I often hear comments about Joe Namath not being a Hall of Fame-caliber quarterback, or talking about how bad his numbers were. Vince Lombardi once called him “the perfect passer.” Since I’m not a lifelong Jet fan, I can be unbiased in my assessment of Joe Namath. I think that his position in the HOF is, of course, very justified.
Namath is best remembered for his performance as the New York Jets upset the heavily favored Baltimore Colts 16-7 in Super Bowl III. After audaciously securing a win before the game, the Cocky Jets quarterback completed 17 of 28 passes for 206 yards and was named the Super Bowl MVP, despite not throwing a touchdown pass in the game or no passing at all in the fourth quarter Was named MVP after leading the Jets to victory in Super Bowl III. His best season came in 1967 when he completed 258 passes for 4,007 yards and 26 touchdowns.
Joe Namath’s place in football history is not limited to his sterling record of 12 seasons with the New York Jets and a swan song year late in his career with the Los Angeles Rams. He is arguably one of the greatest soccer players of all time.
Namath won accolades from all leagues four times in his career and was named to the AFL’s all-time team of honor in 1969. His victory in Super Bowl III was such an incredible cultural event and a precursor to the explosion of post-merger NFL that I almost have to give him a thumbs up based solely on his singular contribution to the game. Namath is by far the most famous and influential football personality of his generation or probably any generation.
Joe Namath was plagued by knee injuries for much of his career. He is still admired by NY Jet fans even today.