The Top 50 NFL Quarterbacks: Your origin and alma mater’s influence over your potential to excel

The Top 50 NFL Quarterbacks: Your origin and alma mater’s influence over your potential to excel.

Growing up as football fans, particularly the NFL, Mia, Jack, and Elizabeth decided to dive deeper into the top 50 quarterbacks’ success stories, rooted in our passion for sports. It was interesting to learn how the hometowns and demographics of quarterbacks, correlated with their success rates. Much like our experiences with KU’s football success, we are enthusiastic about feeling the euphoria caused by the NFL’s monumental victories.

Data Story 

About ¼ (28.6%) of the top 50 ranked quarterbacks in NFL history have the home state of California.

Not only does California have 10 out of the top 50 QBs in NFL history, but it also has the top 1, Tom Brady. Tom Brady has won the most Super Bowls, 7, and has the most passing yards, 89,214 yards, out of all of the quarterbacks in NFL history. 

There is only one quarterback not from the United States in the NFL’s top 50 QB list.

The one player in the Top 50 NFL quarterbacks list is Mark Brunell. He is originally from the United Kingdom. Mark Brunell is special because the NFL is headquartered in The United States and does not have any international teams at the moment. 

40 percent of MVP trophies were awarded to quarterbacks who attended a school in the Southern Region of the United States.

The most MVP trophies awarded in the Top 50 NFL quarterbacks list is 4. However, two men awarded with 3 MVP trophies are Johnny Unitas and Brett Favre. Johnny Unitas went to the University of Louisville and Brett Favre went to the University of Southern Mississippi. Those two schools are both in the Southern Region of the United States. 

The 5 football conferences with the most players in the NFL Top 50 Quarterback List are The Big 12, The Big Ten, The SEC, The PAC 12, and The ACC. The ACC has the most with 12 players.

The University of Miami is one of 15 football schools a part of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Three of the fifty best quarterbacks in NFL history went to the University of Miami. These players are Ben Roethlisberger, Vinny Testaverde, and Jim Kelly. 

Influence of Birthplace on NFL Quarterback Success

The objective of our project was to analyze NFL quarterbacks and their success rate based on where they are from. Our team got insights and realizations after working with the “The Top 50 Quarterbacks in NFL History” dataset and other information about the players.

For this project, we analyzed the differences and similarities between the top 50 NFL quarterbacks of all time. We found a chart of data on Wikipedia that provided statistics for these quarterbacks and copied the data into Excel. Next, we began to look through the data to find insights that stood out to us and created a unique story.

Our data originates from Wikipedia’s “NFL Career Passing Yard Leaders” and the NFL’s Past and Current Player Search. 

Our spreadsheet is called “The Top 50 Quarterbacks in NFL History”. Each row is an NFL player and each column is a variable about them. Our cases for each player are their rank, name, yards, games played, rushing yards per game, draft class, throwing hand, home state, college, Most Valuable Player count, and Superbowl win count. These columns contribute to our story since with this information, we can see who is most/least successful along with where they are from.

Our team read and analyzed the original first dataset we found and added/deleted sections as ended. Our dataset was already in order of rank. Based on our story, we added and removed columns to relate more to the questions we were trying to answer. Our data was transformed into multiple visualizations made using tools such as Tableau, Adobe Express, and Flourish.

Our team did things such as arranging/organizing (sorting and filtering) our data and creating pivot tables to get specific statistics about it. (For example the most or least of certain topics).

We gathered our insights based on the statistics we got from our data. Most of our insights are the most or least of certain topics. 

Our team decided to make our story about the demographics of where NFL players are from and whether it affects their success. The target audience of our story is football fans interested in statistics. Our storytelling method was chosen since it was the most effective way to show our data. Strategies we used included making graphs to visualize our data.

The words of our data story were written from our insights, data, and analysis, after fully examining and studying our information.

We made the visuals using tools such as Tableau, Adobe Express, and Flourish.

Our team equally split up the elements of this project.

Jack Kost completed one visualization along with creating the slideshow and making edits to the slideshow.

Mia Suter completed two visuals and the four anecdotes for the insights, along with providing links to the data set and the origins of the data. 

Elizabeth Stewart completed two visuals and multiple bullet points and other contributions to help complete the slideshow such as helping with the anecdotes.

Blog/Social Media Posts

Section 3: Email Pitch

We were required to complete Research Assignment 2. In this assignment, the skills we worked on were the usage of public records and document searches. For section 3 of this assignment, we were required to create an email pitch that included the results of background checks on property owners. Below is the final draft of my email pitch:

Subject: Three Magazine Stories

Dear Lawrence Magazine editors, I have three feature stories about Weaver’s, its owners Joe and Brady Flannery, and the property owners, the Weaver family.

About Weaver’s Department Store Inc:

According to Lawrence Journal-World, Weaver’s is an independent, full-line department store located in downtown Lawrence Kansas. The store has moved twice, never off Massachusetts Street, and has been rebuilt from fire twice before 1883. 

Background Information

This is when the property owner Arthur D. Weaver, bought the business from Lathrom Bullene. The operators of Weaver’s named Joe and Larry Flannery are now the owners of the property and the business. It opened in 1857. Joe and Larry are the third-generational owners/operators of Weavers. Larry’s grandfather joined Weavers in 1950 and Larry’s father Joe purchased the store in 1962. Then Brady Flannery, Larry’s son joined the firm in 2012 and took over his dad’s job as president in 2019.

About the Business and property owners Joe and Larry Flannery:

According to Lawrence Business Magazine, Arthur “Art” Weaver, recruited Larry Flannery to the store in 1950. Joe Flannery is also the president of this business. When Walmart and Kmart and Target opened in the 1960s, this created an avalanche but it didn’t scare the Flannerys. 

About the property

Weaver’s carries a wide assortment of merchandise from household items to makeup. It is an independently run department store and has an assortment that satisfies the definition of diverse. The community and leadership has kept Weavers alive and relevant according to Forbes.com. The business leaders of Weavers fought to prevent any construction on their store. These business owners are named Joe and Larry Flannery. According to Weaver’s background check, the current resident agent is Joseph A. Flannery.

According to Kansas Public Offender Registry, They have never been to prison or offenders of sex, violence, drugs, or general. Joe and Brady’s family members’ names are Dorthy, Joseph, and Monte. 

Joe Flannery’s current address is 1614 Hillcrest Road Lawrence Kansas 66044. He was born in 1982 and is currently 40 years old.

Brady’s phone number is (785)550-6142. His current address is 1316 Raintree Place, Lawrence Kansas 66044. He was born in 1950 and is currently 72 years old.

Sincerely, Elizabeth Stewart

KU Journalism Student

news-release-assignment-1Download

Unit 14-15 Assignment

Date: April 28, 2023

To: jamillarobinson@gmail.com 

From: elizabethastew@yahoo.com

Subject: Annual Banquet Venue Prices

I have researched and gathered information concerning the banquet in Kansas City. I have compared three venue reviews of their locations, food, and reviews.

The first option is the Ferns & Flowers Banquet Hall. The venue is a 15-minute drive from our business in the Kansas City suburbs. It offers free parking and weekend rental $1,000. On weekend nights, the total is $3,000. Catering, at $30 per person, which adds up to $9,000, includes water, coffee, and iced tea along with a hot food buffet. There is also a cash bar with a $300 bartender fee. Their customer reviews are 3 out of 5 stars. The total price would be $10,300 on a weeknight and $12,300 on a weekend.

The second option is the Chateau Bleu, located three blocks from the Country Club Plaza. It is free to rent with a full catering and bar service. The total catering price would be $16,800 including coffee, a dessert bar, and water. There is a cash bar with a $500 bartender fee. The bar also has its own parking garage. Parking costs $10 on weeknights and $15 on weekends. The total cost of the venue would be $17,300.

The last option I collected information on is the Classic Ballroom located in the downtown Loews Hotel. It costs $2,000 an evening with buffet-style food for $40 a person. Our total catering cost would be $12,000, including iced tea and water. The cash bar for this location is $400. It has a 4.5/5 rating and is located in the Kansas City Power & Light District with a parking garage with valet parking. The valet parking costs $20 on a weeknight and $25 on a weekend. There is also a dessert bar fee. Including everything, this venue would cost $18,000 to book.

The most suitable option would be to pick the Chateau Bleu due to the $700 we would save. It has the highest ratings and most are positive, one being “I went to a corporate function at the Chateau Bleu and it was lovely. The staff was beyond nice and everything was perfect. Parking was convenient and the food was fantastic, especially the desserts.”

If you have any further questions, feel free to reach out. 

Elizabeth Stewart 

(785)409-0802

elizabethastew@yahoo.com

Journalism 104 Unit 12

Sorority Recruitment Membership Process 2023

• When is sorority recruitment?

This year, formal recruitment dates are Aug 14-20th. Freshmen going through recruitment move into dorms and residence halls on Aug 13th. Fall formal recruitment lasts for one week and you can participate in spring rush or continuous open recruitment if you do not get the chance to join a chapter. However, recruitment is always the week before move-in day at KU.

• How can I prepare for sorority recruitment?

You can create a resume, and a cover letter, and have friends and family send recommendation letters. You can see if your Panhellenic website for your college has information on emails or if your sorority’s national website has information

• I am not a freshman anymore, can I still go through recruitment?

At the University of Kansas, any student can participate in recruitment.

• What will I gain from joining a sorority?

Joining a sorority can give you a sense of community, lots of volunteer opportunities, and academic assistance. You can meet people with the same major and classes to help you and you also get a housing option by living in the chapter house.

• What are some tips I should take into consideration during the rush process?

Being yourself is the most important thing you can do. This will help you end up in the right organization and make you happy with your decision. Evaluating each sorority and keeping an open mind can help you find where you should end up. Taking your time, trusting the process, and asking questions are important things to consider during recruitment. 

Unit 11 Description of a Painting

Frida Kahlo-Magda Pach 1933

This painting was created by Magda Patch in 1933 of Frida Kahlo. Frida was a Mexican painter known for her portraits born on July 6, 1907. In this photo, Frida has a clenched jaw, pursed thinned lips brought to the front of her face, and is staring, zoning off into the distance looking at what seems to be nothing. 

Her teeth could even be gritted behind her lips. Her eyes show a blank stare with pain and sadness behind them

Frida’s body is facing us but her neck and face are turned to her right, showing us her 

the left side of her face, ears, and back left side of her hair pinned up in a low bun. Frida’s

eyebrows come furrowed together at the top of her nose and the middle of her face with her left

cheek slightly rosy. 

In between her eyebrows is a vertical wrinkle. We see some more flush

around her lips along with what we see on her right cheek. Frida’s wrinkles and skin are showing

profusely around her lips and her face is not relaxed. 

The corner of her mouth is pointing

straight at us and her jaw is tensed and jutted forward slightly. Her lips are tight and tense,

almost downturned. Her chin is jutted and sticking straight up, rather than relaxed. Not only are

her eyes lifeless, but they are also narrowed and sharp.

They are staring intensely at whatever

they are looking at. Her right one seems to be twitching because her eyelid has become

squinted. 

Her other eye is bulged open with nothing behind it. Her nostrils are flared outward.

She is avoiding the painter and her soul seemed as if it is burning. She seems as if

her arms are crossed since we see her shoulders and part of her arm, both slightly in front of

her body, and she is tapping her foot outside of the frame.