All-American Quarterback

The All-American Quarterback, designed by Gordon Horlick and manufactured by Williams in October 1949, is a single-player electro-mechanical machine notable for its impulse flippers and mechanical backbox animation, in which a football player figure moves across the backglass.

Gameplay centers on football-themed objectives, with players aiming to score touchdowns and field goals while progressing through four quarters. Balls are pitched into play mechanically via a knob on the front of the cabinet, and the five impulse flippers are all activated together by a single large coil, controlled by a knob on the right side of the cabinet. The center "Touchdown" hole is always lit; other holes advance the runner 25 or 50 yards, and a stepper unit displays the yards remaining to a touchdown on the backglass. "Field Goal" holes track up to ten field goals, and the "Completed Pass" and "End Run" holes each award additional yardage, with values that increase during the fourth quarter.

Artwork was provided by George Molentin, and the backglass carries the name "All-American Quarterback," even though internal design documents referred to the game simply as "Quarterback." Interestingly, the production playfield differs from the version shown in the manufacturer's flyer and promotional photos: the production version has black flipper bats with printing on them and adds artwork depicting Army and Navy team banners with a cheerleader, while the flyer version shows plain white flipper bats and different team banners with no cheerleader.