#2 Joe Namath

Card number 2 in the set is quarterback Joe Namath. He was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.





What I think I remember about him:

Broadway Joe. Very fashionable, and starred in many commercials. I also remember seeing him in guest appearances in different television shows.

Attracted a lot of attention outside the game of football, bringing an increase of female fans to the game.

Jets quarterback that made his famous Super Bowl guarantee, and led his team to victory against the Colts in Super Bowl III.

Is often mentioned as a player that hung around too long with a final NFL season with the Los Angeles Rams.

Had a regrettable incident a few years back with a sideline reporter.


What I've found that interests me about him:

Not surprising among good athletes, he excelled at multiple sports. He regularly dunked basketballs in high school games, and after graduating high school, where he had played as an outfielder in baseball, he received offers from the Yankees, Indians, Reds, Pirates and Phillies to try and sign him. He wanted to sign with the Pirates but went to college to please his mother. He was a fan of Roberto Clemente.

He had zero pass attempts in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl III. The Jets ran the ball, and the clock, after taking a 16-0 lead very early in the fourth quarter.

He actually appeared in a show on Broadway in 1983 as a cast replacement for a New York revival of The Caine Mutiny Court Martial.


The card front:

I imagine this to be a nice photo of Namath as he is rolling out of the pocket, looking downfield to make a throw.

The photo looks as if his whole body would have been on the card if it wasn't for the Hall of Fame logo covering his left foot.


The card back:

I didn't know that he was the first quarterback to pass for over 4000 yards in a season.

I like how the back mentions his 173 career touchdowns, but doesn't mention his 220 career interceptions. I know that the back would only mention highlights and wouldn't want to bring up negatives. However they were thrown in a different age of football where interceptions weren't judged as harshly as today.


Here is a YouTube link to a highlight video of Joe Namath that I found that seems to borrow audio from the NFL's The Top 100: NFL's Greatest Players show. Joe Namath was #100. 

Joe Namath's profile at the Hall of Fame's website includes his enshrinement speech, as well of that if his presenter, Larry Bruno.


Card scans taken from The Trading Card Database.

Comments

  1. FujiOctober 2, 2022 at 8:15 PM

    Nice action shot of Namath. I grew up thinking he was one of the greatest QB's of all-time. Well... until the other Joe started winning all of those Super Bowls in San Francisco.

    ReplyDelete
  2. JonOctober 3, 2022 at 3:13 PM

    The image that they used is top notch.

    ReplyDelete

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