Bill Wade, a quarterback who was the National Football League’s No. 1 overall draft pick in 1952 and helped the Chicago Bears win the 1963 championship, died on Wednesday in Nashville. He was 85.
His death was confirmed by Sharon Wade Kinser, his daughter. She did not specify the cause.
A star quarterback at Vanderbilt University, Wade was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the 1952 draft and, after serving two years in the Navy, played 13 seasons in the N.F.L. He threw for 124 touchdowns and 18,530 yards while playing for the Rams from 1954 to 1960 and for the Bears from 1961 to 1966.