Jets Super Bowl legend Joe Namath turns 81: Five facts about Hall of Famer ‘Broadway Joe’

Joe Namath was already a household name upon delivering the greatest guarantee in professional sports history. But after he and his team cashed in on his Super Bowl guarantee, “Broadway Joe”, for a brief moment in time, was arguably the most famous man on the planet. 

Namath, who declared that the 18-point underdog Jets would defeat the mighty Colts in Super Bowl III, backed it up by leading a Jets offense that befuddled Baltimore’s mighty defense. The Jets defense also played a key role in the upset, forcing five turnovers that included three interceptions of quarterback Earl Morrall, the NFL’s MVP that season. After the Jets had finished their 16-7 victory, Namath further etched his name in pro football lore by pointing his index finger to the sky as he danced off of the Orange Bowl turf. Namath’s play that day was one of the main reasons why his career was immortalized in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985. 

In light of his 81st birthday, we decided to take a look at five facts about Namath that you might not know. One of them involves an eye-popping tidbit from Namath’s crowning achievement, one that Namath himself didn’t know until decades later. 

1. A special quarterback fraternity 

Of the 26 quarterbacks currently enshrined in Canton, Ohio, six are from Western Pennsylvania: Namath (Beaver Falls, Pa.), George Blanda (Youngwood, Pa.), Johnny Unitas (Pittsburgh), Joe Montana (New Eagle, Pa.), Dan Marino (Pittsburgh) and Jim Kelly (Pittsburgh/East Brady, Pa.). In 2015, the six quarterbacks were honored as a group in Pittsburgh. 

“I get goose bumps thinking about it. It’s a great honor,” Namath said during the event. “It’s our people. The people that were ahead of us, our work ethic. When we are talking about the six quarterbacks from Western Pennsylvania in the Hall we didn’t do it by ourselves. It’s in our blood, the hard-working ethic and the appreciation for others.”

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Author : Bryan DeArdo

Publish date : 2024-05-31 12:49:41

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