Bio johnny quarterback unitas
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Johnny Unitas
American football player (1933–2002)
American football player
Unitas with the Baltimore Colts in 1963 | |||
Position: | Quarterback | ||
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Born: | (1933-05-07)May 7, 1933 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||
Died: | September 11, 2002(2002-09-11) (aged 69) Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. | ||
Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||
Weight: | 194 lb (88 kg) | ||
High school: | St. Justin's (Pittsburgh) | ||
College: | Louisville (1951–1954) | ||
NFL draft: | 1955 / round: 9 / pick: 102 | ||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||
• Johnny Unitas, extolled in countless football arenas as one of the GREATEST QUARTERBACKS ever to play the game, was almost denied the chance to prove his talent.
Unitas began his career as field general while a sophomore at St. Justin's High School when the quarterback broke his ankle. Johnny U, it was decided, could throw the ball well enough and was moved to the QB position with less than a week to learn the entire offense. Johnny wanted very much to go to college to continue his sport and build himself a solid foundation for the future. However, his dream team, Notre Dame, was unwilling to take a gamble that his six foot, 138 pound frame would bulk up.
Unitas received an offer from the University of Louisville, and after some consideration, decided being a big fish in a small pond might be more to his advantage after all. He made a solid reputation for himself while at Louisville that got him into the ninth slot for the Pittsburgh Steelers draft of '5 • "A guy broke through the line, hit him, pushed his head in the ground. He called the same play, let the guy come through and broke his nose with the football. I said, "That's my hero,' "says Bubba Smith about Johnny Unitas on ESPN Classic's SportsCentury series. Johnny Unitas, whose passing led the Baltimore Colts to victory in "The Greatest Game Ever Played", will be profiled on Friday, Sept. 26, at 8 and 11 p.m. ET.
The Baltimore Colts got it right. Unitas, 6 feet and a mere 145 pounds in high school, became a nowhere-to-somewhere story, a backup who kept getting opportunities to succeed at every level. Give me a chance, the crew-cut spelare i amerikansk fotboll would say, and I'll show you. He went from semi-pro dirt fields to stardom in the NFL. And he did it quickly. "The m |