Johnny Unitas
Icameintotheleaguewithoutanyfuss.I’djustassoonleaveitthatway.There’snodifferenceIcanseeinretiringfromprofootball,orquittingajobatthePennsyRailroad.IdidsomethingIwantedtodoandwentasfarasIcouldgo.
Few, if any, stories in professional sports are more dramatic or more complete than the story of Johnny Unitas.
Taken in the ninth round of the 1955 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers, Unitas was cut before throwing a single pass. Still determined, he played semi-pro football for $6 a game while awaiting another opportunity to complete at the pro level. After attending a tryout with the Baltimore Colts in 1956, head coach Weeb Ewbank brought in Unitas to back up veteran quarterback George Shaw. He made his NFL debut in “mop-up” duty against the Detroit Lions in Week 2, throwing an interception that was returned for a touchdown on his first professional pass.
Nonetheless, Unitas never looked back.
When Shaw suffered a broken leg against the Chicago Bears two weeks later, Unitas stepped into the starting role earlier than anyone could have anticipated. It did not take long for him to catch on. After setting the NFL rookie record for pass completion percentage in 1956 (55.6%), Unitas led the NFL in passing yards (2,550), touchdown passes (24), yards per passing attempt (8.5) and passer rating (88.0) in 1957. He continued to get better.
Without question, it was his last-second heroics vs. the New York Giants in the 1958 NFL Championship Game, dubbed “the greatest game ever played,” that turned Unitas into a household name. With two minutes left to play, down 17-14, Unitas completed seven consecutive passes to set up a game-tying field goal, forcing the first overtime contest in NFL history. There, Unitas led the Colts on an 80-yard march that culminated in a 1-yard touchdown run by Alan Ameche to give Baltimore the victory, 23-17. That game, played before a national television audience, highlighted Unitas’ confidence, courage, leadership, play-calling ability and passing skills.
He would find similar success the following season, being named the league’s Most Valuable Player and leading the Colts to a 31-16 victory over the Giants in the 1959 NFL Championship Game. Prior to sustaining a devastating elbow injury in the 1968 preseason, Unitas already has become the NFL’s all-time leader in pass completions, passing yards, touchdown passes and passer rating at the age of 34. Battling his way back from injury, he appeared in two Super Bowls, winning Super Bowl V vs. the Dallas Cowboys 16-13. During his final NFL season, suiting up for the San Diego Chargers, Unitas became the first player in NFL history to eclipse 40,000 career passing yards.
At the time of his retirement, Unitas ranked No. 1 in NFL history in pass attempts (5,186), pass completions (2,830), passing yards (40,239) and touchdown passes (290). His record 47 consecutive games with at least one touchdown pass lasted for more than 50 years.
Unitas won three NFL Championships (1958-59, 1970), three MVP awards (1959, 1964, 1967), five first-team All-Pro selections (1958-59, 1964-65, 1967), three second-team All-Pro selections (1957, 1960, 1963) and was selected to 10 Pro Bowls (1957-1964, 1966-67).
He led the NFL in passing yards four times (1957, 1959-60, 1963), led the NFL in touchdown passes four times (1957-1960) and led the NFL in passer rating twice (1958, 1965).
Unitas was selected to the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1960s, the NFL’s 50th Anniversary Team, the NFL’s 75th Anniversary Team and the NFL 100 All-Time Team.
