The BIZARRE Retirement of Joe Namath (1969 Jets)

[@OfficialJaguarGator9]

NOTE: The NFL, despite being a multi-billion dollar organization with tons of lawyers and legal experts, has no concept of what fair use actually is. Because of this, a 5-second portion of this video, despite completely complying with the four fair use factors, had to be trimmed out at the 6:20 mark due to copyright reasons. This transformative footage featured a newspaper clipping about Joe Namath's decision, while showing Namath walking to the bench, which in no way whatsoever impacts the potential market. Apologies for what might seem like an abrupt edit; it was normal at the time of the uploading until the NFL just decided they didn't want to believe in copyright law

[@sammyvh11]

The NFL is a cartel. They are a non public very secretive outfit. They print money. They do what they want and never lose in court. They are locusts. I love the sport of football but I hate the NFL.

[@RetroRider6689]

Joe Namath played 3 years longer than he should have. There were rumors that he would either retire or jump to the WFL following the 1974 NFL season but Namath re-signed with New York when the Jets made him the highest paid quarterback in the league. Namath took a physical pounding in 1975 & 1976 playing for two very bad N.Y. Jets squads and as a result his interception totals ballooned. By the time Chuck Knox brought him to the Rams in 1977 he was basically finished. However, it is a testament to Namath's courage and dedication that he played 13 years with knees so badly damaged that he was given a 4-F rating and a deferment from military service after coming out of Alabama. Jets team doctor's said he would be lucky to play 4 years. While Namath would miss 28 regular season games between 1970 and 1973 due to injuries, it is his body of work between 1965 and 1974 that made him a Hall of Famer: 1965 - AFL Rookie of the Year (UPI, SN) - AFL All-Star Game MVP (offense) 1966 - 2nd Team All-AFL QB (NEA) 1967 - 1st Team All-AFL QB (NEA) - 2nd Team All-AFL QB (AP, UPI, SN) - AFL All-Star Game Co-MVP (offense) - First AFL/NFL QB to throw for 4,000 yards in a single season - a feat that wouldn't be equaled until Dan Fouts did it in Week 16 of the 1979 season 1968 - 1st Team QB AFL/NFL Combined All-Pro Team (unanimous) - 1st Team All-AFL QB (unanimous) - AFL MVP (AP, UPI, Pro FB Weekly, SN, PFWA N.Y. Chapter) - AFL All-Star Game selection - AFL Championship Game MVP - Super Bowl III MVP - N.Y. Jets Team MVP - Hickok Belt Award Winner (Most Outstanding Pro Athlete) 1969 - 1st Team QB AFL/NFL Combined All-Pro Team (NEA) - 1st Team All-AFL QB (NEA, Sports Illustrated, N.Y. Daily News) - 2nd Team All-AFL QB (AP, UPI, SN, PFW) - AFL MVP (Associated Press) - AFL All-Star Game Selection - N.Y. Jets Team MVP - George Halas Award (Pro Football Writers Association) - Selected as First Team QB on the All -Time AFL Team by the Pro Football Hall of Fame (Jan. 1970) 1972 - Consensus 1st Team All-NFL QB (NEA, Pro Football Weekly, Pro Football Writers Association) - 2nd Team All-NFL QB (AP, Football News) - Consensus 1st Team All-AFC QB (UPI, Pro Football Weekly, Sporting News, Newark Star-Ledger) - NFL Pro Bowl Selection 1974 - NFL Comeback Player of the Year - 2nd Team All-AFC QB (Newark Star-Ledger) - N.Y. Jets Team MVP Playing in windy Shea Stadium, Namath finished as the AFL's 2nd All-Time ranked passer (1970 Official AFL History manual published by the Sporting News - page 112). It was a different era when Namath played. Only 3 of the top 9 all-time AFL rated passers threw more TD's than INT's (Dawson, Lamonica & Flores) and only Namath and Len Dawson finished with completion percentages over 50% (1500 or more attempts). The current passer rating system does not take in to account qualities like courage, dedication and leadership - all traits that Joe Namath possessed. An added note regarding passer ratings (from the NFL website): "It is important to remember that the system is used to rate passers, not quarterbacks. Statistics do not reflect leadership, play-calling, and other intangible factors that go into making a successful professional quarterback." Namath quarterbacked the Jets to the most significant triumph in pro football history. It was a game changer that finally brought credibility to the upstart American Football League. In June 2019 Joe Namath was selected by Pro Football Journal as Player of the Decade for the period covering 1965-75: nflfootballjournal.blogspot.com/2019/06/players-of-decade1965-75.html?m= Hall of Fame Quarterbacks with more interceptions than touchdown passes: George Blanda 277 Int's/236 TD passes Y.A. Tittle 248 Int's/242 TD passes Bobby Layne 243 Int's/196 TD passes Ken Stabler 222 Int's/194 TD passes Joe Namath 220 Int's/173 TD passes Sammy Baugh 203 Int's/187 TD passes Norm Van Brocklin 178 Int's/173 TD passes Bob Waterfield 128 Int's/97 TD passes Arnie Herber 106 Int's/81 TD passes Dutch Clark 26 Int's/11 TD passes Ace Parker 50 Int's/30 TD passes Recommended reading: www.footballperspective.com/joe-namath-has-become-footballs-most-misunderstood-quarterback/

[@tr5947]

Thank you for this. The topic comes up too often as to whether Joe Namath should be in the HOF. It's hard to really get a person who doesn't know history, or had lived through it, to realize how important Namath was to pro football. The legitimacy Namath brought to the AFL can't be overstated. I heard a story that after the Super Bowl win, at the AFL All-Star Game they were many players in tears, emotionally overtaken by what Namath's guarantee and that win meant. Other than the "Madison Avenue Giants", few sponsors had any use for a pro football players, and almost no one I can think of had one as a national spokesperson. Namath changed that. His sex appeal and swag that brought more female fans to the game. Throw in how he was erudite, funny, and exuded an unforced confidence and charisma, he was a guy just about everyone could like. And he had the guts of a cat burglar. If Namath had the benefit of the surgical techniques that exist today, he would have been even greater. Namath was a key component of making the NFL the most popular pro sports league in history, and you can't possibly tell the story of the NFL without his accomplishments, which go far beyond what happened on the field.

[@littleblackduck3134]

Damn Clint what are you his agent?

[@CIF-pm7tk]

thats one way to lay out facts! prolly the best reply ive ever read

[@jamesage24]

It's not The Hall of Stats, it's The Hall of Fame. Broadway Joe was as famous as they come! Joe Namath made the Jets! I read somewhere that after Superbowl III, Namath never beat a .500 team again. Is that true?

[@RetroRider6689]

@@jamesage24 Not true. Namath led the Jets to wins over playoff bound Miami (11-3) and Buffalo (9-5) in 1974. If the Jets had beaten the Bills in week 3 of the '74 season they would have been the AFC Wild Card team - not Buffalo.

[@charlesmak534]

10k subs, JG. Well done!

[@johnbrowntheprophet]

“If the bookies don’t admit, you must acquit.” 😂😂😂

[@charlesmak534]

That was brilliant.

[@michaelleroy9281]

OJ and Joe were buddies on Monday Night Football back in the day

[@eugenedenbrook322]

@@michaelleroy9281 Weren't they on the broadcast for the 85', Thursday Night, Bears - Vikings game? Seem to recall Namath going crazy when McMahon came off the bench to throw those TDs.

[@michaelleroy9281]

@@eugenedenbrook322 Yes they were there with Gifford, unbelievable game

[@Venom3254]

Finally a positive video on the Jets or nothing about their bumbling for once.

[@jeffcousineau2933]

Legal advice from O.J. Simpson! LOL!! "Joe, if the mobs makin' bets, you better stay with the jets!"

[@michaelleroy9281]

Damn I wish I thought of that one

[@eugenedenbrook322]

Juice is not a model of moral or ethical choices, it would seem, but he sure as hell knows legal advice!

[@BA-oy9uo]

Love the new logo, was gonna offer to make you one myself but I didnt know who you were on the discord server.

[@ClayBorrell]

This channel is gonna blow up

[@nasetvideos]

Great story. Shows that no one player is ever bigger than the game. You had to understand the times back in the late 60s to realize that Rozelle was right in this situation, and that the risk of fixing games and the impact of the integrity of the game could not be compromised. Ultimately, everything worked out--Nice job telling it.

[@c71score]

Getting legal advice from OJ is like OJ being "too nice" to play The Terminator. lol

[@michaelleroy9281]

Believe me OJ knows about legal advice

[@CTubeMan]

1. Happy Birthday Broadway Joe! 2. The unofficial Official Jaguar Gator 9 historian will remind everyone that you made another video about someone else predicting a Jets victory in Super Bowl 3.

[@cygnustsp]

Your videos are great

[@fitzgivesfits1]

I miss Pete Rozell, he had vision and he stuck to his ways.

[@michaelleroy9281]

He makes Roger Goodell looks like he's running a clown show

[@sammyvh11]

He was a stooge too. He allowed owners like Irsay and Al Davis to move . He was in on the SB 3 fix to merge the leagues. But he did his job because the owners all became mega millionaire and billionares eventually. Oh and he started the rules changes that have left us with a watered down defensive game and a hyper offensive game.

[@stephaniegormley9982]

Great vid. But the AFL's best QB was Len Dawson.

[@maples328]

I’m sorry 😞 but who ? Off to Google I go …..

[@SteelerFanInRI]

@@maples328 Chiefs QB, winner and MVP of Super Bowl IV. I would also put Dawson over Namath; definitely more consistent on the field.

[@maples328]

@@SteelerFanInRI cool 😎. I looked at his career, definitely awesome QB. Too bad he didn’t get to start first 5 years of career and hung on 3 years too long at least. Should be more widely known for sure.

[@maples328]

@George Lipscomb Cook had potential, but even before shoulder, it looks like above average ?

[@gxpher7]

joe namath is sooo overrated

[@diaz5292]

He wanted to retire to devote all his time to nailin' chicks. A worthy goal.

[@sammyvh11]

Expensive goal too.

[@michaelleroy9281]

That's why he was" Broadway Joe"

[@michaelleroy9281]

But he didn't marry one until his playing days were done

[@denisceballos9745]

Rozelle didn’t like the fact that there were guys with vowels at the end of their last name frequenting Joe’s bar.

[@Lawomenshoops]

Anybody saying Namath isn't a HOFer with his 50% completion rate, doesn't know football! The offenses back then were different back then. If you calculated the yards after catch back then, they would maybe be, at best 20% of the total passing yards. Mostly, when a QB threw a 60 yard TD pass, the ball was in the air for 55 yards. None of this dump off pass and have a WR run. Then factor in the way DB covered receivers, no 5 year rule, they could just hit the WR everywhere they went. Look at the NBA right now. With the rule changes, the game has opened up and offenses are scoring more. No more hand checking or the physical plays of the 80's and 90's. Exactly the samething happened in the NFL.

[@vicepresidentmikepence889]

So explain how Bart Starr was 57% Fran Tarkenton 57% Sonny Jurgensen 57% Johnny Unitas 54%

[@Cook-px8ne]

nameth scripted games gotta love it. oh hes so great

[@Guy_Incognito1]

​@@Cook-px8ne💯 Namath was forced to sell his bar because it was a notorious mobster hangout. Namath knew the fix was in for the SuperBowl.

[@depaola63]

Absolutely belongs in the HOF 🏈💎I am now 58 and remember well 🌈 Truly a perfect pure passer ! A 14 game season passed for 4,007 yards! 🤩

[@danielmackey9765]

Joe is overrated

[@jamesage24]

Absolutely! It's the Hall of Fame, not the Hall of Stats. Broadway Joe is an icon who shocked the world with Superbowl III.

[@danielmackey9765]

@@jamesage24 only because he said they would win. Only offensive player in super bowl history to win MVP of the super bowl and not score a TD. Wasn't even the most deserving.

[@depaola63]

@@danielmackey9765 HE WAS THE LEADER ⭐️everyone on that Jets team has said, without Joe Willie Namath they never would have even got to the Super Bowl ✌️

[@danielmackey9765]

@@depaola63 that's not what I've heard in interviews from that time about him.

[@christopherengel7436]

I've seen old footage of Joe Namath playing before he hit his knee & he could run like the wind. So if he hadn't hurt it, his stats would be even better & he probably played until the 80's. The Jets might have even won another playoff game. Might have.

[@archie7186]

to me joe namath is the best qb of his time he changed the game on and of the field more then any other player ever, but i must say this on this pete rozell was spot on, the game was bigger then joe namath and pete rozell . rest in peace pete job well done . and joe will always be joe kind of be cool to see joe connect on a 80 yarder to maynard (rip) bradys 5 yard dump offs is how i plyed in pop warner, ty for the post

[@rosseganjr9402]

one of the greatest quarterbacks ever!

[@richdouglas2311]

Namath is the worst QB ever to be voted into the HoF. But he is also the most impactful QB ever.

[@CIoseyourmouth]

I just read a comment that completely makes yours 💩💩💩💩

[@richdouglas2311]

@@CIoseyourmouth Thank you for that feedback.

[@Davehhhh]

So close to 10k...

[@Fireyninjadog]

I like your new logo

[@argelbargel7680]

Namath is the only resident of Canton whose entire legacy is a single game.

[@billslocum9819]

Also the only resident of Canton whose legacy is an entire conference.

[@SteelerFanInRI]

Lynn Swann: "Phew!"

[@argelbargel7680]

@@SteelerFanInRI Ha--his legacy is two or three games.

[@stevenlaboe3585]

After Super Bowl III Joe went on to never start a game for the Jets and beat an opponent with a winning record at the time the game was played according to NFL Films producer Steve Sabol.

[@j.p.pelzman7481]

@@stevenlaboe3585 When did Steve say that? It is not true, absolutely not true. Just without even looking, I know when the NYJ won 6 straight to finish the 1974 season, AFC East rivals New England, Miami and Buffalo all had winning records when the Jets beat them.

[@mrmoose6619]

I remember my Dad and Uncle telling me this story. That and I remember in 2003 when he wanted to kiss Suzy Kolber. Amazing how times change...

[@scottburns2600]

Suzy Kolber was one of his greatest passes!

[@Staceyatkinson4496]

He g Has more class than most players around today

[@BennysBenz]

What happened to the bar?

[@diaz5292]

The league didn't want the mob getting in on their racket of fixing their games.

[@sammyvh11]

Especially SB 3!

[@eugenedenbrook322]

My grandfather could never just say Joe Namath. It was always, "Joe Namath and the Mafia Bowl!" Didn't help that he almost worshipped Johnny Unitas 🙂

[@jayoakes7874]

Rosell walks into the room and looks at namath Namath's eyes well up as he throws himself at Rosell's feet ballin' "golly I jus be a jet again sir"

[@jaysonraphaelmurdock8812]

Fudge rozell right in the a.

[@vicepresidentmikepence889]

1:43..I never understood why the jets wore Titans retro jerseys so much.The Jets Titans years were a complete embarrasment

[@jaredjames1989]

Guess since the rex ryan era was pretty good now jets fans can associate those unis with winning for the first time lol

[@BrendonChase2012]

Wow, the Titans must have been bad to be a complete embarrassment to the Jets!

[@billslocum9819]

They are as retro as the Jets can get, which I think is cool. I prefer the Namath era unis to all others, though.

[@michaelleroy9281]

They didn't even have a freaking logo on their helmets, if they did it should have been a bottle of red ♥️ 🔏 ink

[@Davepool-hs7vr]

Do a video on Ricky Williams first retirement

[@F40PH-2CAT]

OJ: Just stab Rozelle and claim you were framed.

[@chiefjoes.wiggumindonutswe5662]

2021 and the NFL is still rigged. 🤣

[@arturalexma]

and all the propaganda trying to cover it is not really working.

[@sammyvh11]

NFL totally in bed with gambling now.Whereever there is massive amounts of unregulated money thieves will gather.

[@ianmorgan7867]

Definitely not the first pro football celebrity considering Sammy Baugh was an actor

[@andrewpadaetz5549]

"fudge"...I think we all know it's another word starting with F (the one most Red Sox fans use about Bucky Dent)..

[@velvetdogg7375]

Ties to the mob, a guarantee in the big game and a very nervous colts team! What conspiracy? Look's like there all playing ball to me!

[@sammyvh11]

SB 3 was rigged. Rosenbloom,Shula, and Morrall along with the comish and owners to get the merger done. It worked flawless. Rosenbloom bet a few million on the Jets(Jimmy the Greek basically admitted this many times) Shula got 10% of the Dolphins and became close to a billionaire. Morrall ended up in Miami and lived a great life in south Florida after being a backup in the days when bench players where lucky to make 30 grand. They stuck Unitas in when it was too late and he had tendonitits in his throwing elbow.

[@princeeverlove]

eBay selling Joe Namath 8" Action Figures by MEGO Limited Edition...great prices🤟🏼

[@michaelnivens6267]

It Is definitely fixed now

[@KidTonyGaming]

Seeing as you're a jags fan, what are your thoughts on Urban Myers working Tonu Khan and his wrestling company. You think the cross promotion will help bring new fans to the team and vice versa

[@OfficialJaguarGator9]

Got no problem with it

[@michaelleroy9281]

As far as the Jaguars go there's no way to but up now

[@michaelleroy9281]

I remember this what a soap opera this was

[@Zeitgeist997]

It's sad that the commissioners are still Nazi's violating due process and pressuring players or punishing them before they're doing anything wrong. If today is Joe Namath's birthday 🎂he deserves it. That dude is the real captain charisma. He sells those commercials like it's his main love. That's the way everyone should live, seriously. Anything you're doing you should love and enjoy passionately because that positive mindset is the key to true wealth.

[@sammyvh11]

If you mess with the NFL your putting your life at risk.

[@joeshmoe7789]

When Namath made his guarantee, it was hardly reported. In the 1990's, sports writers rewrote history and made it to be a much bigger deal than it was. Although Jets attendance went up with Namath, it's wrong to compare it with the 1960 Titans.

[@pronkb000]

When I was a kid in the '80s I would read NFL history books for kids, some of which were written in the late '70s, and they made the guarantee out to be a HUGE deal. Even if it wasn't as big at the time, it was talked up as a big deal well before the 1990's. And the whole Super Bowl III broadcast is on KZbin--I haven't watched it start to finish but I've watched a healthy chunk and Curt Gowdy definitely mentions it.

[@joeshmoe7789]

​@@pronkb000 He mentions it once at the beginning, but barely talks about. I'm a Namath fan, but should share as MVP in that game.

[@paulmicheldenverco1]

1'm pretty sure that !f Namath had sued Rozelle the later would either backdown or lose, and the star power 0f Namath would in the end force Pete's hand. Starr, Johnny Unitas and Earl Morrall were certainly good players but collective1y were as dull a senior date night.

[@vdubproductions2646]

Family Guy Trivia oh shit that will be fun to watch

[@SteeleZack]

Taking legal advice from OJ lol

[@paulmicheldenverco1]

Pete Rozelle had no right or standing to make Namath sell his bar.

[@bobbyjones7922]

Incorrect heading.The correct heading, is the New York Jets, when Super Bowl |||.I stand by this post..

[@michaelnivens6267]

legal advice from O.J. , lol !!!

[@Staceyatkinson4496]

Didn't he play for the rams

[@michaelleroy9281]

1977 he played for the Rams only played 4 games then retired after the season

[@F40PH-2CAT]

Sorry, Giants forcing the Pat's to 18-1 was the biggest upset ever. The AFL was always competitive.

[@gregjones8501]

I’m 38 and don’t watch much football but I seen him on a commercial on television and for some reason I had a feeling he was a football player more precisely a quarterback. Quickly doing some research I came across some of his videos and dude was a legend! He definitely his name “Broadway Joe!” It’s sad the type of players I see today don’t put the same effort as these older guys.

[@BrendonChase2012]

Just ten more subs needed ;-)

[@BrendonChase2012]

And there you go, 10,000 subscribers! Congratulations, fantastic work!

[@anonymoususer450]

Legal advice from OJ? LOL

[@BrendonChase2012]

Don't knock it, OJ got away with double homicide!

[@michaelleroy9281]

And he is still getting away with it damn brilliant legal advice

[@dapumpking7202]

joe shouldhave went to the cards tbh, i hate the jets

[@haroldrock8689]

JOE #1

[@michaelleroy9281]

No, number12 LOL 😆

[@geoffroi-le-Hook]

Good thing that now we only bet on the players and not the teams

[@F40PH-2CAT]

You should just say "context time" before you begin the story....we all know what u mean 😁

[@Yaddlezap]

Do you think Super Bowl III was rigged?

[@lucaskincanyon7393]

He’s also crazily overrated also. I mean, his stats aren’t the greatest for hall of gamer, so I believe it was a celebrity pick. 😅

[@distantandvague]

His stats weren't good for a professional quarterback lol

[@gxpher7]

he only had more tds than picks in a season twice

[@appassionato1000]

I became the partner after Joe negotiates a solution.

[@pace91]

Joe definitely had some mob guys make him an offer he couldn't refuse that's why his tune changed

[@Poisendskull1]

More like I can’t shut down! The Mob will kill me!

[@scottconner7930]

52 Years Ago

[@PInk77W1]

I think Namath should of held out more. Oh well

[@gregoryjohnson9733]

Its still rigged.

[@sammyvh11]

I truly believe that SB 3 was rigged. Joe was great no doubt but the Colts owner, head coach, and Earl Morrall where paid off to lose. But Joe never had any idea that the Colts offense would lay down. I do not know if the bar had anything to do with it but Joe hung with some seedy dudes. I was at that place a few times it was wild at the start.

[@michaelleroy9281]

Don't say that about Don Shula, he wouldn't purposely throw a game

[@beyondleftfield4470]

If I was Namath then, I'd have leveraged Rozelle to ensure any money being lost over the duration of the business being vacated, be made up for by the league. Then I'd have considered making at least half that money "pass-through" to the business that didn't have my name, to keep it alive and that NFL compensation money flowing, then upon official retirement, walk right back into my business.

[@mikelugo848]

In 1971 I went to the address and found just an indoor showroom for used cars

[@dr.awkward9075]

Joe Namath is the most overrated QB of all time! Barely completed 50% of his passes. Led the league in interceptions 4 times. Has a losing record as a starting QB. Threw 20 or more picks in 5 different seasons & after SB 3 he never beat a team with a winning record. Matt Snell or Randy Beverly should have been MVP of SB 3.

[@josephrufo4264]

his early years he was great,,, his knees were shot in the 70s

[@Matt-j7b]

Yeah, but he is Joe Namath and nobody knows you

[@depaola63]

What JOE NAMATH did for the game and the NY JETS in his first 5 seasons alone puts him in the HOF 🏈💎✌️

[@depaola63]

@@Matt-j7b absolutely ⭐️

[@Matt-j7b]

@@depaola63 You said that perfectly. I agree with you 💯

[@garyhall7867]

Garbage qb. Only had two or three seasons with more tds than ints

[@dr.roberts4508]

OJ's advice?

[@Ragnar009]

Namath is probably the only hall of fame quarterback more overrated than Brett Favre.

[@distantandvague]

Namath was a terrible quarterback in every measurable sense. He was inaccurate as hell, had a losing record, a very poor td/int rate, but was on a SB winning team. It shows how hilariously thirsty that era was for a player to have any personality whatsoever. Namath wears a stupid coat and everyone thinks he's a superstar.

[@chrisuncleahmad789]

@@distantandvague Favre at least had more TD than INT

[@Ragnar009]

@@distantandvague I was just trying to be nice. But I agree with you 100%

[@Ragnar009]

@@chrisuncleahmad789 That's an accomplishment in itself. But that's why I said Namath was more overrated. Brett Favre was one of the most reckless quarterbacks I've ever seen play the game.

[@distantandvague]

@@Ragnar009 Yeah, the shine on Favre really wore thin when kids stopped being 13. His decision making was pretty, pretty miserable, especially towards the end.

[@davidvondusseldorf1208]

Most overrated player in the Hall Of Fame. Threw 47 more interceptions than touchdown. Also, shouldn't have been the Super Bowl MVP. The running back Matt Schnell should have been the MVP of Superbowl 3. He had 121 rushing yards and the Jets only touchdown. Plus 40 yards receiving. The Jets defense really won the game holding Baltimore to 7 points. What did Namath do to win the MVP????

[@danielmackey9765]

Thank you. Man some times I feel like I'm the only one that thinks he is overrated.

[@monroemitchell8175]

He was a 5 time pro bowler. He was the top QB in the AFL. He had led the most significant upset in the Super Bowl era winning SB III. Without that win, there's no merger. As an 18 point underdog. And it's Matt Snell

[@monroemitchell8175]

So I guess Ken Stabler is too overrated by that logic?

[@davidvondusseldorf1208]

@@monroemitchell8175 he sucked

[@davidvondusseldorf1208]

@@monroemitchell8175 tons of better players should be in hall of fame. What a joke

[@matthewtrauger3683]

Hes not a real Hall of Famer. It's the hall of fame, not the hall of average at best.

[@krisgray8124]

One of the criteria for being considered for the HOF is contributions to the game. When Namath backed up his brash guarantee by beating the Colts in SBIII, the NFL could no longer consider the Upstart AFL as the red headed step child of professional football. Would the merger have still happened if the Jets lost? Yeah, probably. But not in 1970, but further on in the decade. And some AFL teams could have folded before then. With the Jets victory, the merger was now inevitable and talent coming out of college would no longer need to decide which league to choose when drafted. Namath's victory made the Super Bowl not just a game, but a culture crossing event. Then when the money started rolling in,The NFL became king. Namath, along with other college players, including my personal all time hero, Floyd Little, revolutionized football. The stodgy NFL didn't bother to take notice. Until Joe Willie Namath showed them and the world that the AFL not only belonged, but made the game and the new NFL better. Seems like a Hall Of Fame accomplishment to me.

[@krisgray8124]

@@ksronlinemedia3798 I stand corrected on that point. Since I was born in 1965, I didn't read a lot of sports in 1966. I wasn't a child prodigy lol. I just knew the merger was in 1970. That's when I started watching football because being from Colorado, I was a Broncos fan, and Floyd Little was my first sports hero. All of that aside, I still think Namath belongs in the hall. Thank you for the information .

[@tr5947]

@@krisgray8124 It stuck on the throats of a lot of AFL players how Vince Lombardi (and many, many other leading lights of the NFL) denigrated the AFL as an inferior league. It was though it might take ten years for an AFL team to win a championship. Anyone who thinks Namath is overrated is speaking from abject ignorance and an over-worshiping at the altar of stats.

[@krisgray8124]

@@tr5947 God, I wish I had said what you just wrote. Perfect analysis. But remember, I am not a prodigy. I thank you for the further context. One thought to add, and I will revert back to my childhood hero. If Floyd Little had played for the venerable Chicago Bears, and Gayle Sayers had played for the former AFL Broncos, with their careers playing out the exact same way as they did in our reality, Sayers doesn't get a sniff of the HOF, and Little is first ballot instead of waiting for the veterans committee to finally getting around to inducting him. As you pointed out, stats aren't always the best indicator of greatness. Nor are championships. Just ask Dan Marino. I guess my point is as the league evolves into a game with video game like numbers. and younger generations of fans don't know of 12 and 14 game schedules, they will think of the players from back then as overrated. For instance, there never has been and there never will be a better running back than Jim Brown. He was beast mode before the term was coined. Somebody change my mind. I'll listen but you better come heavy.

[@jamesage24]

It's The Hall of Fame, not Hall of Stats.

[@mcray0309]

Its amazing how a guy with a 52% completion percentage throws 4000 yards. I feel like the coach was running a very heavy pass centric offense. There were so many consistent qbs from that time we know nothing about

[@scottfarmer8758]

Joe Namath is the most overrated QB of all time! His career completion percentage is 50.1, he threw 173 TDs and 220 interceptions. Not Hall of Fame numbers in my opinion! If the Jets had lost Super Bowl III there is no way he makes it to Canton. Totally overrated.

[@FAITHandLOGIC]

Len Dawson was miles better than Namath. Namath is the most overrated QB in history.

[@jamesage24]

I'd give that title to Aaron Rodgers.

[@michaelleroy9281]

Kirk Cousins

[@abcall-timesboxingchanneln7076]

Namath the greatest in either league is a joke. You really lose credibility with calling Namath great as far as play goes. He was the NFL version of ALI. He brought more people to watch football who wouldn't watch football otherwise in that for his time at the merger of AFL and NFL.Biggest sensation and hype yes. The first big time product pitchman yes. As a quarterback from a full career no he dosen't belong in the hall. Horrible numbers although the man had many knee injuries in a time when knee injuries where near lethal to most careers. Talented, big arm could have been, yes.Gutsy player and a regular guy as far as how he was as a person. The bar had a mafia influence behind it, Please don't shill. The NFL forbidden history shows mafia influence not only players getting paid as well as refs getting paid. Dan Moldea a respected researcher has book that goes in great detail of players who got paid to under perform. Frontline's first show in 1981 I think was about the how the NFL had gambling ties. Players in the 60's 70's and part of the 80's had horrible pay for most players creating this problem with bookies and such.The NFL itself was founded by bookies and dog and horse racing owners like the Mara's and Rooneys. George Halas and Bidwell of the cards borrowed money from Al Capone to get started. So the NFL despite its fake claims of purity is factually laughable. Your Namath take is overplayed. Rosell called his bluff is all that happened.