By Darin There are very few people in the world who can be a hometown hero in Pittsburgh, bring the crowds to their feet with applause in Alabama, and attract the respect and admiration of the folks in New York City, but Joseph William Namath did all three. His gridiron nicknames reflected how much the player was admired: The Hungarian Howitzer, Joe Willie, and the Broadway Joe were all monikers that teammates, the press, and fans alike knew the young, talented athlete by.
Joe was the son of a hard-working steelworker in Western PA. The tough labor and hard-nosed football seem to go hand in hand in the area. This post is produced in association with a paid sponsor, with a link included below.
He grew up and eventually attended Beaver Falls High School, where he played baseball, basketball, and, of course, football. On the hardcourts, he was an exciting player to watch, and on occasion he would dunk, which was long before it was popular during a game, especially at the high school level.
Namath excelled on the diamond of hardball, too. A strong enough prospect that he was once offered a $50,000 bonus by the Chicago Cubs to sign on to their farm system. The Cubs and five other teams were recruiting him relentlessly. He always dreamed of playing alongside his childhood idol, Roberto Clemente, on the Pirates. He strongly considered pursuing that too by inking a deal with the Pittsburgh baseball club until a higher power stepped in, his mother. She insisted that her son get a college education.
But hey, this is a football website, so let’s talk about Joe Namath as a gridiron star. As a senior, he led Beaver Falls to a 9-0 record and a state championship. When he thought that baseball scouts were hard after him, he thought differently when the college football recruiters started honing in on him. At first, Namath thought he would like to play at Notre Dame. He quickly changed his mind when he found out it was not a co-ed school. The South Bend school would not change that policy until 1972.
Joe was also interested in the University of Maryland, but his scores on the college board exams were a little bit under what they were looking for. The recruitment connection paid off, though, as Maryland’s coach, Tom Nugent, knew Paul “Bear” Bryant at Alabama and put in a good word for Namath. Coach Bryant was extremely interested in the prospect and sent his top man, Assistant Coach Howard Schnellenberger, to visit the Namath household.
When the time came for Schnellenberger to leave, Mama Namath’s mother was on board and convinced Alabama was the place to play
Namath arrived in Alabama in 1961, not quite sure what to expect. Bryant was hard on the young freshmen, teaching them the ropes of winning football, and in 1961, racial tensions posed challenges all around him
As a sophomore, Namath became the starting quarterback for ‘Bama and led the team to a 10-1 record and a shutout over Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl.
The 1962 season would actually be Namath’s best statistically. He passed for 1,192 yards, 13 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. The Hungarian Howitzer also rushed the ball 70 times for 229 yards and four scores. Bear Bryant used the arm and legs of his signal-caller to help guide the Tide. Alabama won the National Championship in 1963.
They went 9-2, and that season, he passed for 765 yards, seven touchdowns, and seven picks to go along with 201 rushing yards and five more scores.
Namath would still be the guy who would go out and raise a little cain, even under the strict Bryant. As late as the ‘63 season, he was caught breaking curfew. That led Bryant to suspend Namath for the regular-season finale against Miami and the Sugar Bowl against Ole Miss.
Namath returned to action for his senior year in 1964. He would throw for 756 yards, four touchdowns, and five picks. Joe also added 133 rushing yards and six touchdowns.
Later in the season, while preparing for the Orange Bowl against Texas, Joe injured his bad knee for the third time. It was no easy decision, but Coach Bryant thought it best to keep his QB sidelined for the bowl game. Dire consequences called for extraordinary measures; however, by the second quarter, the Tide was down 14-0, and Bear Bryant went to the bullpen, putting Namath in the game. It did not take long to see the fruitful results of that decision as Namath soon found Wayne Trimble for a touchdown to cut the Longhorns’ lead.
Namath was named the game’s MVP for his remarkable performance off the bench; however, despite his best efforts, Alabama lost 21-17. The good news for Bama, though, was that at the time, the National Championship was awarded at the end of the college regular season. The Tide, with its 10-0 regular-season mark, was given the College Football title before playing Texas.
Namath finished his ‘Bama career with 2,713 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, 20 interceptions, 563 rushing yards, and 15 rushing touchdowns as he posted a 29-4 record during his three years as a starter. Many years later, Bryant would call Namath, “the greatest athlete I ever coached.”
Joe as a Pro
Despite having a shaky right knee, teams from the NFL and the AFL were interested in signing this brash quarterback from Alabama. Joe went high in both professional football league drafts as he was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals of the NFL and the New York Jets of the AFL.
Namath was easily swayed by the bright lights of New York City and the three-year, $427,000 contract the Jets offered him, a record amount at the time. The contract amount was scoffed at by many of the NFL’s older experts, such as Vince Lombardi. The Jets' position, though, was summed up by owner Sonny Werblin soon after the inking of the deal, “Namath has the presence of a star. You know how a real star lights up the room when he comes in. Joe has that quality.”
Namath’s arrival in New York was huge news, and Namath appeared on the cover of the July 1965 issue of Sports Illustrated with Broadway behind him and the heading “Football Goes Show Biz.” The same day the SI issue hit newsstands, Namath was at practice and took quite the ribbing from his new teammates, which gave birth to the nickname of Broadway Joe.
“We were in the locker room the day the magazine came out, and offensive tackle Sherman Plunkett looked at it, kind of shook his head a little, and said, ‘There goes Broadway Joe.’ And it stuck,” Namath said in 1969.
In his rookie year, Jets coach Weeb Ewbank took his time developing Namath, who would start only 9 games for the 5-8-1 team. The early-season clipboard-holding did him some good, too, as when he came in, he helped deliver the five wins after a 0-6 start for the Jets, passing for 2,220 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions. Broadway Joe was voted to the first of four AFL All-Star teams after the year and was also named the AFL’s Rookie of the Year.
Namath Lights Up the League
In 1966, Namath was named the Jets' starter that season. He threw for 3,379 yards (which led the AFL) and 19 touchdowns. However, the gunslinger style led him to lead the AFL with 27 interceptions, as the Jets finished 6-6-2 on the season.
The Jets improved to 8-5-1 in 1967 while Namath torched opponents for a career-best 4,007 passing yards and 26 touchdowns, but he still turned the ball over at an alarming rate with 28 picks.
It was the first time that a professional quarterback would pass for over 4,000 yards in a season in any organized pro football league. That record would stand all the way through the 1979 season. In 1979, San Diego’s Dan Fouts passed for 4,082 yards in a 16-game season.
As his fame grew in football, “Broadway Joe” lived up to his reputation off the field, loving the nightlife in the Big Apple and having a mutual admiration for the young ladies. He was an eligible bachelor and, by many, considered a flashy playboy.
In 1968, the Jets and Namath became a solid team, bringing hope to the New York AFL faithful. Namath once again passed for over 3,000 yards, along with 15 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.
It was a slow start, though, as after the first five games of the ‘68 season, New York was barely above .500 with a 3-2 record. They got the hot hand as they figured things out and lost only once more that season. In the AFL Championship, the Jets outlasted the Oakland Raiders 27-23. With the victory, it was on to Super Bowl III in Miami to face the best NFL team that season, the Baltimore Colts.
During the days leading up to the title game, the media had already given the Colts the game and the title. Baltimore was a machine in the more mature NFL. Surely Don Shula’s team would grind up the upstart AFL’s best much like Green Bay had in the two title games prior, since the merged postseason event.
It was the Jets’ 11-3 record in a soft-regarded AFL against the Colts’ 13-1 impressive NFL record.
A few days before the Super Bowl, one of the media members asked the Jets QB, who was lounging by a pool at the Miami Touchdown Club surrounded by reporters. about the Jets’ chances against Baltimore.
Growing weary of the similar questions on the same topic in the days prior, Namath had had enough and made one of the most famous quoted lines in Professional football history,
“We’re going to win Sunday. I guarantee you,” Namath declared to the media. It was considered almost a joke by the public. The confidence was not unwarranted, though, as the Jets knew a particular secret about the Colts' defense. They realized during film study that Baltimore stayed with their base defense no matter what during the ‘68 season. Coach Weeb Ewbank and Namath both did not believe that Baltimore’s secondary could keep up with the Jets’ receivers.
They took advantage of this knowledge, and by halftime of the Super Bowl, the score was 7-0 in favor of New York.
They padded the lead, making it 16-0 shortly into the fourth quarter. The Jets' defense had some surprises of its own in thwarting the Colts' offense. After throwing three interceptions in the contest, Baltimore's starting quarterback, Earl Morrall, was replaced by longtime Colt Johnny Unitas. The veteran QB took the helm and promptly marched his team downfield and scored a touchdown. However, it was much too little, much too late. The Jets became the World Champs, winning 16-7, and Namath was swallowed up on the field as a horde of media, teammates, and excited fans charged toward the QB to celebrate the monumental victory. It was a watershed moment, as it gave the AFL some respect and put it on equal footing with the old-guard NFL teams, ushering in the newly merged NFL composed of the AFC and NFC.
Joe finished the game passing with 206 yards and had an 83.3 quarterback rating as he was named the game’s MVP, and he also had the distinction of being the first quarterback to win a college national championship and a Super Bowl.
This was the high watermark of the career of Joe Namath. He played for the Jets through the 1976 season and one final season with the LA Rams, but because of injuries and personal issues, he never regained the flamboyant form he had in 1968. Although he did lead the NFL in passing in 1972 with a shadow of his former yardage, at 2816 passing yards.
One of his issues was the battle with the NFL brass over who he hung around with. Namath resigned from football on June 6, 1969, after NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle told him he must sell his stake in a bar. This occurred 5 months after Broadway Joe was awarded the Super Bowl III MVP trophy. Rozelle referenced media reports that the bar was frequented by "mafia associates" and that it was not in the NFL's best interest. Namath's quitting stunned everyone, including the Commish. Late June and early July meetings between NFL execs and Namath proved fruitful, as eventually Namath sold his stake and played with the Jets once again in the 1969 season.
In his 13-year pro career, Joe Namath finished with a 62-63-4 record as a starter, 27663 career passing yards, and 173 TDs. The Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrined him in the class of 1985
