Johnny Unitas

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Johnny Unitas
Date of birth	May 7, 1933
Place of birth	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Date of death	September 11, 2002
Position(s)	Quarterback
College	Louisville
NFL Draft	1955 / Round 9/ Pick 102
Pro Bowls	10
Awards	1964 AP NFL MVP 1967 AP NFL MVP 1959 Pro Bowl MVP 1959 Bert Bell Award 1960 Pro Bowl MVP 1963 Pro Bowl MVP 1970 Walter Payton Award 1967 UPI MVP 1967 Bert Bell Award 1964 UPI MVP 1964 Bert Bell Award 1959 UPI MVP
Honors	NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team NFL 1960s All-Decade Team
Retired #s	Baltimore Colts #19 Louisville Cardinals #16
Records	NFL Consecutive Games with a Touchdown Pass (47) Indianapolis/Baltimore Colts Career Passing Yards (39,768), Indianapolis/Baltimore Colts Career Passing TDs (287)
Statistics	DatabaseFootball
Team(s)
1956-1972 1973	Baltimore Colts San Diego Chargers
Pro Football Hall of Fame, 1979

John Constantine "Johnny" Unitas (May 7, 1933 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA – September 11, 2002) was a professional American football player in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. He was the National Football League's most valuable player in 1957, 1959, and 1964.

1 Early life
2 College Career
3 Professional career
4 Personal life
5 Sudden death
6 Legacy
7 Trivia
8 External links
9 Sources

[edit] Early life

Johnny's father died when Johnny 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 Unitas left home for Kentucky. He played quarterback for Louisville during his college career.

After college, 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.

[edit] College Career

In his four year career at Louisville he completed 245 passes for 3139 yards and twenty-seven touchdowns. It is recorded that 6’1” Johnny Unitas weighed 145 pounds on his first day of practice at the University of Louisville. Unitas’ first start was in the fifth game of the 1951 season against St. Bonaventure. He threw eleven consecutive passes and three touchdowns to give the Cardinals a 21-19 lead. Louisville lost the game 22-21 by a disputed field goal, but found a talented quarterback. Unitas completed twelve of nineteen passes for 240 yards and four touchdowns in the 35-28 victory over Houston. The team finished the season 5-5, and 4-1 with Unitas as the starting quarterback. As a freshman Unitas completed forty-six of ninety-nine passes for 602 yards and nine touchdowns (44).

The university to decided to deemphasize sports by the 1952 season. The new president at Louisville, Dr. Phillip Davidson, reduced the amount of athletic aid, and tightened academic standards for athletes. As a result fifteen returning players could not meet the new standards and lost their scholarships.

In 1952 Coach Camp switched the team to one-platoon football. Unitas played safety or linebacker on defense, quarterback on offense, and kick/punt returner on special teams. The Cards won their first game against Wayne State, and destroyed Florida State 41-14 in the second game. Unitas completed sixteen of twenty-one passes for 198 yards and three touchdowns. It was said that Unitas put on such a show at the Florida State game that he threw a pass under his legs for fifteen yards. This was not the same Florida State team today, as their 1952 record was 1-8-1. The rest of the season was a struggle for the Cards, who finished 3-5. Unitas completed 106 of 198 passes for 1,540 yards and 12 touchdowns in his sophomore year.

The team won their first game in 1953, against Murray State, and lost the rest for a record of 1-7. One of the most memorable games of the season came from the 59-6 loss against Tennessee. Unitas completed nine of nineteen passes for seventy-three yards, rushed nine times for fifty-two yards, returned six kick-offs for eighty-five yards, one punt for three yards, and had 86% of the teams tackles. The only touchdown the team scored was in the fourth quarter when Unitas made a fake pitch to the running back and ran the ball twenty-three yards for a touchdown. Unitas was hurt later in the fourth quarter while trying to run the ball, and on his way off of the field he received a standing ovation. When he got to the locker room he was so worn that his jersey and shoulder pads had to be cut off, because he could not lift his arms. Louisville ended the season with 20-13 loss to Eastern Kentucky where Unitas had two interceptions by Roy Kidd. In his junior year Unitas completed 49 of 95 for 470 yards and three touchdowns.

Unitas was elected captain for the 1954 season, but due to an early injury did not see much playing time. His first start of the season was the third game against Florida State. Of the thirty-four man team twenty-one were freshmen. The 1954 Louisville Cardinals went 3-6, with the last win at home against Morehead state. Unitas was slowed by so many injuries his senior year that he did not lead the team in passing yards. He threw for 527 yards, second to Jim Houser’s 560 yards.

[edit] Professional career

In 1956 Unitas joined the Baltimore Colts NFL team under legendary coach Weeb Ewbank, after being asked at the last minute to join Bloomfield Rams lineman Jim Deglau at the latter's scheduled Colts tryout. They borrowed money from friends to pay for the gas to make the trip. Deglau, like Unitas a Lithuanian steel worker as well as a semi-pro player and family friend, told a reporter after Unitas' death, "(His) uncle told him not to come. (He) was worried that if he came down and the Colts passed on him, it would look bad (to other NFL teams)." [1]. The Colts signed Unitas, much to the chagrin of the Cleveland Browns, who had hoped to claim the rejected Steeler quarterback. [2].

The Colts won the NFL championship under Unitas's 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.

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, the famous game wherein Joe Namath guaranteed a New York Jets win despite the conventional wisdom. Unitas's insertion was a desperation move in an attempt to retrieve dominance of the NFL over the upstart AFL. Unitas helped put together the Colts' only score, a touchdown late in the game. Despite not playing until the fourth quarter, Unitas still finished with more passing yards than the team's starter, Earl Morrall. In 1970, Unitas led the Colts to Super Bowl V. He was knocked out of the game in the second quarter, after throwing a Super Bowl record 75-yard touchdown pass that helped lift the team to victory.

Unitas was traded to the San Diego Chargers in 1972, and retired from football in 1974. He finished his 18 NFL seasons with 2,830 completions in 5,186 passes for 40,239 yards and 290 touchdowns, with 253 interceptions. He also rushed for 1,777 yards and 13 touchdowns.

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 today's 16-game seasons). He also threw a touchdown pass in 47 consecutive games between 1956 and 1960, a record that still stands.

After his playing days were finished, Unitas settled in Baltimore where he raised his family. He, Brooks Robinson and Cal Ripken, Jr. are generally considered the city's foremost sports icons. After Robert Irsay moved the Colts franchise to Indianapolis in 1984, a move reviled to this day in Baltimore as "Bob Irsay's Midnight Ride", Unitas was so outraged that he cut all ties to the relocated team. Other prominent old-time Colts followed his lead. He asked the Pro Football Hall of Fame on numerous occasions (including on Roy Firestone's Up Close) to remove his display unless it was listed as belonging to the Baltimore Colts. The Hall of Fame has never complied with the request. Unitas donated his Colts memorabilia to the Babe Ruth Museum in Baltimore; it is now on display in the Sports Museum at Camden Yards.

Unitas actively lobbied for another NFL team to come to Baltimore. After the NFL returned to Baltimore as the Ravens for the 1996 season, Unitas and most of the other old-time Colts regarded the Ravens as the true successors of the Baltimore Colts. Unitas was frequently seen on the Ravens' sidelines at home games and received a thunderous ovation every time he was pictured on each of the JumboTrons at M&T Bank Stadium.

When the NFL celebrated its first 50 years, Unitas was voted the league's best player. Retired Bears quarterback Sid Luckman said of Unitas, "He was better than me. Better than Baugh. Better than anyone."

In December 2005, the state of Indiana attempted to raise funds for a new football stadium by issuing an Indianapolis Colts specialty license plate and auctioning off plates whose registrations represented distinctive Colts position-number pairings (e.g. "QB 18" for Peyton Manning). When the state offered Unitas's "QB 19" for bid, the Unitas family sued, eventually getting the offer revoked and receiving an out-of-court settlement.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Personal life

Unitas was married by his uncle to his high school sweetheart Dorothy Hoelle on November 20, 1954; they had 5 children. One hour after he divorced Dorothy in Reno on June 26, 1972, Unitas married Sandra Lemon; they had 3 children and stayed together until his death.

[edit] Sudden death

On September 11, 2002, Unitas died suddenly at his home in Baldwin, Maryland of a myocardial infarction (heart attack). After his death, many fans of the Baltimore Ravens football team petitioned the renaming of the Ravens' home stadium (owned by the State of Maryland) after Unitas. These requests, however, were unsuccessful since the monetarily-lucrative naming rights had already been leased by the Ravens to the Buffalo, New York, based company, M&T Bank. However, a statue of Unitas was erected as the centerpiece of the plaza in front of the Stadium and the plaza was officially named "Unitas Plaza". Large banners depicting Unitas in his Baltimore Colts heydey now flank the entrance to the stadium. Many loyal Baltimore football fans observe the ritual of rubbing the shoe of the statue of Unitas prior to entering the stadium for a Ravens home game. Towson University, in Towson, Maryland, a suburb just north of Baltimore, named its football and lacrosse complex in honor of Unitas after his death in 2002. He was a major fundraiser for the university, which his children attended.

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 from being repeatedly broken.

[edit] Legacy

Unitas holds the record for most Pro Bowl appearances (ten) for a quarterback.
Unitas was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979.
Johnny Unitas' #16 is the only number retired by the football program at the University of Louisville.
Unitas Tower, a dormitory at the University of Louisville, is named for Johnny Unitas.
A statue of Johnny Unitas sits in the North end zone of Papa John's Cardinal Stadium at the University of Louisville. It is tradition for each Cardinal player to touch the statue as he enters the field.
A statue of Unitas also stands in front of M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, current home of the Baltimore Ravens.
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.
In 1999, he was ranked number 5 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players, behind only Joe Montana among quarterbacks. However, in 2004, TSN did a special feature on the 50 Greatest Quarterbacks, and Unitas was ranked number 1 and Montana number 2. It is possible that Montana was ranked first in the earlier list due to the comparative proximity of his career, while Unitas was ranked first in the later list due to remembrances aired on television following his death.
An episode of the TV show The Adventures of Pete & Pete entitled "Space, Geeks & Johnny Unitas", centered around Unitas, the 1958 NFL Championship game and the cosmic connection between him, it and the Alpha Centauri star system.
Just before his death, Johnny Unitas became the community liason for Towson University athletics in Towson, MD. The football stadium at Towson University was renamed Johnny Unitas Stadium in 2002. Unitas died a less than a week after throwing his last pass in the grand opening of the stadium.

[edit] Trivia

Unitas worked for Bethlehem Steel in addition to playing for the Baltimore Colts, back when football did not pay nearly as much money as it does nowadays, and forced players to hold everyday jobs as well.
The Philadelphia Daily News wrote an article in 2003 announcing his 70th birthday. Of course, he had been deceased since the previous year. After realizing the mistake, they ran a correction stating: "Johnny Unitas remains dead and did not celebrate his 70th birthday."
He guest-starred as himself in The Simpsons episode "Homie the Clown" (first aired February 12, 1995).
In The Simpsons episode "Mother Simpson" (first aired November 19, 1995), Abe Simpson says "Now, Johnny Unitas...there's a haircut you could set your watch to!" when comparing Joe Namath's hair to Unitas' trademark flattop.
In 1999, he was an extra in the movie Runaway Bride. He can be seen about 25 minutes into the movie sitting on the bench outside of the bakery.
In 2000, Unitas was featured in the movie "Any Given Sunday" as the head coach of the fictional Dallas Knights.
19th Street in the city of Ocean City, Maryland is renamed Johnny Unitas Way. The street sign is blue and has the Colts' horseshoe logo.
For the game following his death, Indianapolis Colts quarterback, Peyton Manning, requested to wear a pair of black cleats as a tribute to Johnny's signature black boots that he wore. The league denied his request as the Colts already committed to wearing white cleats that year.

[edit] External links

[edit] Sources

Bolus, Jim, and Billy Reed. Cardinal Football. Champaign, IL: Sports Pub Inc., 1999. Callahan, Tom. Johnny U : the life and times of John Unitas . New York: Crown Publishers, 2006. Lazenby, Roland. Johnny Unitas : the best there ever was . Chicago: Triumph Books, 2002.

Preceded by: George Shaw	Baltimore Colts Starting Quarterbacks 1956-1972	Succeeded by: Earl Morrall
Preceded by: John Hadl	San Diego Chargers Starting Quarterbacks 1973	Succeeded by: Dan Fouts
Preceded by: Y.A. Tittle	NFL Most Valuable Player 1964 season	Succeeded by: Jim Brown
Preceded by: Bart Starr	NFL Most Valuable Player 1967 season	Succeeded by: Earl Morrall

Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts Retired Numbers
#19 Johnny Unitas • #22 Buddy Young • #24 Lenny Moore • #70 Art Donovan • #77 Jim Parker • #82 Raymond Berry • #89 Gino Marchetti