Super Bowl III MVP. The guarantee. The first $400,000 contract in pro football. Broadway Joe.
Position
Quarterback
Size
6'2" · 200 lb
Born
May 31, 1943 · Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania
Drafted
1965 · pick 1
27,663
Passing Yards
173
Touchdowns
220
Interceptions
50.1
Completion Pct
65.5
Passer Rating
Joe Namath spent 12 of his 13 NFL seasons with the New York Jets after signing the most-talked-about pro football contract in history in 1965. Three years later he made the most-famous prediction in American sports — 'I guarantee it,' the Super Bowl III win over the heavily-favored Baltimore Colts — and won the game's MVP. His statistics, hampered by chronic knee injuries and a high-volume passing era that the rest of the league hadn't caught up to, look modest by modern standards (50.1% completion, 65.5 passer rating); his cultural and structural impact on pro football was enormous. Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.
Career
1965-1976
New York Jets
12 seasons with the Jets. AFL Rookie of the Year in 1965 after signing the largest pro football contract to that point ($427,000). Super Bowl III MVP in January 1969, where he famously guaranteed an upset over the heavily-favored Baltimore Colts and delivered, 16-7. Knee injuries limited him through most of his career; he had four knee surgeries between 1965 and 1972.
1977
Los Angeles Rams
One brief, injury-shortened final season in Los Angeles. Started 4 games and retired at the end of the year.
Honors & Awards
Super Bowl III Champion + MVP (January 1969)1968 AFL MVP1965 AFL Rookie of the Year5× AFL/NFL Pro BowlFirst QB ever to throw for 4,000 yards in a season (1967)Pro Football Hall of Fame (1985)NFL 1960s All-Decade TeamAFL All-Time Team