Joe Namath (NFL H.O.F.)

[Jake]

I like Broadway Joe. He grew up 30 minutes from where I grew up, another kid from the Rust Belt. He's in the pro football HOF, but the question is why?

He never threw so many as 20 TD passes in a season at Alabama. Sure, the game has changed since then, but what about his NFL career? He threw more interceptions than touchdowns as a professional. No one else makes the HOF with that resume. Why is he there?

The guarantee. Super Bowl III. The Packers dominated the first 2 SBs so no one ever imagined the Jets could beat the 13-1 Colts of the NFL. Namath "guaranteed" it, then put up a monster offensive performance by throwing for...oh wait, he didn't throw for anything. His team scored 16 points - the only TD coming off a run by Buckeye Matt Snell - while the Jets defense inexplicably put the clamps on mighty Baltimore.

The truth is, he made the HOF based on one game that his defense won for him. Not sure why this hit a nerve tonight other than the mentioning of the Alabama TD passing record during the Ole Miss-Bama broadcast.

The HOF voters lost some credibility with that choice. All hype and no substance.

 

[Saw31]

This is why. He hit more tail than any other QB in history.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQqIQyT-RuM"]Joe Namath Drunk - YouTube[/ame]

 

[buckeyeintn]

I think it was because of his love for pantyhose.

 

[Jake]

This is why. He hit more tail than any other QB in history.

Joe Namath Drunk - YouTube

Can't argue with that.

 

[ScriptOhio]

 

[Zurp]

 

[ScriptOhio]

Spoiler

#24 is Joe Namath

 

[ScriptOhio]

A day in the life of Broadway Joe Namath, octogenarian

Decades removed from his fast life, 80-year-old Namath is now a doting grandfather who knows just how lucky he is to be here.

www.espn.com

A day in the life of Jets legend Broadway Joe Namath, octogenarian​

Namath, shown with daughter Jessica and granddaughter Jemma in 2014, now lives a quieter life in Florida with his family

Just sayin': Interesting article, four points from the article....

1. Broadway Joe turned 80 today. I actually remember watching Super Bowl III* (my Junior year at Ohio State); time sure flies.
2. His mind is sharp and his football-ravaged body, rebuilt with two knee replacements, two hip replacements and one shoulder replacement, feels pretty damn good, all things considered. Almost a "bionic man"....
3. Namath gave up booze 20 years ago.
4. Concern for concussions, he did hyperbaric oxygen therapy. He said it has helped big time; his before-and-after brain scans showed marked improvement

* both teams had an Ohio Sate running back, i.e. Matt Snell (Jets) and Tom Matte (Colts)

 

[Thump]

Not a Hall-of-Famer in my opinion.

 

[ScriptOhio]

Not a Hall-of-Famer in my opinion.

Two points:

1. His stats were just very good for the period that he played in; however, especially by today's standards he's definitely not Hall Of Fame material.

2. His election into the Hall Of Fame was a combination of his stats and his contribution to the legitimizing the AFL-NFL merger. Probably no one player had a bigger impact on the evolution of the NFL than Namath. When the merger was first agreed to, everyone just thought that the NFL teams were far superior to the AFL teams, etc. His Super Bowl III win gave instant credibility to the AFL (and the merger); and that was a "really big deal" back in 1969.

'The Merger' looks at time of vital change in football

NFL Network's Timeline series continued on Thursday night with The Merger, a retrospective on how the AFL and NFL went from bitter rivals to necessary business partners in the 1960s.

www.nfl.com

The merger had many fathers: From Pete Rozelle, to Joe Namath, to Lamar Hunt. The list goes on.

How can you talk about the rise of the AFL and the merger with the NFL without mentioning Joe Namath? The iconic Jets quarterback's flashy style, star power and big arm gave the AFL unimpeachable cred. Namath explained to Jeremy Schapp that his iconic finger point to the sky after Super Bowl III victory in 1969 described not just the Jets' rise, but of the AFL's new place in the professional football pecking order. The league's merged one year later.

What if the New York Jets lost Super Bowl III?

In 1969, the New York Jets defeated the Baltimore Colts and Super Bowl III was one of the most pivotal games in NFL history. What if the Jets lost?

thecomeback.com

The Jets winning Super Bowl III helped make the AFL/NFL merger go smoother and made Joe Namath a Hall of Famer.

Having said all that, the biggest thing that would’ve changed had the Jets lost Super Bowl III would’ve been the NFL itself. Before Super Bowl III, the AFL was viewed as an inferior league from many people. Sure, the AFL and NFL merged but the NFL didn’t really take AFL teams seriously. Many of the players on AFL teams were cast-offs from other NFL teams and were put on teams that formed at the start of the decade. And two of the best teams in the AFL were blown out in the first two title games. Of course the NFL didn’t really respect the AFL.

Another NFL win in Super Bowl III would’ve meant passing a point of no return in terms of equality between the AFL/AFC and NFL/NFC. The merger probably would’ve still gone through, but the stigma of the original AFL teams would’ve resonated for a very long time. Those eight teams would’ve been in the NFL, but they wouldn’t have been seen as “NFL teams.” Would those teams have remained in the NFL after 50+ years? It sounds unthinkable to consider but if the Jets hadn’t won Super Bowl III, the entire fabric of having the same 32 teams likely would’ve been altered and football being the most popular sport in America arguably may not have happened.

 

[Thump]

Two points:

1. His stats were just very good for the period that he played in; however, especially by today's standards he's definitely not Hall Of Fame material.

2. His election into the Hall Of Fame was a combination of his stats and his contribution to the legitimizing the AFL-NFL merger. Probably no one player had a bigger impact on the evolution of the NFL than Namath. When the merger was first agreed to, everyone just thought that the NFL teams were far superior to the AFL teams, etc. His Super Bowl III win gave instant credibility to the AFL (and the merger); and that was a "really big deal" back in 1969.

'The Merger' looks at time of vital change in football

NFL Network's Timeline series continued on Thursday night with The Merger, a retrospective on how the AFL and NFL went from bitter rivals to necessary business partners in the 1960s.

www.nfl.com

The merger had many fathers: From Pete Rozelle, to Joe Namath, to Lamar Hunt. The list goes on.

How can you talk about the rise of the AFL and the merger with the NFL without mentioning Joe Namath? The iconic Jets quarterback's flashy style, star power and big arm gave the AFL unimpeachable cred. Namath explained to Jeremy Schapp that his iconic finger point to the sky after Super Bowl III victory in 1969 described not just the Jets' rise, but of the AFL's new place in the professional football pecking order. The league's merged one year later.

What if the New York Jets lost Super Bowl III?

In 1969, the New York Jets defeated the Baltimore Colts and Super Bowl III was one of the most pivotal games in NFL history. What if the Jets lost?

thecomeback.com

The Jets winning Super Bowl III helped make the AFL/NFL merger go smoother and made Joe Namath a Hall of Famer.

Having said all that, the biggest thing that would’ve changed had the Jets lost Super Bowl III would’ve been the NFL itself. Before Super Bowl III, the AFL was viewed as an inferior league from many people. Sure, the AFL and NFL merged but the NFL didn’t really take AFL teams seriously. Many of the players on AFL teams were cast-offs from other NFL teams and were put on teams that formed at the start of the decade. And two of the best teams in the AFL were blown out in the first two title games. Of course the NFL didn’t really respect the AFL.

Another NFL win in Super Bowl III would’ve meant passing a point of no return in terms of equality between the AFL/AFC and NFL/NFC. The merger probably would’ve still gone through, but the stigma of the original AFL teams would’ve resonated for a very long time. Those eight teams would’ve been in the NFL, but they wouldn’t have been seen as “NFL teams.” Would those teams have remained in the NFL after 50+ years? It sounds unthinkable to consider but if the Jets hadn’t won Super Bowl III, the entire fabric of having the same 32 teams likely would’ve been altered and football being the most popular sport in America arguably may not have happened.

Good points.

More interceptions than TD's.