Unitas, John Constantine

▪ 2003

“Johnny” 

      American football player (b. May 7, 1933, Pittsburgh, Pa.—d. Sept. 11, 2002, Towson, Md.), was considered one of the greatest quarterbacks in the National Football League. Starting as a sandlot player in Pittsburgh, he was rejected for a scholarship to the University of Notre Dame owing to his small size, but he developed as a player at the University of Louisville, Ky. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1955 but was released before playing a single game. He worked odd jobs and played semiprofessional football until 1957, when he took the position of backup quarterback with the Baltimore Colts, where he began his storied 18-year career, finishing it with the San Diego Chargers in 1972–74. His impressive career statistics (2,830 of 5,186 passing completions for 40,239 yd and 290 touchdowns) signaled the beginning of a new era in football as the focus switched from running to passing. Perhaps the highlight of his career was his 1958 championship overtime victory against the New York Giants in a game that reached legendary status. The Colts repeated the win the following year after Unitas threw for a single-season record of 32 touchdown passes. Distinguished by his close-cropped hair, high-top shoes, and stiff throwing style, he made his mark in the 1950s and '60s, once throwing touchdown passes in 47 consecutive games. Though the Colts lost the 1969 Super Bowl to the New York Jets in an upset led by quarterback Joe Namath, in 1971 Unitas returned to the title game with a victory over the Dallas Cowboys. A natural leader on the field who called his own plays, he was named Most Valuable Player three times, earned 10 Pro Bowl appearances, and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979. Though football injuries plagued him after retirement, he remained in the game as a mentor for younger players.

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