Joe Namath

At 81 years old, Joe Namath has this physical status:

College football career

The Alabama Crimson Tide campaign was funded by Namath quarters between 1962 and 1964 under Bryant and his offensive coordinator, Howard Schnellenberger. Namath led the Tide to a national championship in 1964, a year after being suspended for the final two games of the regular season. Namath aided the team in their 29-0 record over three seasons during his time at the University of Alabama.

Namath was "the greatest athlete I've ever coached," Bryant described. When Namath was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985, he teared up during his induction address on mentioning Bryant, who died of a heart attack in 1983.

Namath attended college in the Southern United States during the civil rights movement (1955–1968).

In the voting for the 1964 Heisman Trophy, which was won by quarterback John Huarte of Notre Dame, Namath came 11th.

Professional football career

Namath limped through the Orange Bowl undefeated regular season in 1964, despite suffering a nagging knee injury in his fourth game of his senior year at Alabama. Both the NFL and the upstart AFL selected him as a first-round draft pick. The two competing leagues were at the height of their bidding war and had their respective drafts on the same day: November 28, 1964. Namath's right knee was class 4-F for the military draft, a deferral from service during the Vietnam War.

Namath 12th overall in the NFL Draft, while the Jets selected him as the first overall pick of the AFL draft.

Namath's salary request was $200,000 and a new Lincoln Continental when meeting with Cardinals executives. Although initially outraged by Namath's demands, the Cardinals told Namath that they would stick to his terms only if he signed before the Orange Bowl, which would have made Namath ineligible to play in the game. Namath signed with the Jets under Sonny Werblin's guidance for a salary of US$427,000 over three years (a pro football record at the time). After Namath's appearance on the front page of Sports Illustrated in July, offensive tackle Sherman Plunkett earned the nickname "Broadway Joe" in 1965.

The 1965 Jets were winless in their first six games, with him splitting time with second-year quarterback Mike Taliaferro in Namath's rookie season. Namath has won five of the last eight games of a fourteen-game season, while Namath has been named the AFL Rookie of the Year.

He became the first professional quarterback to pass for 4,000 yards in a season in 1967, a record set by Dan Fouts in a 16-game season (1979 (082). Despite the fact that Namath suffered with knee injuries throughout his career and underwent four pioneering knee surgery by Dr. James A. Nicholas, 1965, 1967, 1969, and 1969. Namath had to have his knee drained at halftime so he could finish a game on certain days. He underwent knee replacement surgery on both legs later in life, long after leaving football.

Namath threw three touchdown passes to lead New York to a 27–23 victory over the defending AFL champion Oakland Raiders in 1968 AFL championship game. Since his success in the 1968 season, he received the Hickok Belt as the year's best professional athlete. He was voted to the Hall of Fame in 1985 and served as a member of the Jets and the American Football League's All-Time Team.

Namath's finest work in his career came in the Jets' 16–7 victory over the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III in January 1969, just before the AFL-NFL merger. The first two interleague championship games had resulted in blowout victories for the NFL's Green Bay Packers, as well as sports journalists from nearby NFL cities, who believed the AFL would take many more years to be truly competitive. After playing his first pro game, the 1968 Colts were dubbed "the greatest football team in history" and former NFL star and Atlanta Falcons head coach Norm Van Brocklin mocked the AFL before the game, saying, "I'll tell you what I think about Joe Namath." Namath was sick of being in the press, and he responded with the words: "We're going to win the game." I promise it."

Namath backed up his argument, which became legendary. The Colts' lauded defense (highlighted by Bubba Smith) was unable to prevent either the Jets' running or passing game, while the Jets' ineffective offense allowed up four interceptions to the Jets. Namath was the Super Bowl MVP, throwing eight passes to George Sauer Jr. alone for 133 yards. The victory made him the first quarterback to start and win a national championship game in college, a major professional league championship, and a Super Bowl.

And to skeptics, the Jets' victory gave the AFL instant legitimacy. When asked by reporters after the game whether the Colts' defense was the "most he's ever faced," Namath replied, "That would be the Buffalo Bills' defense." In their only victory in 1968 in late September, the AFL-worst Bills had intercepted Namath five times, three for touchdowns.

Namath played in only 28 of 58 possible games between 1970 and 1973, with no one missing a single game in his first five years in the league due to injuries. The Jets failed to win division titles in 1968 and 1969, winning 4–10, 6–8, 7–7, and 4–10. He and his boyhood idol Johnny Unitas combined for 872 passing yards in Baltimore on September 24, 1972. In a 44–34 victory over the Colts, Namath threw for 496 yards and six touchdowns, as well as Unitas 376 yards and three three touchdowns, the first against Baltimore since Super Bowl III. Many NFL experts believe this to be the best demonstration of passing in a single game in league history. 346 Another memorable moment in 1970, when Roone Arledge, the head of ABC's televised sports, made sure that Monday Night Football's inaugural game, which featured Namath, was held on September 21, which was another highlight. In Cleveland Municipal Stadium, the Jets met the Cleveland Browns in front of both a record crowd of 85,703 and a huge television audience. Despite this, the Jets set a team record for penalties and lost on a late Namath interception.

The Chicago Winds of the World Football League made a major overture to Namath right away, before the 1975 season. First, they matched their uniforms to those of the Jets, red and white, to encourage Namath to continue selling his number 12 jersey in Jets colors. Namath received a three-year contract worth $600,000 a year; a $2 million annuity ($100,000 per year for 20 years); and terms for Namath's eventual ownership of a WFL franchise in New York (which may include moving the Charlotte Hornets franchise back to the Big Apple, perhaps playing in the newly renovated Yankee Stadium). Namath's television company, TVS Television Network, insisted on the Winds' agreement; Namath's, in turn, received 15 percent of the league's television revenues. Contrastingly (since 85 percent of the TV money would be higher than none at all), the WFL declined, and Namath stayed with the Jets, although counterintuitively (since 85 percent of the funds would be better than none at all). The Winds folded five weeks into the 1975 WFL season. The struggling WFL fell a month later without a national television contract.

Namath was waived by the Jets to enable a transfer to the Los Angeles Rams when a trade could not be worked out. Namath's goal was to return to action after signing on May 12, 1977, but knee injuries, a weak hamstring, and the general ravages of 13 years as a quarterback in professional football had claimed their toll. Namath was off to a good start in a one-point loss on Monday Night Football against the Chicago Bears, throwing four interceptions and getting a fifth nullified by a penalty. He was sacked as a starter for the remainder of the season and then resigned at the end of the season.

Acting career

Namath moved to an acting career after being a host on 1969's The Joe Namath Show. Appearing on stage, starring in several films, including C.C. Ann-Margret and William Smith appeared in "Picnic" with Donna Mills in 1971 and 1978 television series The Waverly Wonders, Here's Lucy, The Huntington Show, Rowan & Martin, The Simpsons, ALF, Kate & Allie, and The John Larroquette Company. Before being fired by comedian Ray Combs, Namath was a candidate to host the 1988 revival of Family Feud.

Namath appeared in summer stock works of Damn Yankees, Fiddler on the Roof, and Li'l Abner, and then adopted his "Broadway Joe" name as a cast replacement in a New York revival of The Caine Mutiny Court Martial in 1983. Johnny Carson appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson several times and also served as a color commentator on NFL broadcasts, including the 1985 season of Monday Night Football and many years with NBC Sports. Namath was honoured by the Ride of Fame in September 2012, and a double-decker tour bus was dedicated to him in New York City. In both the 2013 sports film Underdogs and the 2015 comedy film The Wedding Ringer, he appeared as himself.

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