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15 Greatest QB/WR Duos of All Time

By Nicholas Valdez

Aug 8, 2015; Canton, OH, USA; Fred Biletnikoff during the 2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 8, 2015; Canton, OH, USA; Fred Biletnikoff during the 2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 3, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; A detailed view of a San Diego State Aztecs pylon during the game against the New Hampshire Wildcats at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 3, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; A detailed view of a San Diego State Aztecs pylon during the game against the New Hampshire Wildcats at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports /

1969: San Diego State

Dennis Shaw and Tom Reynolds

In 1969, Dennis Shaw and Tom Reynolds made touchdowns the way childhood friends would make forts, with triumph and absolute joy.

That season, Shaw led the country in most major passing categories: touchdowns (39), yards (3,185), yards per attempt (9.5), and passing efficiency rating (162.2).

On the receiving end of almost half of Shaw’s touchdown passes was Reynolds. He caught 18 touchdowns, which not only led the nation but also broke a single-season record, eclipsing the previous mark of 16 set by Tulsa’s Howard Twilley four years earlier. Heaven only knows how many more touchdowns Reynolds would have caught had he not gone down with an injury during the season.

The ’69 San Diego State team went 11-0, winning the Pasadena Bowl. Leading the nation in scoring offense, averaging 44.7 points per game, the Aztecs made quick work of Boston University in their bowl game, 28-7, and also finished the season Pacific Coast Athletic Association (PCAA) Champions, a new conference that included Fresno State and San Jose State, among others.

In one particularly legendary game against New Mexico State, Shaw threw nine touchdown passes. Not a typo. Nine. It was an NCAA record that stood until 1990. Reynolds caught six of them. The score by the end of the game was 70-21.

Both Dennis Shaw and Tom Reynolds went on to play on Sundays. Shaw won Offensive Rookie of the Year for the Buffalo Bills, and Reynolds played two years for the New England Patriots before suffering another devastating injury.

But nothing, not injuries or the passage of time, will stop Aztec fans from remembering what Shaw and Reynolds did on the field at the close of the decade.

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