Hall of Fame Quarterback Johnny Unitas died yesterday of a heart attack. Growing up, Johnny U was my idol. I dreamed of few things more than being a quarterback, and Unitas was the best. A master at staying in the pocket until the last possible moment, and then delivering the ball so that only his intended receiver could get to it, Unitas defined what a quarterback should be. The tight spirals, the nerves of steel, the willingness to take the punishment if it meant making a play- Unitas was the whole package.
Unitas led the Colts to NFL titles in 1958 and '59, helped them win Super Bowl V, was chosen to five all-league teams and was Player of the Year three times. He played in 10 Pro Bowls. He threw at least one touchdown pass in 47 consecutive games, an NFL record that began in his rookie year.
When he led Baltimore to a 23-17 overtime victory over the New York Giants in the 1958 championship, a game often proclaimed as football's greatest, Unitas boosted the sport's popularity.
Sid Luckman, a fellow Pro Football Hall of Fame member, said Unitas was the best quarterback ever. "Better than me," he said, "better than Sammy Baugh, better than anyone."
Unitas was born on May 7, 1933 and grew up in a working-class section of Pittsburgh. His father died when Johnny was five, and his Lithuanian-born mother Helen raised four children by herself, supporting them by working two jobs.
At St. Justin's, a small Catholic high school, Unitas played halfback and end until he replaced the injured starting quarterback early in his junior year. As a senior he drew some interest from colleges.
The Notre Dame backfield coach, though, said Unitas was too light. Indiana also passed on him. Pittsburgh offered him a scholarship, but Unitas failed the school's entrance exam.
He finally accepted a scholarship from Louisville, where as a freshman he became a starter in the sixth game and led the Cardinals to four wins. He gained 40 pounds in his first two college seasons, threw for 21 touchdowns and also played safety. Slowed by injuries and sub-par teams his junior and senior seasons, he finished his college career with 27 touchdown passes and 3,139 yards passing.
The Steelers drafted him in the ninth round in 1955, but they doubted he had the smarts to run a pro offense. They had four quarterbacks in camp, and Unitas played in none of the five exhibition games before being released. "Most of the time they acted like I wasn't there," he said. While working construction in Pittsburgh, he played quarterback and defensive back for the Bloomfield Rams, a local semipro team that played with old equipment on sandlot fields. Unitas, who had married during college and had a child, signed on for $6 a game.
The Colts offered Unitas $7,000 to sign early in 1956, and he joined them for their spring session. Ewbank liked what he saw, even Unitas' size - he had filled out to 6-1 and 190 pounds.When starting quarterback George Shaw suffered a broken leg against the Chicago Bears in the season's fourth game, Unitas made a nervous debut. His first pass was intercepted and returned for a touchdown. Then he botched a handoff on his next play, a fumble recovered by the Bears.
Unitas rebounded quickly from that 58-27 loss, leading the Colts to an upset of Green Bay and their first win over Cleveland. He threw nine touchdown passes that year, including one in the season finale that started his record 47-game streak. His 55.6-percent completion mark was a rookie record.
Setting up quickly in the pocket and with a knack for calling the right play, he threw for 2,550 yards and 24 touchdowns the next season, leading the Colts to a 7-5 record. The league's players voted him MVP.
Rebounding from injuries became a Unitas trademark. In 1958, when he led Baltimore to the Western Conference title, he was hit by the Packers' Johnny Symank in the sixth game and hospitalized with three broken ribs and a punctured lung. Four games later, he led the Colts from a 27-7 halftime deficit to a 35-27 win over the San Francisco 49ers, a performance he rated higher than the season's celebrated title game.
That nationally televised championship game at Yankee Stadium was riveting. The Colts led 14-3 lead at halftime, then fell behind 17-14 in the fourth quarter. With two minutes remaining, they got the ball at their 14-yard line.
"I said to myself, 'Well, we've blown this ballgame,'" Colts receiver Raymond Berry said. "The goalposts at our end of the field looked a million miles away."
Unitas completed four passes for 73 yards, the last three to Berry for 62 yards, to set up a game-tying 20-yard field goal by Steve Myhra with seven seconds left. In overtime, Unitas directed the Colts on a drive that Sports Illustrated termed "13 plays to glory." Alan Ameche's one-yard touchdown run ended the NFL's first sudden-death finish.
Passing for 349 yards, the game solidified Unitas' reputation and sold many, including outstanding running back Buddy Young, on the quarterback's preeminence. "You know what convinced me?" Young said. "He'd get knocked on his fanny play after play, yet he'd be right up there at the spot where the referee was putting the ball down and then he'd be checking the clock and knowing how much yardage he needed."
One of the most prized possessions of my childhood was an autographed photo of Unitas that I got from I-can't-even-remember-where. It was an inspiration I've never forgotten. Whenever I played quarterback, I made sure that I wore number 19, because that was the number of a real quarterback- Johnny Unitas. Unfortunately, in the final analysis, I had neither Unitas' arm nor his courage, but I am grateful for the inspiration he provided me....
Thanks, Johnny U! Our football days are long behind us, but I will never forget how much your example meant to me. I can STILL throw a nice, tight spiral. Sadly, it's no longer a particularly useful skill. It seems no one wants a 42-year-old quarterback who's been out of the game for 25 years. Go figure....
I'm sure the entire city of Baltimore is in mourning tonight, as well they should be. Johnny U WAS Baltimore back in the day....
Farewell to the greatest quarterback the NFL has ever know. We'll not see the likes of you anytime soon....
