America's Football Factory: Western Pennsylvania's Cradle of Quarterbacks from Johnny Unitas to Joe Montana

A small area of western Pennsylvania around Pittsburgh has produced almost 25 percent of the modern era quarter- backs enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. That percentage is wildly disproportionate to the number of superstar quarterbacks any one state might claim, let alone a mere sliver of a state—an area representing just one-fifth of one percent of the total country.

The list of the greats starts with George Blanda, the “old man” of the game, and continues with the incomparable J...