QB / QB

Joe Namath

Class of 1985

Seasons13

Passing yards27,663

TDs173

I’m

convinced

I’m

better

than

anybody

else.

I’ve

been

convinced

of

that

for

quite

a

while.

I

haven’t

seen

anything

out

there

that

I

couldn’t

do

and

do

well…I

get

annoyed

with

myself

for

doing

something

wrong…I

tell

myself,

'you’re

the

best,

damn

it,

do

it

right.

Enshrinement Speech

Career Highlights

Joe Namath is best remembered for his performance in the New York Jets' stunning 16-7 upset of the heavily favored Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III. During his 13-year tenure from 1965 through 1977, however, he was one of the game's most exciting, proficient and publicized quarterbacks.

Namath's place in history was assured with his first pro football act — the signing of a reported $400,000 contract early in 1965 that gave the American Football League (AFL) its biggest victory in the costly inter-league war of the 1960s. The National Football League’s St. Louis Cardinals also had drafted Namath, who opted for the AFL. “Broadway Joe,” as he quickly became known, won the starting job with the Jets in his third game and finished the 1965 season as the AFL’s Rookie of the Year.

In 1967, he became the first quarterback to throw for more than 4,000 yards in a single-season — a feat that wouldn’t be reached again until Dan Fouts threw for 4,082 yards 12 years later. In 1968, Namath was named the AFL’s Player of the Year and a unanimous All-Pro selection. His performance in the Jets’ win over the Colts in Super Bowl III earned him Super Bowl MVP honors. His pregame “guarantee” and MVP performance were a major factor in assuring the competitive viability of the AFL-NFL Super Bowl series.

Despite being plagued by knee injuries that eventually brought an end to his career, Namath still completed 1,886 passes for 27,663 yards and 173 touchdowns. He ranked Top-three in passing yards six times (1966-69, 1972 and 1974), touchdown passes four times (1967, 1969, 1972 and 1974) and sack-percentage six times (1965-69 and 1972). Namath’s play in Super Bowl III was one of many clutch moments in his career as he led the AFL/NFL in game-winning drives during four different seasons (1966, 1968-69 and 1974).

Namath earned all-league honors four times (1967-69 and 1972) and was an All-AFL/Pro Bowl selection five times (1965, 1967-69 and 1972). He is the only player in pro football history to lead both the AFL (8.2 in 1967) and the NFL (8.7 in 1972) in yards per passing attempt. Namath was the first-team selection at quarterback for the American Football League’s All-Time Team.

Statistics

			Passing							Rushing
Year	Team	G	Att	Comp	Pct	Yds	TD	Int	Rating	Att	Yds	Avg	TD
1965	New York Jets	13	340	164	48.2	2220	18	15	68.8	8	19	2.4	0
1966	New York Jets	14	471	232	49.3	3379	19	27	62.6	6	42	7.0	2
1967	New York Jets	14	491	258	52.5	4007	26	28	73.8	6	14	2.3	0
1968	New York Jets	14	380	187	49.2	3147	15	17	72.1	5	11	2.2	2
1969	New York Jets	14	361	185	51.2	2734	19	17	74.3	11	33	3.0	2
1970	New York Jets	5	179	90	50.3	1259	5	12	54.7	1	-1	-1.0	0
1971	New York Jets	4	59	28	47.5	537	5	6	68.2	3	-1	-0.3	0
1972	New York Jets	13	324	162	50	2816	19	21	72.5	6	8	1.3	0
1973	New York Jets	6	133	68	51.1	966	5	6	68.7	1	-2	-2.0	0
1974	New York Jets	14	361	191	52.9	2616	20	22	69.4	8	1	0.1	1
1975	New York Jets	14	326	157	48.2	2286	15	28	51	10	6	0.6	0
1976	New York Jets	11	230	114	49.6	1090	4	16	39.9	2	5	2.5	0
1977	Los Angeles	4	107	50	46.7	606	3	5	54.5	4	5	1.3	0
Career Total		140	3762	1886	50.1	27663	173	220	65.5	71	140	2.0	7
Additional Career Statistics: Fumble Recovery for TD: 1