Joe Namath

Lore & Background

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. Both victories remain the Jets' only championships. 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.

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, where he quarterbacked the Crimson Tide under Coach Paul 'Bear' Bryant, leading the team to a 29–4 record over three seasons and a national championship in 1964. He was suspended for the final two games of the regular season in one year.

Namath left Alabama before graduating but completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in interdisciplinary studies in 2007. In the 1965 AFL draft, the Jets selected him first overall; he signed for a record salary of $427,000 over three years. In his rookie season, the Jets won five of their last eight games with Namath starting full-time, and he was named AFL Rookie of the Year. He became the first professional quarterback to pass for 4,000 yards in a season in 1967.

Namath was an AFL All-Star in 1965, 1967, 1968, and 1969. In the 1968 AFL title game, he threw three touchdowns to lead the Jets to a 27–23 victory over the Oakland Raiders. He was an AFC–NFC Pro Bowler in 1972 and is a member of the Jets' and the American Football League's All-Time Team.

Did You Know?

• He led the AFL in yards per passing attempt in 1967 (8.2) and the NFL in 1972 (8.7).
• Namath underwent four pioneering knee operations by Dr. James A. Nicholas during his career.

Early Life and Education

Namath was born and raised in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, 30 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, growing up in the Lower End neighborhood. He is the son of Catholic parents Rose (née Juhász) and János 'John Andrew' Namath, a steelworker; both are of Hungarian descent. His grandfather, András 'Andrew' Németh, arrived at Ellis Island on the steamer Pannonia in 1911. Namath is the youngest of four sons with an older adopted sister.

After his parents divorced, he lived with his mother. At Beaver Falls High School, he was a standout quarterback, basketball guard who regularly dunked, and baseball outfielder. His football team won the WPIAL Class AA championship with a 9–0 record in 1960 under Coach Larry Bruno. Although offered contracts by MLB teams including the Yankees, Indians, Reds, Pirates, and Phillies, he chose college football to satisfy his mother's wish for him to get an education.

He initially sought to attend Maryland but was rejected due to low board scores; after recruiting by Paul 'Bear' Bryant, he accepted a full scholarship to Alabama. He left before graduating but received a Bachelor of Arts degree in interdisciplinary studies from the University of Alabama in 2007 at age 64.

College Career at Alabama

Between 1962 and 1964, Namath quarterbacked the Alabama Crimson Tide under Bryant and Howard Schnellenberger. He led the team to a 29–4 record over three seasons, including a national championship in 1964 despite being suspended for the final two games of that regular season. Bryant called him 'the greatest athlete I ever coached'. During his senior year, Namath played through a nagging knee injury involving cartilage damage, which later designated him class 4-F for the military draft. He finished eleventh in the voting for the 1964 Heisman Trophy.

The Draft and Contract Negotiation

On November 28, 1964, Namath was selected by both leagues: 12th overall by the St. Louis Cardinals (NFL) and first overall by the New York Jets (AFL). The Cardinals offered $200,000 and a new Lincoln Continental but required him to sign before the Orange Bowl, making him ineligible for that game. The day after the Orange Bowl, he signed with the Jets under Sonny Werblin for $427,000 over three years, a pro football record at the time. Offensive tackle Sherman Plunkett coined the nickname 'Broadway Joe' in 1965 following Namath's Sports Illustrated cover appearance.

Professional Legacy and Super Bowl III

Namath played 13 seasons, primarily with the Jets, winning one AFL championship and Super Bowl III. He was a two-time AFL MVP and twice led the league in passing yards during his five AFL seasons. In 1967, he became the first pro quarterback to pass for 4,000 yards (4,007). In 1968, he threw three touchdowns to lead the Jets to a 27–23 victory over the Oakland Raiders in the AFL title game.

Three days before Super Bowl III in January 1969, Namath guaranteed a win against the Baltimore Colts, which they achieved 16–7. He was named Super Bowl MVP and became the first quarterback to win both a college national championship and a major professional championship. The victory gave the AFL instant legitimacy ahead of the 1970 merger. In 1972, he earned Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro honors after leading the NFL in passing yards (8.7 per attempt) and passing touchdowns.

He played seven more seasons with the Jets before finishing his career with the Los Angeles Rams. Namath was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.