restaurateur athlete American football player
John Constantine Unitas was born on May 7, 1933 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. He was the third child of four kids in a family of Francis J. Unitas, an owner of a small coal delivery business, and Helen Unitas Gibbs, a homemaker.
Johnny Unitas was raised in Mount Washington neighborhood of Pittsburgh. In 1938, his father died of cardiovascular renal disease, and Unitas' mother was obliged to support the family on her own since then. To help his mother, Johnny got involved in American football while studying at Saint Justin's High School.
He excelled on the field and won All-Catholic League honors as a quarterback. Despite his success, however, he wasn't sought after by most college recruiters because of his slight stature (he weighed only 66 kg). His dreams of joining the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team weren't meant to come true for that very reason.
After graduation in 1951, Unitas received the only scholarship offer from the University of Louisville. He grew to 1.85 meters and 88 kilograms at Louisville and played extensively. Elected a captain of the squad by his senior season of 1954, he led the Louisville Cardinals to a record of 7-2. With his 527 passing yards, Unitas finished the season second to Jim Houser who scored 560.
Johnny Unitas switched to professional football in 1955 when he was selected in the ninth round of the National Football League (NFL) draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Though, he was just one of four quarterbacks in training camp and wasn't given any opportunity to show himself on the field. Unitas was dismissed before the start of the regular season.
He then came back to his native Pittsburgh and worked as a pile driver on a construction crew. To keep athletic shape, Unitas played for the semiprofessional Bloomfield Rams of the Greater Pittsburgh League earning $6 per game. In the spring of 1956, he was offered a tryout by the Baltimore Colts and made the team as a backup to George Shaw.
Unitas got a chance to show what he was really capable of when Shaw injured his leg during the fourth game of the season. Unitas' debut with the Colts was a fail as he fumbled three times and threw an interception. Baltimore lost 58–27 in that game. Though, Unitas progressed and by 1957 he headed the NFL in passing yardage and touchdowns. Chosen for the first of 10 career Pro Bowls, Unitas started a series in which he would throw a touchdown pass in forty-seven straight games.
As time passed, Johnny Unitas became more and more well-liked by the audience. His performance in the 1958 championship game, in which he helped the Colts to win 23–17 in a game against the New York Giants strengthened his legendary status. The game was later named (and still is) as the turning point in the rise of the NFL's popularity.
Unitas' rise to stardom coincided with the formation of American football as the dominant televised game. Oil billionaire Lamar Hunt started the successful American Football League (AFL). The increased competition of rival leagues for players resulted in wage growth and made media celebrities of the stars. As the quarterback who led the Colts to the champion's title twice, in 1958 and a year later, Unitas was automatically expected to dominate the game during the subsequent decade.
He actually did dominate. Competing for the Colts as a starting quarterback throughout the 1960s, he helped the squad to make the playoffs in 1964 and 1965. Unitas missed the most part of only 1968 because of injuries and watched from the sidelines as the Baltimore Colts triumphed at the Super Bowl of that year. Two years later, Unitas led the squad to victory in Super Bowl V. The 1973 season for which he was traded to the San Diego Chargers became his last in active sport.
After retirement, Johnny Unitas served as a broadcaster for the Columbia Broadcasting System for a while. He tried himself as an author and was involved in a number of business ventures as well, including the Golden Arm Restaurant in Baltimore, the Unitas Management Corporation, a real estate development firm in Florida, and the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation. In 2002, before his death, Unitas became minority owner of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers of the Arena Football 2 (AF2) League.
By his retirement, Unitas had 40,239 passing yards and 290 touchdowns to his credit, which were both records at the time, the same as for the number of his completions. His streak of forty-seven straight games with a touchdown pass remained unequaled till 2012.
Selected the Most Valuable Player three times and given 10 Pro Bowl and five first-team All-Pro honors, Johnny Unitas was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979 and into the American Football Association's Semi-Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987. His number 19 was retired by the Baltimore Colts to celebrate their eminent quarterback. On the fiftieth NFL anniversary, The Golden Arm was named the league's best player. In 1987, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award was established in his honor to mark the best college quarterbacks in the United States.
(The book is cowritten with Harold Rosenthal.)
1968(The book is cowritten with George Dintiman.)
1979(The book is cowritten with George Dintiman.)
1979Johnny Unitas was born in a devout Catholic family.
Quotations:
"I want to be honest with you: the players I played with and the coaches I had... they were directly responsible for my being here. I want you all to remember that. I always will."
"I always thought I could play pro ball. I had confidence in my ability, you have to. If you don't who will?"
"There is a difference between conceit and confidence. Conceit is bragging about yourself. Confidence means you believe you can get the job done."
"Anything I do, I always have a reason for."
"Nothing's dangerous if you know what you're doing."
"In order to be successful at anything you choose to do, you must make a 100 percent commitment to what it is you are trying to do. If you put 50 percent of your ability into it, that is all that you will get out of it. You must discipline your body and your mind to work towards the goals you have set. Once you have made this decision, then the work begins."
"A man never gets to his station in life without being helped, aided, shoved, pushed and prodded to do better."
"Talk is cheap, let's go play."
Unitas' surname arose from a widespread Lithuanian last name Jonaitis through a phonetic transliteration.
Johnny Unitas had his distinct style. Old-fashioned high-top football shoes that he wore and hair styled in a crew cut became his hallmark. An epitome of team play, he didn't strive for attention or celebrity.
During his career, Johnny Unitas was regarded as one of the most intimidating players on the field. His most noted skill was the ability to understand defenses.
Physical Characteristics:
Johnny Unitas was 1.85 meters tall. He was right-handed.
Closer to the end of his life, Unitas almost couldn't use his right hand because of the consequences of the injuries he had received during his athletic career. In particular, his middle finger and thumb were deformed significantly.
Quotes from others about the person
Sid Luckman, American football quarterback: "He was better than me, better than Sammy Baugh, better than anyone."
Vince Lombardi, American football coach: "He is uncanny in his abilities, under the most violent pressure, to pick out the soft spot in a defense."
Johnny Sample, American football defensive back: "He scared grown men just by taking the snap and looking your way."
Johnny Unitas was married twice. On November 20, 1954, he tied the knot with his high school sweetheart, Dorothy Jean Hoelle. The family produced five children, Janice, John Constantine, Robert, Christopher, and Kenneth.
Johnny and Dorothy divorced in June 1972. Unitas remarried on June 26 of that same year - this time Sandra Lemon became his wife. She bore him three children, Francis Joseph, Chad Elliott, and Alicia Ann Paige. They lived together till Unitas' death.
(born January 6, 1901 – died October 10, 1938)
A Lithuanian by origin, Francis Joseph Unitas managed a small coal delivery business.
(née Superfisky Gibbs; born May 20, 1905 – died December 14, 1990)
After the death of her husband, Helen Unitas Gibbs briefly took over his business and then served at several odd jobs while attending night classes in bookkeeping. She eventually sold insurance as soon as she had found a job in her new profession.
(by marriage End; born December 10, 1935 – died April 27, 2004)
(née Hoelle)
(née Lemon)
(born January 4, 1930 – died May 4, 2020)
Don Shula, in full Donald Francis Shula, started his athletic career in 1951 when he was drafted out of the John Carroll University. He competed as a defensive back for Cleveland Browns, the Baltimore Colts, and the Washington Football Team.
Considered the best coach ever in the National Football League, he was head coach of the Miami Dolphins for 26 seasons. Under his leadership, the squad won two Super Bowl cups, including the 1972 impeccable season, the only such in the history of the league. He had also coached the Baltimore Colts, leading them to the triumph at the 1968 NFL Championship.
(born May 6, 1907 – died November 17, 1998)
Weeb Ewbank, born Wilbur Charles Ewbank, coached the Baltimore Colts (two victorious NFL championships) and the New York Jets (Super Bowl victory). Ewbank is the only coach whose teams triumphed at the National Football League and the American Football League.
