Super Bowl history can not be told without paying tribute to the legendary quarterback Joe Namath, who guided the 1969 New York Jets to become the first AFL division team to win in the history of the Super Bowl. As the 19 point underdog going into the Super Bowl against the Baltimore Colts, the New York Jets’ victory turned out to be the biggest upset in Super Bowl history.
Attributing to the upset was the fact that just one week before the game Namath openly guaranteed that the New York Jets would indeed win the Super Bowl. Not only did Namath live up to this promise but Super Bowl history reveals that the 16 – 7 upset proved to be a landmark game. Namath completed 17 of 28 passes for a total of 206 yards with no interceptions. Even more importantly, this first AFL victory in the history of the Super Bowl ultimately led to the merger of the NFL and AFL. Just four months after the January 1969 Super Bowl the NFL finally agreed to unite, and most people believe that Namath and his Jets were responsible.
After winning the biggest game in Super Bowl history, Joe Namath continued to set records throughout the NFL. In 1972, Namath led the NFL with 2,816 yards passing and tied Bill Kramer of Washington with 19 touchdown passes. During the same football season, Namath passed for 400 yards in two games making him only the third quarterback in history to do so. To round the season out, Namath passed for 496 yards against the Colts for the third highest total in NFL history.
Whether you are talking about Super Bowl history or NFL history, Joe Namath was one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game of football. No true football fan can dispute this fact.
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