Athletes - Joe Namath

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	Athletes - Joe Namath

Joseph William Namath (born May 31, 1943 in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania), is a former American football quarterback for the American Football League's New York Jets and the Los Angeles Rams in the 1960s and the 1970s. He is known for predicting his team's upset victory in the third AFL-NFL World Championship Game, over Don Shula's NFL Baltimore Colts.

Early Life & Family

Known as Joey to family and friends, Namath's Hungarian born grandfather came to Ellis Island and worked in the coal and steel industries of Western Pennsylvania. While growing up, Joe was close to both of his parents who were divorced. Following his parents' split, Joe lived with his mother, Rose.

He was raised in the Pittsburgh suburb of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. He was a standout in basketball and baseball. But football prevailed, even though, upon graduation, he received offers from six Major League Baseball teams. Namath had many offers from college football programs and eventually decided upon the University of Maryland, but after failing his entrance exam he quickly chose the University of Alabama.

College Football Career

At Alabama, Namath played under the legendary coach Paul "Bear" Bryant from 1962-64. A year after being suspended for the final two games of the season (including the Sugar Bowl) for violating team rules, Namath would lead the Crimson Tide to a national championship in 1964.

Pro Football Career

Despite having suffered a serious knee injury in his senior year, Namath was the number-one draft pick of the AFL's New York Jets. This knee injury, which caused his knees to swell up with fluid and require periodic draining, plagued Namath for the rest of his career. On some occasions, Namath had to have his knee drained at halftime so that he could finish a game. Later in life, long after he left football, he had to have knee replacement surgery on both legs.

In the 1965 college draft, Namath was passed up by the NFL as "too expensive". Signed to the AFL's New York Jets by Hall of Fame owner Sonny Werblin, Namath was the first pro quarterback to pass for 4,000 yards in a season (1967), a feat which remains a record for 14-game seasons. He was a four-time American Football League All-Star, although plagued with knee injuries through much of his career. In the 1968 AFL title game, he threw three touchdown passes to lead New York to a 27-23 win over the defending American Football League Champion Oakland Raiders. This 1968 season earned him the Hickok Belt as top professional athlete of the year. Namath was an AFL All-Star four times, in 1965, 1967, 1968 and 1969; and an AFC-NFC Pro Bowler in 1972. He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the Jets' all-time team and the All-Time All-AFL Team.

The apex of his career was his stellar performance in the Jets' January 1969 win over the Colts in the World Championship Game, now referred to as Super Bowl III. The Colts were touted as "the greatest football team in history". Former NFL star and coach Norm Van Brocklin ridiculed the AFL before the game, saying "This will be Namath's first professional football game." Writers from NFL cities insisted it would take the AFL several more years to be truly competitive with the NFL. Much of the hype surrounding the game was related to how it would either prove or disprove the proposition that the AFL teams were truly worthy of being allowed to merge with the NFL; the first two such games had resulted in blowout victories for the previous NFL champions, the Green Bay Packers, and the Colts were even more favored by media figures and handicappers than the Packers had been.

Three days before the game, Namath responded to a heckler with the now-famous line: "The Jets will win on Sunday, I guarantee it." His words made headlines across the country but were dismissed as mere bravado by most observers. In the game, however, Namath backed up his boast and showed that his success against tough American Football League competition had more than prepared him to take on the NFL. The Colts' vaunted defense was unable to contain the Jets' running or passing game, while their ineffective offense gave up four interceptions to the Jets. Namath was the game's MVP, completing eight passes to George Sauer alone, for 133 yards. Namath acquired legendary status for American Football League fans as the symbol of their league's legitimacy.

Not long after this, Namath grew a Fu Manchu moustache which contrasted him even more with his clean-shaven peers. In probably the most touted act in the history of shaving, Namath shaved his mustache off in a television commercial for Remington electric shavers, for a fee of $15,000.

After the season, along with New England Patriots receiver Jim Colclough and NHL star Derek Sanderson, Namath opened a popular Upper East Side saloon in New York City called "Bachelors III," which quickly became frequented by social undesirables. To protect the league's reputation, the NFL Commissioner, Pete Rozelle, ordered Namath to divest himself of his interest in the bar. Namath reacted defiantly, retiring from football during a teary news conference. After missing most of training camp, Namath came out of retirement and reported to the then-World Champion Jets. At the same time, he announced that he was selling his interest in "Bachelors III".

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Athletes - Joe Namath

Early Life & Family

College Football Career

Pro Football Career

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