Joe Namath Signing

Lore & Background

Namath cemented his legacy in 1969 when he guaranteed his heavy underdog Jets would win Super Bowl III before defeating the NFL's Baltimore Colts in one of the greatest sports upsets of all time. The Super Bowl victory was the first for an AFL franchise, helping dismiss notions that its teams were inferior to the NFL's and demonstrating they would enter the merger as equals. Namath received Super Bowl MVP honors in the game. He was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.

Reader's Guide

Namath was born and raised in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. He excelled in football, basketball, and baseball at Beaver Falls High School. He enrolled at the University of Alabama after being recruited by Coach Paul 'Bear' Bryant. Between 1962 and 1964, Namath quarterbacked the Alabama Crimson Tide, leading the team to a 29–4 record and a national championship in 1964. He was selected by the Jets first overall in the 1965 AFL draft. During his five AFL seasons, Namath was a two-time MVP and twice led the league in passing yards, while winning one AFL championship and one Super Bowl. Following the 1970 AFL–NFL merger, Namath joined the NFL with the Jets, earning Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro honors in 1972 after leading the league in passing yards and passing touchdowns. He played in New York for seven more seasons and spent his final year as a member of the Los Angeles Rams.

Did You Know?

• Namath was the first professional quarterback to pass for 4,000 yards in a season, throwing for 4,007 yards in 1967.
• Namath underwent four pioneering knee operations during his career and later had knee replacement surgery on both legs.
• He was eleventh in the voting for the 1964 Heisman Trophy.