Joe Namath Stats Wiki, Biography

Joseph William "Joe" Namath (pronounced/ ne m /; born May 31, 1943), also known as Broadway Joe or Joe Willie, is a former American collegiate and Professional Football quarterback. He played college football for the University of Alabama under coach Paul "Bear" Bryant and his assistant, Howard Schnellenberger, from 1962 1964, and Professional Football in the American Football League (AFL) and NFL during the 1960s and 1970s. Namath was an American Football League icon and played for that league's New York Jets for most of his professional career but finished his career with the NFL Los Angeles Rams. Namath retired after playing in 77 wins, 108 losses and 3 ties. 3.1 Third AFL-NFL World Championship Game (Super Bowl III) 3.2 Bachelors III 3.3 Monday Night Football's inaugural game 3.4 Injuries 3.5 Improving the Jets' level of play 3.6 Los Angeles Rams 3.7 Hall of Fame legacy Namath has told interviewers that he wanted to sign with the Pirates and play baseball like his idol, Roberto Clemente, but elected to play football because his mother wanted him to get a college education. After ample recruiting by the University of Alabama's head football coach, Bear Bryant, Namath accepted a full scholarship there. College football career Between 1962 64, Namath played for the Alabama Crimson Tide football program under coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. When Namath was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985, he broke down during his induction speech upon mentioning Bryant, who died from a heart attack in 1983. Professional Football career Despite suffering a serious knee injury in his senior year at Alabama, Namath was drafted by both the National Football League and the upstart American Football League. Namath was the American Football League Rookie of the year in 1965 and became the first professional quarterback to pass for 4,000 yards in a season (1967) when he threw for 4,007 yards. In the 1968 AFL title game, Namath threw three touchdown passes to lead New York to a 27-23 win over the defending American Football League Champion Oakland Raiders. Besides having the Hall of Fame distinction, he is a member of the Jets' all-time team and the American Football League All-Time Team. Third AFL-NFL World Championship Game (Super Bowl III) The apex of his career was his performance in the Jets' January 1969 16-7 win over the Baltimore Colts in in the third World Championship Game after the AFL-NFL merger. Former NFL star and coach Norm Van Brocklin ridiculed the AFL before the game, saying "This will be Namath's first Professional Football game." Much of the hype surrounding the game was related to how it would either prove or disprove the proposition that the AFL teams were truly worthy of being allowed to merge with the NFL; the first two such games had resulted in blowout victories for the NFL champion in the two previous years, the Green Bay Packers, and the Colts were even more favored by media figures and handicappers than the Packers had been. Three days before the game, Namath responded to a heckler with the now-famous line: "We're gonna win the game. In the game, however, Namath backed up his boast and showed that his success against tough American Football League competition had more than prepared him to take on the NFL. Namath acquired legendary status for American Football League fans as the symbol of their league's legitimacy. When he was asked by reporters after the game whether the Colts' defense was the "toughest he had ever faced", Namath responded "That would be the Buffalo Bills' defense." The American Football League's Bills had intercepted Namath five times, three for touchdowns, in the Bills' only win that 1968 AFL season. Namath reacted defiantly, retiring from football during a teary news conference. Monday Night Football's inaugural game The head of ABC's televised sports, Roone Arledge, made sure that Monday Night Football's inaugural game would feature Namath and the New York Jets in a game against the Cleveland Browns in Cleveland Municipal Stadium. Injuries After not missing a single game because of injury in his first five years in the league, Namath played in just 28 of a 58 possible games because of various injuries between 1970 and 1973 as the Jets struggled with records of 4 10, 6 8, 7 7, and 4 10. Improving the Jets' level of play When he played, Namath always managed to improve the Jets' level of play. In a 1974 game against city rival New York Giants (played at the Yale Bowl in New Haven, Connecticut as Yankee Stadium was closed for a massive renovation and Giants Stadium was under construction), Namath scored a game-tying touchdown on a five-yard bootleg, and then hit Emerson Boozer with a touchdown pass in overtime to lift the Jets to a 26-20 victory (the first regular season game in NFL history to be decided in overtime), launching New York on a six-game winning streak to end the 1974 season at 7-7. The Jets were poised to make another play-off run under Namath's leadership, and "Gang Green" seemed likely to win during the 1975 pre-season, but collapsed after the short NFL strike of September as 1975 and 1976 became a series of blow-outs punctuated by punishing sacks of Joe Namath. Namath hoped to revitalize his flagging career, but by this point his effectiveness as a quarterback was greatly reduced by his knee injuries, a bad hamstring and the general ravages of a long period of time playing professional football, as well as his "hard and fast" lifestyle. After playing well in a 2-1 start, Namath took a beating on a cold, windy, and rainy Monday night game in a one point loss at the Chicago Bears and was through for the regular season. Hall of Fame legacy Joe Namath is in the Professional Football Hall of Fame. While his career statistics are not exceptional, Namath was the game's first true media superstar and Namath was the first quarterback to throw for 4,000 yards during the 14 game 1967 season. Namath's play on the field in the years before his knees seriously limited his mobility helped evolve the quarterback position and the NFL style of play from a run oriented ball control game to today's more open passing style. Three days before the game, Namath responded to one particularly loud heckler with the now-famous line: "We're gonna win the game, I guarantee it," which sparked the media feeding frenzy. It is noted, however, in at least one Namath biography that Namath's guarantee, while being made before the game, did not get widespread press until after the Jets won Super Bowl III. Shortly afterwards, his fame assured, Namath created new controversy by starring in a succession of commercial advertisements as something of a playboy 'sex symbol', including a commercial for Beautymist pantyhose in 1974 (with Namath wearing them) that for the time were viewed by many as borderline tasteless. On December 20, 2003, Namath gained new notoriety, apparently after partaking of too much celebratory champagne during the Jets' announcement of their all-time team. During live ESPN coverage of the Jets' game, Namath was asked about Chad Pennington and his thoughts on the struggles of that year's squad. Bob Hope joked that Namath had been placed on the enemies list because he had not used any of the plays sent to him by Nixon, an armchair football strategist. A recent documentary about Namath's hometown of Beaver Falls, PA, includes a segment on Namath and why the city has celebrated its ties to him. Namath also opened several bars using his nickname Broadway Joe's in both New York City and in Tuscaloosa, Alabama (location of the University of Alabama). Namath spent many years appearing as a booster for golf tournaments and other good causes, such as youth camps, including football camps, and lately for arthritis. Namath had many notable lines during the NFL Films presentation of NFL 75 Seasons. ^ "Football great Joe Namath earns college degree 42 years later". "Joe Namath NFL career statistics".