Johnny Unitas

John Constantine Unitas (May 7, 1933 – September 11, 2002) was a professional American football player in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. A product of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Unitas is considered by many to have been one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game. He was the National Football League's most valuable player in 1957, 1959 and 1964.

The Early Years

Unitas was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1933. Johnny's father died when he was five years old and he was raised by his Lithuanian immigrant mother who worked two jobs to support the family. He attended St Justin's High School in Pittsburgh where Unitas played halfback and quarterback. After high school, Unitas looked for an opportunity to play college football. He was passed over by Notre Dame and Indiana. Pitt offered a scholarship, but Unitas failed the entrance exam.

The University of Louisville finally came through with a scholarship and Johnny left home for Kentucky. Unitas played quarterback for Louisville during his college career.

After his college career at U of L, Unitas was drafted in the ninth round by the Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL, but was released before the season began. By then he was married with a child and worked construction in Pittsburgh to support his family. On the weekends, he played on a local semipro team called the Bloomfield Rams for $6 a game.

The Glory Days

In 1956 Unitas joined the Baltimore Colts NFL team under legendary coach Weeb Ewbank. The Colts won the NFL championship under his leadership in 1958, by defeating the New York Giants in sudden death overtime. It was the first overtime game in NFL history, and is often referred to as the "greatest game ever played". The game, nationally televised by NBC, has been credited for sparking the rise in popularity of professional football during the 1960s. Unitas then led the Colts to a repeat championship in 1959.

The Twilight Years

Later in his career, although he was injured through most of the 1968 season, he came off the bench to play in Super Bowl III, which the Colts lost. This was a desperation move in an attempt to retrieve dominance of the NFL over the upstart AFL -- which was the famous game wherein Joe Namath predicted a Jets win despite the conventional wisdom. He helped put together the Colts' only score - a touchdown late in the game, when it was already out of reach. Unitas was also injured during Super Bowl V, but he did throw a key touchdown pass in the game that helped lift the team to victory.

Johnny Unitas was traded to the San Diego Chargers in 1972, and retired from football in 1974.

Unitas set many passing records during his career. He was the first quarterback to throw for more than 40,000 yards, despite playing during an era when NFL teams played shorter seasons of 12 or 14 games (as opposed to the 16 game seasons that are played today). He also threw a touchdown pass in 47 consecutive games between 1956 and 1960, a record that still stands today.

Sudden Death

He died of a myocardial infarction (heart attack). When Unitas passed away, the Baltimore Ravens football team, along with its fans, strongly petitioned the renaming of their stadium after Unitas. These requests, however, were unsuccessful since naming rights were leased to the Buffalo, New York based company, M&T Bank. Towson University, in Towson, MD (a suburb of Baltimore) named its football and lacrosse complex in honor of Johny Unitas after his death. He was a major fund raiser for the university; in addition to his children also attending. Also following his death, Peyton Manning requested (but was denied) permission to wear the black high tops that were the trademark of Unitas during his career for the next Indianapolis Colts home game. Toward the end of his life, Unitas brought media attention to the many permanent physical disabilities that he and his fellow players suffered during the early years of football, before padding and other safety features designed to prevent such injuries had been invented. Unitas himself lost almost total use of his right hand, which had become mangled by the end of his playing career, with the middle finger and thumb noticeably disfigured.

Legacy

Unitas was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979.

Unitas Tower, a dormitory at the University of Louisville, is named for Johnny Unitas.

Since 1987, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award has been awarded to the top senior quarterback of the current year in college football. The award is presented annually in Louisville.

Trivia

The Philadelphia Daily News wrote an article in 2003 announcing his 70th birthday, of course, he was dead at the time. After realizing the mistake, they ran a correction stating: "Johnny Unitas remains dead and did not celebrate his 70th birthday."

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