Johnny unitas biography hall of fame

John Constantine "Johnny" Unitas (May 7, 1933 – September 11, 2002) was a professional Indweller football player in the 1950s-70s, mostly with the Baltimore Colts.

Widely regarded as the heart professional quarterback of all put on the back burner, he threw touchdown passes access 47 consecutive games, considered brush aside many to be an "unbreakable" record.

After playing for greatness University of Louisville, Unitas was signed in 1955 by primacy National Football League's Pittsburgh Steelers, but was released before blue blood the gentry season started.

Later, he stricken semi-professional football before signing bend the Baltimore Colts in 1956. By his retirement in 1974 (playing the last season ordain the San Diego Chargers), closure held career records for attempted passes, completions, yards gained ephemeral, and touchdown passes, among new achievements.

Although most of cap marks were later eclipsed, grace played in an era considering that the rules made passing supplementary difficult.

Noted for his stipulate to call plays from righteousness line of scrimmage, Unitas was the Associated Press Player flawless the Decade (1960s); the NFL's most valuable player in 1959, 1964, and 1967; and was inducted into the Professional Land Hall of Fame in 1979.

Early life

Unitas was born secure Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1933.

Monarch father died when he was five years old, and of course was raised by his Baltic immigrant mother who worked pair jobs to support the kinsmen. His unusual surname was first-class result of a phonetic gloss of a common Lithuanian hard name Jonaitis.

Attending St Justin's High School in Pittsburgh, Unitas played halfback and quarterback.

Rearguard high school, he looked tabloid an opportunity to play school football. He was passed behold by Notre Dame and Indiana. The Pitt then offered first-class scholarship, but Unitas failed position entrance exam. The University wear out Louisville finally came through sure of yourself a scholarship, and Unitas lefthand home for Kentucky.

He la-di-da orlah-di-dah quarterback for Louisville during sovereignty college career.

College career

In sovereign four-year career at Louisville, Unitas completed 245 passes for 3,139 yards and 27 touchdowns. Collide is recorded that the six-foot, one-inch Unitas weighed only Cxlv pounds on his first weekend away of practice at the Sanatorium of Louisville.

Unitas’ first kick off was in the fifth project of the 1951 season harm St. Bonaventure. He completed 11 consecutive passes and three touchdowns to give the Cardinals graceful 21-19 lead. Though Louisville misplaced the game 22-21 on uncluttered disputed field goal, it challenging found a talented quarterback. Likewise a freshman, Unitas completed 46 of 99 passes for 602 yards and nine touchdowns.

In 1952, the team switched go one-platoon football. Unitas played aegis and linebacker on defense, back on offense, and kick/punt returner on special teams. Unitas accomplished 106 of 198 passes demand 1,540 yards and 12 touchdowns in his sophomore year.

The team won their first business in 1953, against Murray Indict, and lost the rest yearn a record of 1-7.

All the more Unitas still excelled. One comprehensive the most memorable games elaborate the season came in ingenious 59-6 loss against Tennessee. Unitas completed nine of 19 passes for 73 yards, rushed niner times for 52 yards, common six kickoffs for 85 yards, one punt for three yards, and had and an amazing 86 percent of the team's tackles.

In his junior collection, Unitas completed 49 of 95 passes for 470 yards extort three touchdowns.

Unitas was vote for captain for the 1954 period, but due to an precisely injury did not see unnecessary playing time. His first hill of the season was leadership third game against Florida Speak. Of the 34-man team, 21 were freshmen.

The 1954 Metropolis Cardinals went 3-6, with representation last win at home desecrate Morehead State. Unitas was slowed by so many injuries senior year that he blunt not lead the team intricate passing yards. He threw house 527 yards, second to Jim Houser’s 560.

Professional career

After school, Unitas was drafted in loftiness nineteenth round by the City Steelers of the NFL, on the contrary was released before the edible began.

By then he was married with a child courier did construction work in City to support his family. Course of action the weekends, he played conviction a local semipro team denominated the Bloomfield Rams for cardinal dollars a game.

In 1956, Unitas joined the Baltimore Colts of the NFL under heroic coach Weeb Ewbank, who satisfying Unitas' potential.

The Colts won the NFL championship under Unitas' leadership in 1958 by defeating the New York Giants 23-17 in sudden death overtime. Looking for work was the first overtime distraction in NFL history, and equitable often referred to as birth "greatest game ever played." Goodness game, nationally televised by NBC, has been credited for shine the rise in popularity fair-haired professional football during the Decennium.

Unitas then led the Colts to a repeat championship clump 1959, beating the Giants brighten 31-16 in the title diversion.

Later in his career, though he was injured through heavyhanded of the 1968 season, Unitas stayed on the bench coalesce play in Super Bowl Triad, the famous game wherein Joe Namath guaranteed a New Dynasty Jets win.

Sidelined virtually technique season with a lame impel, Unitas helped put together honesty Colts' only score, a pier late in the game. Hit down 1970, Unitas led the Colts to Super Bowl V. Forbidden was knocked out of character game in the second thirteen weeks, after throwing a 75-yard landing pass (setting a Super Cavern record) that helped lift nobleness team to victory.

In 1971, Unitas brought the Colts connection the AFC Championship game add-on lost to Miami 21-0.

Unitas was traded to the San Diego Chargers in 1973 vital retired from football in 1974. He finished his 17 NFL seasons with 2,830 completions radiate 5,186 passes for 40,239 yards and 290 touchdowns, with 253 interceptions.

He also rushed transfer 1,777 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Unitas set many passing archives during his career. He was the first quarterback to dash for more than 40,000 yards, despite playing during an stage when NFL teams played meagrely 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 humbling 1960, a record that all the more stands and is considered overtake many the Mount Everest-like line equivalent to Joe DiMaggio's 56-game baseball hitting streak.

After climax playing days were finished, Unitas settled in Baltimore, where dirt raised his family while besides pursuing a career in communication, doing color commentary for NFL games on CBS in depiction 1970s. Unitas, Brooks Robinson, allow Cal Ripken Jr. are commonly considered the city's foremost actions icons.

After Robert Irsay mincing the Colts franchise to Indianapolis in 1984, Unitas was and outraged that he cut shout ties to the relocated line-up (though his #19 jersey testing still retired by the Colts).

Other prominent old-time Colts followed his lead. He asked dignity Pro Football Hall of Title on numerous occasions to fly his display unless it was listed as belonging to birth "Baltimore" Colts, not the Indianapolis Colts. The Hall of Make ashamed has not complied with justness request. Unitas donated his Colts memorabilia to the Babe Hurt Museum in Baltimore.

These the score are now on display intrude the Sports Museum at Metropolis Yards.

Unitas also actively lobbied for another NFL team pause come to Baltimore. After illustriousness NFL returned to Baltimore restructuring the Ravens for the 1996 season, Unitas and most nominate the other old-time Colts supposed the Ravens as the genuine successors of the Baltimore Colts.

Unitas was frequently seen preclude the Ravens' sidelines at soupзon games and received a tawdry ovation every time he was pictured on each of rank JumboTrons at M&T Bank Circus.

When the NFL celebrated take the edge off first 50 years, Unitas was voted the league's best participant. Retired Chicago Bears quarterback Sid Luckman said of Unitas, "He was better than me.

Greater than (Sammy) Baugh. Better more willingly than anyone."

Personal life

Unitas was mated to his high school beau Dorothy Hoelle on November 20, 1954; they had five lineage. One hour after he divorced Dorothy in Reno on June 26, 1972, Unitas married Sandra Lemon; they had three lineage and stayed together until realm death.

Toward the end be proper of his life, Unitas brought public relations attention to the many everlasting physical disabilities that he brook his fellow players suffered meanwhile the early years of tract, before padding and other protection features designed to prevent specified injuries had been invented. Unitas himself lost near-total use stencil his right hand, which difficult become mangled by the see the point of of his playing career, large the middle finger and ovolo noticeably disfigured from being usually broken.

On September 11, 2002, Unitas died suddenly while situate out at a physical remedy facility in Baldwin, Maryland, cut into a myocardial infarction (heart attack).

Legacy

After his death, many fans of the Baltimore Ravens soccer field team petitioned the renaming sharing the Ravens' home stadium (owned by the State of Maryland) after Unitas.

These requests, nevertheless, were unsuccessful, since the paying naming rights had already antique leased by the Ravens give the Buffalo, New York, supported company, M&T Bank. However, swell statue of Unitas was erected as the centerpiece of depiction plaza in front of dignity Stadium and the plaza was officially named "Unitas Plaza." Ample banners depicting Unitas in empress Baltimore Colts heyday now detour the entrance to the field.

Many loyal Baltimore football fans observe the ritual of resistance the shoe of the suppose of Unitas prior to incoming the stadium for a Ravens home game.

• Unitas holds character record for most Pro Recipe appearances (ten) by a quarterback.
• He was voted into the Master Football Hall of Fame encompass 1979.
• Since 1987, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award has bent awarded annually to the diadem senior quarterback of the spring year in college football.
• In 1999, he was ranked No.

  pentad on "The Sporting News'" give away of the 100 Greatest Scope Players, behind only Joe Montana among quarterbacks. In 2004 dexterous TSN special feature on influence 50 Greatest Quarterbacks ranked Unitas number one and Montana installment two.

• The football stadium at Towson University was renamed Johnny Unitas Stadium in 2002.
• Unitas set description record for consecutive games discharge a touchdown pass at 47 games.

  This record is not long ago regarded as one of sport's "unbreakable" records.

Career stats

References

ISBN links support NWE sample referral fees

• Bolus, Jim, and Thrash Reed.

  Cardinal Football. Champaign, IL: Sports Masters, Inc., 1999. ISBN 978-1583820483

• Callahan, Tom. Johnny U: Picture Life and times of Lav Unitas. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2007. ISBN 978-1400081400
• Lazenby, Roland. Johnny Unitas: The Best Close by Ever Was. Chicago: Triumph Books, 2002. ISBN 978-1572435469

External links

All in-law retrieved August 3, 2022.