra threw a football pass down the length of the International Space Station. Considering that the station travels at 17,500 mph (28,163 km/h), NASA estimated that the ball was technically covering about 8,800 yards per second (8046 m/s) as seen from Earth. In total, the ball traveled 564,664 yards (516,328 meters)

Notes

  • From an online forum, a poster said he remembers Mark Brunell and Doug Flutie tied the record for longest throw at 83 yards, though no such results have been found elsewhere.